Product Details

• Actors: Marcello Mastroianni, Lea Massari, Mimsy Farmer, Laura Betti, Claudio Cassinelli
• Format: Color, NTSC
• Studio: Water Bearer
• VHS Release Date: January 5, 1994
• Average Customer Review: 2.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• ASIN: B000006E1C
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #538,322 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

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0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Fulvio should have made them an offer they couldn't refuse., November 28, 2007

By 

A. Gyurisin "good friend, damn fool" (Wet, Wild, Wonderful Virginia) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Allonsanfan [VHS] (VHS Tape)

Lately, my films have been coming from the pages of an Independent film guide, assisting me in helping to build a foundation for these reviews while also challenging me to see films that I otherwise would have missed, or due to technical inequalities (i.e. "Seven Waves Away" or "Allonsanfan" not being on DVD) not seen. This is a fresh chapter in my growing repertoire of film. Some adventures have been amazing, such as "After Hours" and "Acting on Impulse", while others were obviously forgotten for several reasons, see review for "American Boyfriends", so here I am - still in the "A" category jumping headfirst into the world of 1970s Italian cinema. For three straight days I attempted to watch, with both the sound on and off, the Taviani's view of Italy, post-Napoleon, circa 1816. While the color and sound may be bold and breathtaking, the story itself seems to be missing bigger elements. The characters are not defined giving us a forced sense of gratitude and patriotism. "Allonsanfan" is one of those films which prides itself on taking the viewer to different lands, Italian villas, beautiful hotels and parties, coupled with some bizarre special effects, but since the focus seems to be devoted to that alone, the story falters. It flounders beneath the glory of the scene, that when the final "surprise" occurs, it marks a finish for the film more than just the story. For me, the ending couldn't have come quicker - while it did surprise me at times (the cinematography took my breathe away), "Allonsanfan" failed to work as a film. Perhaps with a DVD release, it could strengthen the subtitles, clear up the image, and insert a couple of missing scenes to transform this tough diamond into something more, but for now it just feels unpolished and unfinished.

Marcello Mastroianni's story is never simple. He is released from prison in hopes that he would lead authorities to the underground resistance, but instead he finds himself torn between wealthy and a family he once had, and the opportunity to help his brethren save others from the dreaded cholera. It is a tough choice, and in the end Mastroianni (as in previous films) has done a great job of building tension within his character. The moral dilemma he is faced with is a tough one, kill those he was once involved with - in essence betray them, or forever be chased by his past sins. He chooses the latter, and uses trickery and trust to break this small group of bandits. The first issue one has to challenge themselves with is how Mastroianni is so engulfed into this group. It is obvious he is not the leader, but he is not the low man on the totem poll. It seems, as the film progresses, that he cannot be left behind or left out of the details of the plot. He is important, but how important could have been better defined. Earlier I mentioned that the Taviani brothers seem to be eager to show us amazing images of Italy, but in the end they forgot their plot. "Allonsanfan" can be spliced into three different distinct films, each with amazing imagery, but lacking the development needed to really bring the audience further into the film. The first is with Mastroianni heading home, overcoming sickness, finding his girlfriend, and all the while plotting an ambush. Great scenes, could have been a great moment, but we know nothing about his family or girlfriend - outside of what they mutter or what the subtitles give us. We needed to see more of his interaction with these random characters. The second part involves his son, good, but was again cut short and strange because we knew nothing about it outside of the fact that he had a son. I can't even go further into the entire frog scene, I am still trying to wrap my brain around that. The incident on the lake was another example of having a strong cinematographer, but a apathetic storyteller. Finally, there was the scene in the South where we see why this film is entitled "Allonsanfan", but by this point the excitement has died, and we are just waiting for a finale.

This film did involve hard work and dedication by the entire crew to make, with that said; I cannot just fully say that this film was a failure. There were those that worked hard on this project like the cinematographer and the amazing score by Ennio Morricone. These elements alone brought this film out of one that would make any viewer fall asleep into one worth viewing at least once. The story is where most of the trouble laid, and again, I cannot state that it was one of those cases where there were too many ideas and not enough time or conjoining scenes. We would begin a thought, but end elsewhere in the story (again, see the segment with the frog). Perhaps some of it was done to try to bring sympathy to Mastroianni, but it could have been done without the random acts of history - or perhaps more history. There was a moment in this film where I thought we could have used more history devoted to the story. That is what was missing from scene to scene. At times our characters were moving without a motive, and history could have interjected to help the audience better see the motives and reasoning. Perhaps it was my lack of knowledge of what Italy was like at the end of Napoleon's era, but more explanation could have been used do develop our bandits, or the motives behind Mastroianni's deeds.

On a small note, if you decide to watch this film on VHS, beware of the subtitles. I am very good at reading subtitles on a foreign film, I hate the sound of dubbed voices, but with "Allonsanfan", the subtitles were all over the place. There were several occasions where they were missing from conversations, where one character would have a three-minute speech and the only word to come up in the subtitle would be "yes", or when half the words were missing from the side of the television. It was troublesome to read and watch at the same time, so to get the full effect of the film, I found myself turning off the sound and reading to the best of my ability. Probably lessoned the film, but kept me in check with the meager characters.

Overall, I cannot say this was a horrible film, but it won't be viewed again by yours truly. I may challenge myself to see it again on DVD if it ever is released, but for now, it needs to tighten up its story and used a bold marker on its characters. Mastroianni was superb in his role, but nobody could keep up with him. They were all overacting, overbearing, boring, or just plain unknown. There were other characters in this film, but if you asked me to name one - well, maybe Charlotte, but that is it - I don't think I could. The Taviani's had some great ideas, but the execution is where they lacked. There could have been more A to B to C structure with the story, instead it was as if they built three separate stories and hastily glued them together. If you were forced to watch this film, I think you could pull away by just seeing the end and knowing everything you missed. It is a sharp ending, one wishes only that the rest of the film were that way. One viewing, if you dare - if not - you are not missing anything. There are better Italian films out there.

Whew, this one took me back to when I watched Topol's "Gallileo". Too stagy for my enjoyment.

Grade: ** out of *****