![]() This 148-minute (far too long) film is so confusing that you're not sure at times if you're watching a film in 'real' time or watching flashbacks on flashbacks. The production values are commendable and despite some finding fault with the performances of Bellucci and Zingaretti, surely Alessio Boni as Golfiero deserves our praise. Nevertheless, this story led me to further explore historical facts relating to the waves of vengeance by anti-Mussolini forces, once the Nazis departed. But at the end of the film, I found myself asking the obvious: "What were their crimes that deserved the ultimate punishment"? There seems to have been an awareness of motives and actions of the ill-fated couple that is not adequately revealed in the film's plot. When one feels a certain empathy with a character is being elicited, the viewer is suddenly hurtled into another time and place.Hardly a 'spoiler', we know that the major characters portrayed more than adequately by Zingaretti and Bellucci, are executed by the partisans. I agree that the flashbacks add confusion to not so much the events but to the dramatic atmosphere of individual scenes. ![]() Marco Tullio Giordana is better with TV series than historic movies, but I am hardly waiting for his next production.Harry Carasso, Paris, France (1) "In the water, there was a small red fish who was staring, staring, like a tear of blood.").Ī number of reviews here seem a little harsh even though a number of faults, particularly in the direction, can hardly be glossed over. ![]() However, the beginning and the end - a couple of youngsters taking possession of one of the devilish couple's movies -is an excellent idea. As stressed up by another comment, almost all the climaxes are cut short by flashbacks, to the point of confusion, if not frustration. With American movies gone, and French movies scarce, the "white telephones" from the Italian comedies were a good replacement, and the "whale movies" like CORONA DI FERRO (Blasetti)were very impressive.Unfortunately,after the first half, SANGUE PAZZO doesn't keep its pace. It is a pity that Monica Bellucci doesn't meet the expectations, especially when one remembers the high number of "divas" from Cinecittà who entertained us in the Forties. It is understandable that Tullio Giordana nourished his project for more than 25 years, and it is impossible not to be touched by Luigi Zingaretti's interpretation of Richard III.("A kingdom for a horse!") It is a long movie (2 1/2 hours) and at least the first half is excellent, because of the description of the atmosphere during the unfortunate war fought by Mussolini "to please his master". I well remember one of his deliveries in LA CENA DELLE BEFFE (1), perhaps his best movie. For people who were already moviegoers during WW2, this movie is a gem, because it is impossible to forget the extraordinary performances given by Osvaldo Valenti during his brief career.
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