Donald Seymour
This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.
Jonah Abbott
There's no way I can possibly love it entirely but I just think its ridiculously bad, but enjoyable at the same time.
Mandeep Tyson
The acting in this movie is really good.
Isbel
A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.
paul2001sw-1
In the 1970s, moderate Christian Democrat leader Aldo Moro proposed a historic compromise with the Communist party, whereupon more radical leftists abducted, imprisoned and ultimately killed him. Aside from the personal tragedy, one can wonder if Italy lost the chance of a better future. But how can a group of supposed idealists kill an essentially innocent man, and moreover, one of the more decent politicians of his age? Only, we learn, by abstracting away from humanity. Director Marco Bellocchio was himself once involved in radical politics, enough to understand; and his film about the Moro kidnapping is austere, showing not telling the bleak lives of the captives and captors alike. The soundtrack is heavier than it needs to be, and there's not a lot to soften the mood, nor even lengthy political discussions: the decision to kill is taken, and what follows, follows. Pschologically, the film seems on the mark; but it might have been more interesting with a bit more back story and context.
kayaker36
Most of the positive comments posted here are as verbose as the movie! It takes a long-winded bore to appreciate a wordy and boring film, one supposes. Some have merely called the film "contemplative", meaning slow and devoid of plot, however, one Dutch reviewer hit the nail on the head: this is an important event turned into a dull film whose tone is set in the very first scene. Here a young couple is being shown an apartment by a Realtor who, predictably, talks non-stop and regardless of what else is going on. So does just about every other character!The only silences in this picture are dream sequences--1930's Soviet propaganda snippets--and they are also its most interesting parts. This tells you something about how watchable the rest of the movie is.The device of filming most of the scenes in extreme closeup--as if one were looking through a crack in the blinds--gets old fast.
atorri
This movie describes the 55 days of captivity of On. Aldo Moro, kidnapped by the Red Brigades in 1978. In rapid strokes, the Red Brigades are presented as a group bent on implementing a Marxist-Leninist revolution in Italy through the destabilization of the Republican democratic state in order to implement a Soviet style dictatorship. The Red Brigades were inspired by the Russian revolution and by the actions of Lenin and his Bolshevik followers. The maxim at the time was "Portare l'attacco al cuore dello stato", i.e. "Bring the attack to the heart of the state" and the Red Brigades extended their campaign of numerous targeted assassinations to those public figures that were trying to dilute the original message of the Marxist-Leninist revolution. On. Aldo Moro, President of the Christian Democratic Party, with his decade of attempts to mediate "Il Compromesso Storico" (The Historic Compromise), i.e., the entrance in the Government of politicians of the Italian Communist Party (Partito Comunista Italiano, PCI), was targeted, kidnapped and assassinated because he was close to succeed in his task. In the Red Brigade's view, the entrance of the PCI in the Government would have betrayed the Leninist dogma of proletarian revolution, and of the planned physical elimination of the middle class (Classe Borghese). Mr. Bellocchio does not delve too deeply into this essential motivations of the Red Brigades, and while he does not embellish their crime, he presents a superficial view of the political debate. I was in Italy when On. Moro was kidnapped and assassinated, and I remember very well those days. The Italian Communist Party (PCI) was very worried that the equation Communism-by-the-book = Red Brigades would cause a loss of votes for the party (30-35% of the electorate voted PCI) and the Italian Right (non-fascist) was too sleepy or ignorant to use the equation in the political debate, i.e. to suggest that communism was a bloody ideology that had at its core the destruction in a blood-bath of all the class enemies. Mr. Bellocchio does not present this political debate and prefers to continue the traditional and superficial approach: the Red Brigades were somewhat romantic criminal assassins. The film would have greatly improved had the most recent development on the significance of Communist Terrorism (especially the magisterial work of Richard Drake on the subject) in the 1960's and 1970's Italy been presented. Because it failed to refresh the trite and regimented view that the Red Brigades were a sort of political criminal folly, Mr. Bellocchio should be commended only because he is the only major movie director daring to dedicate a movie to the still not closed chapter of Marxist-Leninist terrorism in Italy. The movie was produced by the Italian State Television (RAI), and many of the RAI intellectuals are lefties: therefore it is not surprising that the fundamental violence of communism in all its forms had not been presented by the movie. In summary: commendable for reconstructing a painful chapter in the history of the Italian Democracy and for presenting a credible On.Aldo Moro, but missing the most updated debate on the subject and not adding much to the popular mythology.
papillons_et_moi
In order to understand and fully appreciate this movie, the audience most likely needs to be Italian, and either fervently opposes the strong socialist ideologies of the Red Brigades (the terrorist-communist group that kidnaps the President), or those who strongly support them. However, this is still a movie that could stir the minds of those who are not familiar to the cause of death of the Italian President Aldo Moro, and the politics of the Italian parties.Focusing on the 'behind-the-scenes' of the kidnapping, the perspective is seen mostly from the sole female member of the Red Brigades. As the movie progresses, she faces growing moral doubts about the assassination of Moro. Many of the insights that this film could touch upon are not completely developed (such as the question of the emotions of a victim about to face death, or the cause of the radical actions of the Red Brigades); however, this is merely because of the very fact that it is seen from the woman's point of view. She is suppose to be unemotional to the kidnapping (as we are led to believe all like-minded terrorists are), and yet, a glimpse of her troublesome conscience, and of her knowledge of the history of communist policies (in Russia, for example, as seen in many clips of documentaries dispersed throughout the movie) slowly seeps through to the surface of the movie. Hence, the 'superficialness' of all the political discussions. One puzzling question in this film is: why did the Red Brigades kill Moro, when in fact, he was the only politician at that time who is willing to bridge the gap between Christian Democratic policies (the main party), and the Communist policies (party in opposition)? In fact, their killing such a person subsequently ended all attempts by Italian politicians to raise Communist ideals into reality. That is, disappointingly, never answered in Buongiorno, Notte.Most people would treat this as a renegade attempt to history, but I believe that this movie deserves recognition and an audience, especially since the world is still trying hard to understand the "irrational" minds of terrorists: this movie shows you Their point of view.