Tags
Language
Tags
March 2024
Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa
25 26 27 28 29 1 2
3 4 5 6 7 8 9
10 11 12 13 14 15 16
17 18 19 20 21 22 23
24 25 26 27 28 29 30
31 1 2 3 4 5 6

Vaghe stelle dell'Orsa... (1965)

Posted By: Someonelse
Vaghe stelle dell'Orsa... (1965)

Sandra (1965)
DVD9 | VIDEO_TS | PAL 4:3 | 01:36:07 | 6,61 Gb
Audio: English, Italian - AC3 2.0 @ 192 Kbps (each) | Subs: English, Italian
Genre: Drama, Mystery, War

Director: Luchino Visconti

Sandra comes back to Volterra, in Tuscany, the little town where she spent her childhood. She is with her American husband, Andrew. She wishes to pay homage to her father who died in Auschwitz where she was still a little child. In Volterra, Andrew meets for the first time Gianni, Sandra's brother. He soon realizes that Sandra and Gianni have a secret since their childhood.

IMDB

Also Known As: Sandra of a Thousand Delights

Originally titled "Sandra of A Thousand Delights", it has remained that elusive Visconti title which has always managed to escape me. But not today. It played as part of a Visconti retrospective at the Gene Siskel Film Center in Chicago where I eagerly attended.

Luchino Visconti has long been one of my favorite filmmakers but sadly often neglected. His name gets lost in the shuffle when compared to Federico Fellini, Roberto Rossellini and Vittorio De Sica. But it was Visconti who made what some consider the first neo-realism film, "Ossessione", made two years before "Open City" was released.

Vaghe stelle dell'Orsa... (1965)

Visconti has two styles, two periods if you will which his films seem to fall into. You have the early realistic films, "Ossessione", "La Terra Trema" and "Bellissima" and then you have the operatic, sometimes decadent films such as "The Damned", "Conversation Piece" and "Ludwig". "Sandra" was made in the middle. Released in 1965 and the winner of the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival (beating such films as Milos Forman's "Loves of A Blonde" and Godard's "Pierrot le fou") it doesn't seem to have the Visconti stamp.

Vaghe stelle dell'Orsa... (1965)

The film follows Sandra (Claudia Cardinale) and her American husband Andrew (Michael Craig) as they travel to Sandra's old home in the country. There they meet her brother, Gianni (Jean Sorel) her step-father Gilardini (Renzo Ricci) and her mother (Marie Bell). Sandra and Gianni have sold a piece of their property, a park which will now bear they name of their father, A Jew who died during WW2 in a concentration camp.

But Andrew will find out about dark family secrets, especially one involving Sandra and Gianni and their relationship with their stepfather.

Vaghe stelle dell'Orsa... (1965)

The way Visconti films this story is by adding his operatic touch to it. Cinematographer, Armando Nannuzzi, who shot "Ludwig" (my personal favorite Visconti film) and "The Damned" uses a lot of long shots. Filling up the frame but only having action take place in the corners of the frame. Or creating a shot within a shot. They rarely, if ever, actually use the whole screen. The technique reminded me of Antonioni. But when Antonioni did it, it was to create isolation. When Visconti does it I feel he is adding more to the story than is needed. He is placing a greater importance on the story. The camerawork draws too much attention to itself.

Vaghe stelle dell'Orsa... (1965)

Visconti also has the camera go into for close-ups of Sandra. This is understandable since the film is called "Sandra". The camera lingers on her face and sometimes has long shots where Sandra stands in the middle of the frame in a long shot so the viewer can admire her figure. And boy is there a lot to admire! Cardinale, who during the 60s was one of the sex symbols of Italian cinema and made a hit in the U.S. (she appeared in the original "Pink Panther") had acted in other Visconti titles like "The Leopard" and "Rocco and His Brothers". Here though she is the center of attention.

Vaghe stelle dell'Orsa... (1965)

There is also a heavily used classical score to the film which again I felt place a greater emphasis on the story than was needed. Visconti has used classical music in his other films but there I felt they blended into the story. Visconti is using his old ways to tell a story which needed to be told in new ways.

"Sandra" is really a character study of sorts as it tries to get into her mind, and come to some conclusion about who she really is. It spends some time examining Gianni as well, though there is little there for him because the character is not as complex. From the moment we see Gianni we understand all we need to know about him.

But Sandra is a puzzle. Who is she really? What is in her past? Visconti doesn't fully address these question but the viewer never really minds. The screenplay, written by Visconti, Enrico Medioli and Suso Cecchi d'Amico doesn't go for any deep question and answers. It settles for a story about incest and escaping the past.

Vaghe stelle dell'Orsa... (1965)

Despite my admiration for Visconti I have to wonder why was he chosen for this film? What lead him to think he could direct it? As I have said the film was released in 1965 during this time period I think another Italian director would have been far more suited for such a story. What would you think about Bernardo Bertolucci directing it? Bertolucci came along in 1962 with "The Grim Reaper" by 1965 he had already directed "Before the Revolution" which had a relationship between a nephew and aunt. And what about his film "La Luna" about a mother and son and look at how he treated the incest in "The Dreamers". What other filmmaker has done such an amazing job showing sex in cinema? "Sandra" would have truly been perfect for Bertolucci. What a missed opportunity.

Vaghe stelle dell'Orsa... (1965)

What is ultimately missing in "Sandra" is any eroticism. Keep in mind the film's original title; "Sandra of A Thousand Delights". The tagline for the film was "Sandra is excitement! What Sandra does… is astonishing". Here's a compliant you don't hear much, but, this film needed more sex! The very title of the film could be titilating. Visconti doesn't know how to create an erotic scene. And I never expect him to be able to. That's not why I watch his films. I can only think of two other films which had an erotic nature; "The Innocent" and "The Damned". But neither one of those films really focused on eroticism, they had a scene or two which was erotic. That is why I suggest Bertolucci has a director for this film.

Vaghe stelle dell'Orsa... (1965)

But of course "Sandra" wasn't directed by Bertolucci. So what makes the Visconti film worth seeing? You have a strong performance by Cardinale and an idea which is very interesting. The story does grab the viewer's attention. Plus it is hard to deny the film was made with craft, you just wonder if it was right for this particular film.

I never thought this would be the first Visconti film I would write about and I don't recommend this as your introduction into his work but "Sandra" is worth seeing for Visconti fans if only for the fact it is so rare.
Vaghe stelle dell'Orsa... (1965)

Special Features:
- Filmographies and Storyboards

Many Thanks to Original uploader.


If you want to download it, but found out that links are dead,
just leave a comment or PM me!


No More Mirrors.