Spoonatects Am i the only one who thinks........Average?

Pacionsbo Absolutely Fantastic

Aubrey Hackett While it is a pity that the story wasn't told with more visual finesse, this is trivial compared to our real-world problems. It takes a good movie to put that into perspective.

Kaydan Christian 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.

HotToastyRag When you start out watching The Secret of Santa Vittoria, you're going to say, "You've got to be kidding me! This was up for two Academy Awards?" Believe me, I was right there with you, and I considered turning it off. Thankfully, I didn't, because it turned out to be a very good movie.It takes place in a small Italian village, and in the first scene we are exposed to the completely idiotic, ridiculously stupid character of Anthony Quinn. He's so moronic, it's almost unbelievable. But, there's a purpose to that opening scene. The Secret of Santa Vittoria takes place at the close of WWII. When Mussolini reaches his downfall, there's a change of power everywhere in Italy, even in this small town. Tony-whose character's very name is idiotic: Bombolini-is well-liked by his neighbors, and he's quickly elected Mayor. When it's learned that the Nazis are coming to occupy the village, everyone panics for an unsuspecting reason: the village's only income is their wine. They have a million bottles of wine, and if the Nazis confiscate them, the entire town will be ruined. Under the guidance of Tony, his strong wife Anna Magnani, the beautiful spy Virna Lisi, and former soldier Renato Rascel, the townspeople all come together to hide the wine.This sounds like a silly movie, but it's actually quite moving. Just like a family, the different residents who clash and fight with each other under normal circumstances all pull together during tough times. Director Stanley Kramer adds incredible tension to the sequences. The scene in which everyone starts to unload the wine bottles gave me goosebumps, and I know it will stay with me for a very long time. Ernest Gold, nominated for his music, adds a lively Italian score to the film, underscoring the hope felt by the townspeople during the terrifying time.Obviously, I recommend this movie. If you have a strong aversion to Italians or Italian culture, then you probably won't like it, but besides that, there's a good chance you'll wind up recommending it to your friends. There's humor, drama, romance, suspense, and a heartwarming sense of community-what else do you need?

rodrig58 How much has to endure an Actor: to be hit with a huge paddle, to be kicked in his butt, to have put noodles in his head, to be hit with pots and saucepans. But it is not any actor, it is Anthony Quinn, who does not care of nothing to live his character, Bombolini, to his own... blood. Anna Magnani, a great tragedian actress of the Italian cinema, has the most funny replica: "The whole world knows that Bombolini's brains are in his ass!" Virna Lisi, my childhood love from "Coplan prend des risques" is beautiful and credible in the role of Caterina. A very young Giancarlo Giannini is OK. The same Hardy Krüger and Renato Rascel. Actually, Krüger is great! I've seen almost all Stanley Kramer's films, the best, in my opinion are "It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World", "The Defiant Ones" and this one.

denscul This film has a great director, writer, and has a cast of excellent stars, including Anthony Quinn. Everybody knows him as Zorba the Greek, but hardly anyone recalls Quinn as Bombolini. Quinn goes from hen pecked town drunk to the man who saves the town from the Nazi's hunt for the town's treasure, Italien Vermouth. This is a WWII movie that shows a town getting rid of one Italian dictator, only to be faced with Hitler's gang. Quinn's character is deliciously funny. The simple man faces the professional and orderly German army and bests them using his wit instead of guns. Hardy Kruger, playing the perfect German officer, expresses bewilderment when faced with idea that such a slob could win the battle for the Vermouth.

Robert D. Ruplenas This one deserves more than the 2 1/2 stars given it by Maltin. A superb combination of earthy humor and wartime intrigue, it gives us the triumph of human resourcefulness and peasant wiliness in the face of overpowering might. I like Anthony Quinn as Bombolini much more so than as Zorba. Anna Magnani as the long-suffering wife of Bombolini is magnificent. It is true that the love story subplot between the Sergio Franchi and Virna Lisi characters is a tad wearying, but it is not enough to detract from the overall success of the film. The true heros of the story, of course, are the Italian peasantry, as represented by the citizens of Anticoli Corrado, the central Italian village not far from Rome where the film was shot. As Babalucci says, finally: "I've been an anarchist all my life, although I've never been sure what it means, except that nothing means anything. But if anything does mean anything, it's this stinking town."