Passion d'amour

In this unlikely love triangle, set in 19th century Italy, `The Beauty and the Beast' is being turned upside down and inside out and then some: Giorgio, an army officer and the very image of male beauty, is being transferred away form his (married) lover Clara and sent to a small garrison somewhere in Piemont. There - initially much to his horror – Fosca, the grotesquely ugly cousin of his commander, develops an obsessive love for him. He suffers her passionate and demanding displays of affection out of pity and concern for her health (she is gravely ill), but becomes more and more fascinated by her – until the dramatic finale…

Do not miss this most unusual love story, as twisted as it may sound. Valeria d'Obici, who deservedly won a price for her portrayal of Fosca, is as alarming as she is touching. Buy the video, read the book, go see the musical!

Ettore Scola's masterful rendering of this epic of the heart deserves a much wider audience. It is a worthy successor to the risorgimento classics such as Vischonti's Senso and Il Gattopardo, as well as Rosselini's Vanina,Vanini. The 19th century is indeed a fruitful source for Italian filmmakers. The period settings and trappings are beautifully realized here, but the story is timeless and could occur in any period. What is so intriguing in this story is that the hero becomes trapped in a claustrophobic situation in which he finds himself the vigorously pursued object of desire and he is quite powerless to extricate himself from the alarming circumstances. Handsome and callow Giorgio (Giraudeau) is frustrated by his inability to visit his charming but light-minded married mistress (Antonelli) and falls prey to the dangerous passion of enamored Fosca (D'Obici), the ugly and sickly daughter of his stern commander (Girotti). The resulting anguish and ensuing tragedy this unlikely pair undergoes make them both understandable, pitiful and immensely sympathetic to viewers. Bernard Giraudeau's stellar performance will captivate and leave a lasting impression. Not to be missed.

I have seen this film twice, and despite certain mixed feelings I have of it I give it a 9. The ending of the film deserves this high rating because in its way it challenges the audience to question what is ' against nature, ' and that for me is always a good thing to do. It also hints that it is also a subjective view of beauty influenced by others, and how much we depend upon the viewpoint of others concerning physical beauty in another person. No spoilers, but a young and ' handsome ' soldier after the victory of Garibaldi in the late 19thc Is sent to a garrison far away from the married woman he passionately desires played rather blandly by Laura Antonelli. There he meets Fosca a supposedly' ugly ' woman played extraordinarily well by the actor Valeria D'Obici and slowly but surely she falls in love with him. The torment of this passion leads to excess and a state of what the world called then madness. Excellently directed by Ettore Scola it is arguably one of Italy's greatest films, but seeing the so few reviews here I can assume it has fallen into the great ' lost ' films realm, along with such Italian films as ' Il Mare ' and ' Fists in the Pocket, ' and this is saddening. Too consumed by the directors Fellini, Antonioni, and arguably Visconti we are in danger of losing sight of masterpieces that have fallen now by the cinematic wayside. That said this film does have images that I disliked, especially when Fosca is made up to look like a female Nosferatu. Subjective it maybe to the teller of this story, but I feel Scola should have resisted falling into horror excess. This is my opinion, and I firmly believe this film should be seen by as many as possible. In no other film that I can think of has the question of outer beauty been put into so much doubt, and I applaud it for that.

A clever and bizarre angle to "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder". At times you think this is campy and over the top, but the underlying poetic soul comes across strong and believable thanks to the performances of the two leads. One worth tracking down.

This is one of the few movies that was recommended to me as absolutely brilliant, that really is. If you give this movie a low note than you really missed the point. You could describe Fosca as manipulative, but what if it is really serious, that she gets ill when the love she is sure of isn't answered. But what would you do when you are sure that the other one loves you, and is 'only' rejected by the fact that you are ugly. Wouldn't you fight for it. At least I think it is better to fight for it that die in bitterness. And it reminds me of the fact how I, as a man, react at first sight completely on the physical ugliness of Fosca and don't look further at the person she is or might be. This movie confronts me with very solemn questions about respect, trust, feeling manipulated and so on. How do I now if someone manipulates me or is just trying everything to make contact? What I think to be the most outstanding feature in this movie is that Ettore Scola made it absolutely believable that Giorgio falls in love with Fosca.