Customer Reviews

Queen of Hearts (Amazon.com Exclusive) [VHS]

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

QUEEN OF HEARTS. One of the most charming films of the 80's. It's a happy, sad, tragic, comic and glorious film about an Italian immigrant family living in England, filled with the kind of characters that used to be so common in 30's and 40's films when we had character actors who played outrageous, over-the-top parts.

The story opens in Italy where Danilo steals Rosa away on her wedding day from the man her mother had chosen for her. Their escape plays with the action of a Republic serial but with a totally unexpected comic ending. The two flee to London where Danilo is given the secret to winning at cards from a talking stuffed pig on a meat platter. But his success is short lived and he and his family soon turn to running a coffee shop that is only marginally successful.

The rest of the film is taken up with marriage and family and the adventures of life that happened while they wait for that lucky break-----------and it happens with an extraordinary event that pulls joy from tragedy. I'll only tell you that for the men in her life, Rosa remains the Queen of Hearts.

The film has all the sweetness and heartache of FORREST GUMP------------and all the love and inspiration, too--------backed my lush romantic music that parallels the emotion of the characters.

If you buy only one film from the MGM Vault Classics, I'd recommend this one.

A strange and magical movie, full of wonder. At its bare bones it's about an Italian family who runs a coffee shop in London. But it's so much more than that. In a magnificent opening sequence, our hero (Joseph Long) and heroine (Anita Zagaria) elope in Italy by leaping from a church tower onto a haywagon. By eloping Zagaria has broken her engagement to another man, who swears revenge. They go to London, set up their little coffee shop, have a bunch of kids (one of them is the narrator of the movie) - and must confront the jilted man in the end. The movie unfolds masterfully, with many different plot lines meshing together, but never obscuring the main story. It's a total joy to watch: funny, warm, and delightful. Definitely worth a watch.

This is such a beautfiul movie. my only complaint is that it has not come out on DVD (sigh). It got short shift in the theaters because it was overshadowed by Cinema Paradiso, to which it bears some sweet similaritiesl. It is just such a moving film about family and the immigrant experience.

Queen of Hearts chronicles an Italian couple who move to Britian in the 1960s and raise their family there. It is a delightful story that mixes elements of drama, comedy, melodrama, fantasy, and suspense. The basic plot concerns what happens when an old rival from Italy moves into the family's neighborhood and begins to cause trouble. The family begins to break apart, but the youngest son, Eddie, plots to bring them back together. The ways in which the family's loyalties and affections are tested, and then triumph, are superb and heart-warming. I highly recommend this movie and have seen it numerous times.

The story begins in Italy and centers around Rosa (Anita Zagaria) and Danilo (Joseph Long) who love each other. Unfortunately, her mother, Mama Sibilla (Eileen Way), has arranged for Rosa to marry the butcher's son, Barbariccia (Vittorio Amendola). Meanwhile, Danilo's father, Nonno (Vittorio Duse), has barricaded Danilo in the house to keep him away from the soon to be married Rosa. True love, however, cannot be kept waiting, and Rosa and Danilo manage to escape their erstwhile jailers. In a madcap dash for freedom, they make one of the most breathtaking and daring escapes, as they jump off a rooftop. How they are saved makes for great cinema.

They run off to England, taking disgruntled Mama Sibilla with them. They marry and begin the life so often the lot of immigrants, hard work, long hours. Danilo, working as a waiter, has a surreal vision one night of a talking pig's head, while at work. He follows its advice and wins the stake for his own business, a little Italian style cafe that he opens and runs with his and Rosa's ever growing family.

All is well with the world. The business, while never a big money maker, manages to feed and clothe the family. It is at the center of their lives. Years go by. His father, Nonno, now aging, comes from Italy to live with them. The children are growing up. Life changes. One day, Barbariccia shows up in England, never having forgotten Rosa. Even though twenty years have passed, he has not forgotten that Danilo took Rosa away from him. Rosa is truly the Queen of Hearts.

