Mediterraneo

Take time to stop and smell the Italians

1991

Review: April 22, 2008

Director: Gabriele Salvatores

Starring: Diego Abatantuono, Claudio Bigagli, Giuseppe Cederna, Claudio Bisio, Gigio Alberti

Not necessary.

THE SETUP:

A bunch of Italians are stranded on a Greek island during World War II.

DISCUSSION:

My friend and I are having regular movie nights lately, each of us picking a movie on alternate weeks. He tends to pick older classics that I am often fairly indifferent to or don't have much to say about afterward [hence few of them make it to this site], and I tend to pick artsier things to expand his horizons, which he is often fairly indifferent to [he didn't like Walkabout!]. Anyway, so I'm sick and want something relatively light, and was fed up with him not liking my movies, so I picked this one, which I knew would be sure-fire hit.

The movie opens with an epigraph that says "In times like these, escape is the only way to stay alive and keep dreaming." We have about seven Italians on a ship, having been given orders to occupy a remote Greek island, far from the action. They guys are a fairly bumbling bunch [this is supposed to be a comedy], and one of them has an extremely close relationship with a donkey. A voice-over from Lieutenant Farina says "We were at the age where we must decide whether to start a family or lose oneself in the world." There is much frenetic mugging as they find the island deserted, but are paranoid that danger lurks around every corner. That night their ship is destroyed [I'm still unclear on how this happened, but we needed to hit this plot point fast], and they are thus marooned on the island. Oh, and the guy's donkey is killed.

They spend a little more time by themselves before the islanders reveal themselves. They had all hidden because they didn't know the intentions of the Italians. They are made up entirely of old men and women of various ages, because the Germans had already been by and extradited all of the men of the island. Anyway, they are welcomed by the islanders and soon fall into a comfortable rhythm with the island lifestyle.

It's difficult to describe what happens next, because this is a movie in which very little of major importance happens. Lt. Farina used to be a high school art teacher before the war, and he is asked to paint the frescoes of the church. The men help the villagers at various occupations, play soccer, dance, etc. They wonder how the war is going, but are also really enjoying their simple, contended new lives, and more and more the war seems distant, pointless and irrelevant. The island prostitute offers her services to the men, and they accept, making a schedule for their visits. One of them, Antonio, refuses to visit the prostitute, but stays with her and talks to her.

SPOILERS > > >
There is no spoiler, except to say what happens over the course of the movie, which is that the guys forget the war, forget civilization, forgot the reason they feel that they should follow the news and keep involved with the world, and just start to enjoy the pleasures of living their daily lives without these false goals imposed from the outside world. Eventually a pilot lands on the island and lets them know that the war ended quite a while ago. Antonio and Vassilissima, the prostitute, have fallen in love and are married. One of the moving little touches is that at their wedding, they are to drink, then break the glass to ensure that their happiness lasts forever. Antonio throws down the glass, but it doesn't break. Another of the soldiers comes over and stomps it to pieces.

Eventually a boat comes to rescue the men. They all leave except for Antonio, who is going to stay with Vassilissima. The rest of the guys leave, including LoRusso, who I haven't mentioned, but is a major character, second-in-command to the Lieutenant. He is excited about the prospect of creating a new Italy after the war.

The movie ends with a little coda, about 30 years later, in which Farina returns to the island. He sees all the changes that have taken place, that Vassilissima was able to open the restaurant she dreamed of, and is now dead. He finds Antonio, who shows him that LoRusso had also returned in the meantime, saying that his ideal of "creating a new Italy" was a false one. The movie ends with this powerful sense that this island was the best time in their lives, the only place where life seemed good, thus they all one by one returned. The movie ends with a dedication to those who are running away.
< < < SPOILERS END

So overall, a very sweet, low-key movie about what's important in life and taking the time to relax and enjoy it. You will like it. It also, for those of my persuasion, offers much viewing of the stupendously handsome and sexy Diego Abatantuono [this movie germinated my huge crush on him that lasted several years], who, tragically, never once removes his shirt. This movie won the Best Foreign Film Academy Award and really is the ESSENCE of the Miramax film from 1991, but that shouldn't really put you off. This is also one of those things that's good for when you have to watch a movie with your parents and want to sneak in a Foreign Film that'll still make them feel good, feel like they're experiencing world cinema, and won't make anyone question any assumptions. None of this is to knock it… this is a nice little piece of genuine good feeling. Go for it.

SHOULD YOU WATCH IT?

Sure, it's a nice little feel-good movie.