Secret Of Santa Vittoria (1969) :
Brief Review -
3 and a half decades before Jack Sparrow said, "Why's the Rum gone?" Italo Bombolini said, "There is no Wine!" I am almost done with all the top-rated Stanley Kramer movies, and this might be the last of them. I wasn't expecting much since Kramer was done with all his fine works before making The Secret Of Santa Vittoria. I must say, this one was a surprisingly good watch. Whatever flaws it had did not matter to me because I was expecting them to be there. But the rest of the narrative-the comedy, the storyline, the screenplay, and the humour-all kept me hooked for over two hours. That's one of the issues with the film; it's a bit too long, actually. Two hours would have been the perfect runtime for this story. The beginning was too slow and unnecessary, I feel. The introduction of Bombolini and his people took more than half an hour, when it could have been wrapped up within the first 10-15 minutes. You see, those extra 15 minutes I was talking about were these. The other major faults were all those love stories, be it Bombolini's issues with his wife, his daughter's sexual obsession with Fabio, or the Malatesta's love affair and illicit one-night stand. These things were not needed at all for this story. A war film with such fine and breezy humour can't be spoiled with outdated and monotonous affairs, man. Kramer could have made it much better just as a war comedy with moments of tension. Nevertheless, it is a good watch for the rest of the things, such as performances, the accent, some hilarious scenes, and Stanley's satirical take on war that unknowingly reflects on humanity and unity. There are a few things that don't work or look typical, but believe me, you'll enjoy this one if you watch it with less expectations, just like me. Wine lovers will relate to it, though I am not one of them. Though not as quirky as Jack Sparrow, Bombolini is too much fun for its time.
RATING - 6.5/10*
By - #samthebestest.
3 and a half decades before Jack Sparrow said, "Why's the Rum gone?" Italo Bombolini said, "There is no Wine!" I am almost done with all the top-rated Stanley Kramer movies, and this might be the last of them. I wasn't expecting much since Kramer was done with all his fine works before making The Secret Of Santa Vittoria. I must say, this one was a surprisingly good watch. Whatever flaws it had did not matter to me because I was expecting them to be there. But the rest of the narrative-the comedy, the storyline, the screenplay, and the humour-all kept me hooked for over two hours. That's one of the issues with the film; it's a bit too long, actually. Two hours would have been the perfect runtime for this story. The beginning was too slow and unnecessary, I feel. The introduction of Bombolini and his people took more than half an hour, when it could have been wrapped up within the first 10-15 minutes. You see, those extra 15 minutes I was talking about were these. The other major faults were all those love stories, be it Bombolini's issues with his wife, his daughter's sexual obsession with Fabio, or the Malatesta's love affair and illicit one-night stand. These things were not needed at all for this story. A war film with such fine and breezy humour can't be spoiled with outdated and monotonous affairs, man. Kramer could have made it much better just as a war comedy with moments of tension. Nevertheless, it is a good watch for the rest of the things, such as performances, the accent, some hilarious scenes, and Stanley's satirical take on war that unknowingly reflects on humanity and unity. There are a few things that don't work or look typical, but believe me, you'll enjoy this one if you watch it with less expectations, just like me. Wine lovers will relate to it, though I am not one of them. Though not as quirky as Jack Sparrow, Bombolini is too much fun for its time.
RATING - 6.5/10*
By - #samthebestest.