There are a few brothers' teams working in movies today. They are, among others, the Dardennes from Belgium, the Coens from America and the Tavianis, based in Italy. Film making is a long and arduous process that can get in the nerves of most creators, and siblings are not exempt of the frustrations that must go on behind the camera at any given moment. Thus, the work of the three sets of directors mentioned, must be more than a work of love as their films keep on delighting audiences from all over the world.
That said, we came recently to "Fiorile" a 1993 Italian film by Paolo and Vittorio Taviani. Not having seen it when it first came out, we were surprised by this tale in which the Tavianis deal with several generations of a Tuscan family and their rise to prominence.
Set in the Tuscany countryside, the story centers around the Benedettis, a family of peasant origins. The narrative is told from Luigi Benedetti's point of view. He is driving with his own family to see his father, Massimo, whom he has not seen for many years. As they travel through the area, he points out to his two children how the family went from being so poor into the prominent figures of that part of Italy. He also tells his children about the "curse of the gold", which the locals believe has something to do with the turbulent side of the Benedettis.
In flashbacks one is taken to the time when Napoleon invaded Italy. The French were being fought by Tuscan patriots. The invaders brought a treasure in gold coins to support their war effort. The man in charge, Jean, sees the horse with the money disappear after a skirmish with the Italians. At the same time, he sees a young woman, Elisabetta, on the ground that has been wounded. He helps her and is taken by her beauty. Jean has to pay with his life for having lost the coins. Unknown to him, her brother Corrado seizes the opportunity to steal the gold. That gold, together with Elisabetta who is pregnant by Jean, play an important role in the Benedettis becoming landlords of much of the area.
The second vignette involves Alessandro Benedetti, a descendant of the original clan. Now rich and famous, he finds a chance for getting into politics in Rome. His sister Elisa has been seeing a young man that is considered below them and Alessandro tells her to stop seeing the man. Unfortunately, on an outing, Elisa and her brothers come into a clearing where wild mushrooms abound. The siblings decide to eat some of the good ones, but Elisa has something else in mind.
The third theme of the story has to do with Massimo, a young man in the Italy of the 1940s as the Fascists are in power. He is an earnest young man who sees the reigning power in his country for what they really are and with the help of his girlfriend, he prepares to do something to take care of someone that is an informer. Little does he know that the girl he loves has been taken prisoner and is being taken away in a truck that is following the man he is about to kill.
The Tavianis have always been able to get excellent performances from their casts, which is also what they got from this group of Italian actors. Claudio Bigagli, Galatea Ranzi and Michael Vartan are seen in different roles. The directors love to have their players do several roles, as is the case here. The supporting performers do justice to the story being told.
Giuseppe Lanci does wonders in getting the great landscapes with his camera. Tuscany is one of the most beautiful regions of Italy and it shows so here. The musical score by Nicola Piovani also serves the story. Ultimately, the credit for the overall achievement of the film has a name: Paolo and Vittorio Taviani.
That said, we came recently to "Fiorile" a 1993 Italian film by Paolo and Vittorio Taviani. Not having seen it when it first came out, we were surprised by this tale in which the Tavianis deal with several generations of a Tuscan family and their rise to prominence.
Set in the Tuscany countryside, the story centers around the Benedettis, a family of peasant origins. The narrative is told from Luigi Benedetti's point of view. He is driving with his own family to see his father, Massimo, whom he has not seen for many years. As they travel through the area, he points out to his two children how the family went from being so poor into the prominent figures of that part of Italy. He also tells his children about the "curse of the gold", which the locals believe has something to do with the turbulent side of the Benedettis.
In flashbacks one is taken to the time when Napoleon invaded Italy. The French were being fought by Tuscan patriots. The invaders brought a treasure in gold coins to support their war effort. The man in charge, Jean, sees the horse with the money disappear after a skirmish with the Italians. At the same time, he sees a young woman, Elisabetta, on the ground that has been wounded. He helps her and is taken by her beauty. Jean has to pay with his life for having lost the coins. Unknown to him, her brother Corrado seizes the opportunity to steal the gold. That gold, together with Elisabetta who is pregnant by Jean, play an important role in the Benedettis becoming landlords of much of the area.
The second vignette involves Alessandro Benedetti, a descendant of the original clan. Now rich and famous, he finds a chance for getting into politics in Rome. His sister Elisa has been seeing a young man that is considered below them and Alessandro tells her to stop seeing the man. Unfortunately, on an outing, Elisa and her brothers come into a clearing where wild mushrooms abound. The siblings decide to eat some of the good ones, but Elisa has something else in mind.
The third theme of the story has to do with Massimo, a young man in the Italy of the 1940s as the Fascists are in power. He is an earnest young man who sees the reigning power in his country for what they really are and with the help of his girlfriend, he prepares to do something to take care of someone that is an informer. Little does he know that the girl he loves has been taken prisoner and is being taken away in a truck that is following the man he is about to kill.
The Tavianis have always been able to get excellent performances from their casts, which is also what they got from this group of Italian actors. Claudio Bigagli, Galatea Ranzi and Michael Vartan are seen in different roles. The directors love to have their players do several roles, as is the case here. The supporting performers do justice to the story being told.
Giuseppe Lanci does wonders in getting the great landscapes with his camera. Tuscany is one of the most beautiful regions of Italy and it shows so here. The musical score by Nicola Piovani also serves the story. Ultimately, the credit for the overall achievement of the film has a name: Paolo and Vittorio Taviani.