Le Secret de Santa Vittoria

I missed the first half hour on Turner last night, but tuned in and was thoroughly entertained. This is top notch Anthony Quinn- he is terrific, and the entire cast is excellent. Looking forward to seeing the entire film now. Unlike another reviewer, I loved his over-the-top reaction to the German Captain's telling him he wanted the village's wine. Hardy Kruger, as the captain, gives a nuanced performance that adds a great deal to the film.

One of the great joys of this movie is the Italian location and extras. The economics of contemporary movie making rarely allow for true location shooting anymore, and its too bad. As these films from the 60s and 70s age, they become increasingly valuable as an historical record.

This movie also has a wonderful heart- it's a celebration of what makes life worth living. Highly recommended.

In short there is no other move quite like it. One of those that you might not think to rent, but if you find yourself at the beginning of it, you'll not leave until you see the ending. Quinn is excellent.

The nutshell is that The Germans are coming, and the town has lost all of its older boys and men to the Italian army. They're a wine-producing town, and elect the town-fool to be the "mock mayor". The problem is that they need to hide the wine from the Germans, being their only real treasure. From that premise forward, the movie becomes dark and deeply compelling. I believe that these are some of the best performances of the star-studded actors...

I recommend it, as one of life's "must see's".

(PS: I'm a tough critic, so an "8" for me is just about tops)

When casting this film there was only one actor possible for the lead. It could only have been Anthony Quinn playing lead character and town drunk of Santa Vittorio, Bombolini. The way Quinn plays him so broadly it could only have been the guy who brought Zorba The Greek to the big screen.

When new of the fall of Mussolini's government the town celebrates as most of the town's did until Kesselring's troops occupied them. Because Quinn got himself totally plastered and stuck on a 100 foot water tower taking down pro-Mussolini signs the Fascist council thinks he's the popular leader and they make the town drunk mayor.

All a big joke to the one who knows him best wife Anna Magnani. They have what could be considered a tempestuous relationship. The only kind Magnani ever had on the screen. These scenes have some real bite to them because Quinn and Magnani did not get along at all during the making of The Secret Of Santa Vittoria.

What is that secret you ask? It is the fact that the town which is in the grape growing wine pressing part of Italy has squirreled away much of its wine from the Fascist government. Now however the Nazis threaten to occupy the town and Quinn and the rest of the town have to get real creative in their hiding.

They do and Quinn and Wehrmacht commander Hardy Kruger have quite a battle of wits. The German officer and the town drunk. Who do you think comes out on top?

The Secret Of Santa Vittoria is mostly a comedy, but it gets close to serious once the Germans arrive. Kruger has one of his most interesting parts in his career. He's a lot like Hannes Messemer who was the German Wehrmacht commander in The Great Escape. Kruger too has the S.S. looking over his shoulder.

Watch the film as you see this battle of wits between Quinn and Kruger. Lots of laughs along the way as you see whether Santa Vittoria keeps its wine.

Think you just turned 10 in a very small and provincial little village in the outskirts of Rome when one day of June 1968 the "AMERICANI" litterally take possession of the place. The only thing you know is they have chosen the place, ANTICOLI CORRADO, as a set for the latest Stanley Kramer's movie. Most of the peasants will work in it (average pay 5,000 Lira of those day, about 25 Euros nowdays), some of them will get big money for big troubles: the innocent place will never be the same eversince. Yet, even 35 years later, we Anticolani of those days still watch the movie with unlimited joy and endless nostalgia!!!

Anthony Quinn's performance in The Secret of Santa Vittoria (1969) was worthy of an Academy Award for Best Actor, and certainly honorable mention for Best Picture as well as Best Cinematography. This film has aged well over the past fifty two (52) years and I found myself mesmerized by Anthony Quinn's performance as the drunkard Mayor of Santa Vittoria who develops a questionable plan to hide one million bottles of the towns wine production from the German soldiers who are on their way into town to abscond with all the towns wine and any other valuables the town has to offer them.

It is not an intense dramatic/action film about World War 2, but rather a unique comedic story about the town of Santa Vittoria and its people. The story focuses on the.love/hate relationship of the drunkard towns Mayor Bombolini (Anthony Quinn) and his estranged wife. Rosa (Anna Magnani) as they try and raise their sixteen (16) year old daughter who is falling in love with a local boy. The Mayor Bombolini is challenged to come up with a quick plan to hide the towns 1.3 million bottles of wine from the Germans who are heading to their little town to ravage it and take its spoils of World war 2.

The German Captain Von Prum (Hardy Krüger) appears to be civil but has a difficult assignment in fron of him and his troops in finding out where the one million bottles of wine have been hidden. Strategically May Bombolini has left 300 thousand bottles of wine for the Germans to find to fool them in believing "there is no more wine" which is the mantra that his honor the Mayor Bambolini as well as the townspeople repeats ad nauseum to the German Captain Von Prum.

Quinn is an emotional big man who can't help but steal every scene he appears in and quite frankly, he deserves an Academy Award for his performance which in some scenes is silly comedy but he is an affectionate big man who is a father, husband, and Mayor who loves his family, his townspeople, but especially his town's sacred wine.

I find it hard to believe.that the Hollywood library of film has not placed this film in the top 1000 film category, as part of the Criterion Collection, nor why it has never been released on Blu Ray and now 4K resolution in North America. I trust the manufacturers will right this wrong shortly and release a high quality resolution copy of this classic comedy/romance/war/drama film.

I give it an 8 out of 10 IMDB rating.