The coming of Barbariccia sets into motion a series of events that will see Rosa and Danilo's family and business begin to disintergrate. Barbariccia will stop at nothing to get Rosa. Yet, the core of Rosa's and Danilo's lives are so intertwined that they manage to rise from the ashes, as they still believe in miracles. They live as they love, deeply and steadfastedly. In the end, they manage to triumph, despite the adversity with which they were beset. This is a story of love, family, faith, and the every day vicissitudes of life. The story of Rosa, Danilo, and their family is brought to life by an engaging cast. It is Eileen Way, however, who, as Mama Sibilla, steals the show with a caustic and wry performance. This is a truly a film worth watching.

It is rare to find a film that can make you laugh out loud and then move you to tears. It is rarer to find a film that lingers with you for days and even years afterwards. "Queen of Hearts" is such a movie. The scene in which the narrator's grandfather dies (I don't want to give it away) would go onto my short list for the most moving scene in any movie. The wedding scene is one of the funniest. The way this film deals with marriage, children, jealousy, and death is an inspiration. An English language film set in London, the movie nevertheless has all the richness we expect of the best Italian cinema. It is long overdue for DVD release. Full of drama, but never taking itself too seriously, "Queen of Hearts" is an utter delight.

The story begins in Italy and centers around Rosa (Anita Zagaria) and Danilo (Joseph Long) who love each other. Unfortunately, her mother, Mama Sibilla (Eileen Way), has arranged for Rosa to marry the butcher's son, Barbariccia (Vittorio Amendola). Meanwhile, Danilo's father, Nonno (Vittorio Duse), has barricaded Danilo in the house to keep him away from the soon to be married Rosa. True love, however, cannot be kept waiting, and Rosa and Danilo manage to escape their erstwhile jailers. In a madcap dash for freedom, they make one of the most breathtaking and daring escapes, as they jump off a rooftop. How they are saved makes for great cinema.

They run off to England, taking disgruntled Mama Sibilla with them. They marry and begin the life so often the lot of immigrants, hard work, long hours. Danilo, working as a waiter, has a surreal vision one night of a talking pig's head, while at work. He follows its advice and wins the stake for his own business, a little Italian style cafe that he opens and runs with his and Rosa's ever growing family.

All is well with the world. The business, while never a big money maker, manages to feed and clothe the family. It is at the center of their lives. Years go by. His father, Nonno, now aging, comes from Italy to live with them. The children are growing up. Life changes. One day, Barbariccia shows up in England, never having forgotten Rosa. Even though twenty years have passed, he has not forgotten that Danilo took Rosa away from him. Rosa is truly the Queen of Hearts.

The coming of Barbariccia sets into motion a series of events that will see Rosa and Danilo's family and business begin to disintergrate. Barbariccia will stop at nothing to get Rosa. Yet, the core of Rosa's and Danilo's lives are so intertwined that they manage to rise from the ashes, as they still believe in miracles. They live as they love, deeply and steadfastedly. In the end, they manage to triumph, despite the adversity with which they were beset. This is a story of love, family, faith, and the every day vicissitudes of life. The story of Rosa, Danilo, and their family is brought to life by an engaging cast. It is Eileen Way, however, who, as Mama Sibilla, steals the show with a caustic and wry performance. This is a truly a film worth watching.

I enjoyed this show very much. It was recommended to me by a friend familiar with my movie likings. I found the story line very enjoyable. Predictability was very low providing a very enjoyable level of uncertainty, suspense, and surprize. I strongly appreciated the ABSENCE of in-your-face profanity, violence,and sexual overtones. I lived in Italy for a number of years and enjoyed the Italian scenes captured so well in the movie. I also enjoyed the little Italian nuances which seasoned the video throughout.

I absolutely love this movie, and was very happy to finally get it on DVD. The quality was excellent, and I hope more hard to find titles are made available this way.

A very sweet, odd, fable-like tale of Italian family surviving in 1950s London, running a little café.
Wonderful performances by a cast of unknowns, and deft, surprising directorial touches. A bit sappy
in spots, the very ending doesn't quite work for me, and the score, while intentionally over-the-top,
can be grating at times, but those few minor carps aside this is a terrific film that has a rare
sense of magic about it.