Customer Reviews

The Nymph

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The other reviewer obviously has no familiarity with Lina Wertmuller's movies - this isn't Eurotrash of any sort. In addition, Stefania Sandrelli is the mother NOT the daughter (The Nymph) here, and I'm very sorry he didn't get the crotch shot he was looking for... That said, this is a wonderful, organic tale set during WW11 on the outskirts of Naples, where a naive 15 year-old girl is repeatedly subjected to sexual abuse by the townspeople, partially due to the fact that her mother is sexually promiscuous and her father the painfully aware cuckold tailor in the town. She gets a job at a local factory, and is again harassed by her boss. Tragedy befalls first her mother, then her father, rumors fly and the poor girl is besieged by the heartless townsfolk. And then the Germans start bombing the town...can it get any worse?

In spite of all the nasty goings-on, the film seethes with an air of optimism, and Wertmuller's cinematography of the Italian countryside and the small town are downright gorgeous. Lush colors, fantastic performances, perfect photography and a solid script make this touching tale a treasured keepsake for those who appreciate fine World Cinema.

Prettified, and eroticized! Too little eroticized for the previous reviewer from the UK, too close to exploitative child porn for my taste, wherefore I've knocked off a star. But the film IS pretty! Dilapidated poverty has never looked so picturesque as in the rugged mountain village near Naples, where this story is set. The time is mid-WW2, at the moment when an assault by either the Germans or the Americans will bring destruction to the villagers, who want nothing to do with either army. It's the Germans who eventually bombard the village and quarter their ugliest brutes there for no apparent strategic reason.

But let's get back to prettiness! The girl Miluzza, on the childhood side of fifteen years old in the early scenes and on the adult woman side of fifteen in the later scenes, is pretty in a button-nosed way, but then all the girls of the village and most of their mothers range from pretty to lovely. Lina Wertmuller was no disciple of Pasolini, who deliberately cast the homeliest non-actors he could recruit in his films. Wertmuller was a post-neorealist for sure. Her grungy or eccentric characters are all attractively grungy. The wounded young soldier whom Miluzza saves after the German assault is drop-dead handsome. Only the vile factory boss who lures Miluzza from the village to an ultra-posh hotel is physically repulsive. It's all in gorgeous color, by the way, with enchanting footage of the natural wonders of the Napolitano region, stunning sunsets and moonlit forest paths, and delightful folkloric props in abbondanza. It's a kind of soft core fairy tale, really, but an entrancing one.

Wertmuller's sociological depiction of rustic morality needs to be mentioned. Her peasants are lewd and crude but zesty, altogether free of bourgeoise propriety yet utterly enslaved by superstition, patriarchal notions, and the Church. Wertmuller's viewpoint is annoyingly condescending, another reason for knocking off a star from my rating of this slickly entertaining romance. Prince Charming -- the wounded soldier, that is -- proves his worth, his sincerity, and his 'liberation' all in one swoop by an act of noble cynicism ... but I won't spoil the scene. Hey, the whole film is craftily shaped to lead you the viewer to false assumptions.

WARNING: SPOILER!
What a great film! After reading the synopsis, I was actually a bit hesitant about viewing this film. However, I'm happy that I went ahead and took a chance! The film starts out a bit "if-y", but the drama starts soon enough. The film centers around a young Italian girl named Milu. Her mother is married to Milu's father. However, she is also the town whore with an "itch" that must be scratched regularly. Because of who Milu's mother is, naturally, the men assume it's in her blood to take after her mother, but Milu is nothing like her mother. She is beautiful and at the blossoming age, but she is innocent in her sexuality and beauty. Men take advantage of her and harass her constantly. After her mother's death, things only worsen for her. To top it all off, her father dies soon after, and just when you think it couldn't get any worse, she loses her grandfather as well. Through her door, enters a wounded soldier from Sicily one day. Being the generous and caring person that she is, Milu nurses Pietro back to health and helps him return home. Along the way, the two fall madly in love. However, upon introducing Milu to the family, the rumors start to fly regarding her past. Milu runs away, and Pietro finds out and rides off in the forest to retrieve her. He announces to his mother that he doesn't care about Milu's past and argues that what matters is that she nursed him back to health and made sure he arrived home safely. Pietro announces that he will marry Milu despite what is said and thought about her. The two marry, and during the festivities, Pietro slaughters a hen in hopes of using the blood for the virginal bed later in the evening. However, he soon discovers that Milu IS actually a virgin! What I loved most about this film is that Milu finally got her happy ending after many trials and tribulations and despite a misunderstood life. I also love the message that regardless of where/who we come from, we can change or make our own destinies and become better people than those before us. Great film! Definitely worth watching.

Perhaps a little bit disappointing ... reviews and the movie, suggest an erotic performance, ripe 19-year-old virgin fights to keep her virtue. Set in an ancient, remote Neapolitan village, Sandrelli is the nice pubescent girl at a factory where the owner, gets an accidental peak at her underwear attempts to seduce her.

Nonetheless I expected to see more panties and glimpses of her crotch ..

Still the background is nice and storyline is nice..