Watch unlimited films online for $6.99.
Try MUBI for FREE.
 

Synopsis

On the day in 1940 that Italy enters the war, two things happen to the 12-year-old Renato: he gets his first bike, and he gets his first look at Malèna. She is a beautiful, silent outsider who’s moved to this Sicilian town to be with her husband, Nico. He promptly goes off to war, leaving her to the lustful eyes of the men and the sharp tongues of the women. During the next few years, as Renato grows toward manhood, he watches Malèna suffer and prove her mettle. He sees her loneliness, then grief when Nico is reported dead, the effects of slander on her relationship with her father, her poverty and search for work, and final humiliations. Will Renato learn courage from Malèna and stand up for her? —IMDb

Director

Original

Giuseppe Tornatore

After staging two plays by Pirandello and De Filippo with an amateur dramatics company at just sixteen years of age, Tornatore took his first tentative steps in the world of cinema through documentaries (one of these, “Ethnic minorities in Sicily (Le minoranze etniche in Sicilia)”, won him an award at the Salerno film festival) and television work (for RAI he produced “Portrait of a thief (Ritratto di rapinatore)”, “Guttuso’s diary (Diario di Guttuso)”, “Sicilian writers and films: Giovanni Verga, Luigi Pirandello, Vitaliano Brancati, Leonardo Sciascia (Scrittori siciliani e cinema: Verga, Pirandello, Brancati, Sciascia”). In 1984 he was second unit director on “Cento giorni a Palermo” by Giuseppe Ferrara and, two years later, finally made his directorial debut: “The professor (Il camorrista)” (1986), a hard-hitting portrait of a Naples underworld boss, is a sturdy, inspired work that successfully combines political considerations and spectacular scenes. Nonetheless, it was with his… read more

Wall

Displaying 4 of 7 wall posts.
Picture of Ace9119

Ace9119

7Dec10

This movie leaves you with a bitter aftertaste...the story is disturbingly deep and dark.......watching this movie is like swimming in a dark pool of emotion churning inside your own head.You tend to substitute yourself in the place of several characters and spontaneously feel aroused, angry and guilty.A true work of art by Tornatore

Mother of God likes this

Picture of Dzimas

Dzimas

11Sep10

Of course it is always fun to watch Monica Bellucci, but this movie came across as an odd parallel to The Summer of 42, as we find young Renato pining over Malena, much the same way Hermie does Dorothy.

Picture of ayed zach

ayed zach

30Jun10

very beautiful movie...

Picture of Rick Brands

Rick Brands

18Jun10

Great film, but be sure to check out the director's cut: I saw the theatrical edit years ago and didn't like it, but Tornatore's original vision is far more fascinating - both storywise, and regarding sensuality.

Related Films