Malèna (2000)

Director:

Giuseppe Tornatore

Writers:

Giuseppe Tornatore (writer)
Luciano Vincenzoni (story)

Release Date:

27 October 2000 (Italy)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Romance | War

Tagline:

An intimate portrait and an epic story of the courage we discover, the innocence we surrender, and the memories we cherish.....forever.

Plot:

A woman provokes sensual awakenings in a group of adolescent boys.

Plot Keywords:

Fetishist | Entombment | Adolescence | Marriage | Teenage Boy

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 3 wins & 16 nominations

Cast

Monica Bellucci	...	Malena Scordia
Giuseppe Sulfaro	...	Renato Amoroso
Luciano Federico	...	Renato's Father
Matilde Piana	...	Renato's Mother
Pietro Notarianni	...	Professor Bonsignore
Gaetano Aronica	...	Nino Scordia
Gilberto Idonea	...	Avvocato Centorbi
Angelo Pellegrino	...	Segretario politico
Gabriella Di Luzio	...	Mantenuta del Barone
Pippo Provvidenti	...	Dott. Cusimano
Maria Terranova	...	Moglie Dott. Cusimano
Marcello Catalano	...	Lieutenant Cadel
Elisa Morucci	...	Lupetta
Domenico Gennaro	...	Farmacista
Vitalba Andrea	...	Moglie farmacista
Giuseppe Pattavina	...	Pretore
Franco Catalano	...	Negoziante
Daniele Arena	...	Agostino
Giovanni Litrico	...	Pine
Gianluca Guarrera	...	Nicola
Michel Daniel Bramanti	...	Sasà
Giuseppe Zizzo	...	Tanino
Totò Borgese	...	Milite fascista
Emanuele Gullotto	...	Negoziante dischi
Aurora Quattrocchi	...	Tenutaria bordello (as Rori Quatrocchi)
Claudia Muzi	...	1a prostituta (as Claudia Muzii)
Ornella Giusto	...	2a Prostituta
Conchita Puglisi	...	3a Prostituta
Noemi Giarratana	...	1a Sorella Renato
Paola Pace	...	1a Donna linciaggio
Lucia Sardo	...	2a Donna linciaggio
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Adelaide Alessi
Angelo Battista
Vanni Bramati
Claudio Castrogiovanni
Alessandro Cremona
Lazzaro Croce
Patrizia De Libero
Maria Teresa Di Clemente
Francesco Drago
Giovanni Febraro
Fabrizio Ferracane
Sebastiana Fichera
Sebastiano Fisichella
Angelo Fortuna
Antonio Fulfaro
Turi Killer
Giuseppe Luciano
Chiara Marchese
Salvatore Martino
Giovanni Martorana
Antonio Pellegrino
Claudio Piano
Antonello Puglisi
Carmela Pulvirenti
Adriana Rizza
Roberto Rizza
Giada Salesi
Orio Scaduto
Agostino Scuderi
Sergio Seminara
Fausto Siddi
Vincenzo Terranova
Agostino Ursino
Noam Morgensztern	...	Two children (uncredited)

Directed by
Giuseppe Tornatore

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Giuseppe Tornatore		writer
Luciano Vincenzoni		story

Produced by
Carlo Bernasconi	....	producer
Mario Cotone	....	line producer
Fabrizio Lombardo	....	executive producer
Teresa Moneo	....	executive producer
Rick Schwartz	....	executive producer
Mario Spedaletti	....	executive producer
Bob Weinstein	....	executive producer
Harvey Weinstein	....	producer

Original Music by
Ennio Morricone

Cinematography by
Lajos Koltai

Film Editing by
Massimo Quaglia

Casting by
Adolfo Onorati

Production Design by
Francesco Frigeri

Set Decoration by
Bruno Cesari

Costume Design by
Maurizio Millenotti

Makeup Department
Alessandro Bertolazzi	....	key makeup artist
Giusy Bovino	....	key hair stylist (as Giusi Bovino)
Vincenzo Cardella	....	hair stylist (as Enzo Cardella)
Placida Crapanzano	....	hair stylist
Hayat Ouled Dahhou	....	hair stylist
Eleonora Di Maulo	....	assistant makeup artist
Elisabetta Emidi	....	makeup artist
Gabriella Laurenzi	....	assistant hair stylist

Production Management
Andrea Costantini	....	production manager
Marco Olivieri	....	unit manager
Paolo Pioggia	....	production manager
Fulvio Rossi	....	production manager
Rick Schwartz	....	executive in charge of production
Attilio Viti	....	production manager
Steve Barnett	....	post-production supervisor: US release (uncredited)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Alessandro Aronadio	....	second assistant director
Davide Cincis	....	assistant director
Alberto Mangiante	....	first assistant director
Barbara Pastrovich	....	second assistant director
Pietra Tornatore	....	assistant director

Art Department
Alberto Ciolfi	....	assistant painter
Mario De Paolis	....	stagehand
Pietro Fabbri	....	lead foreman (as Piero Fabbri)
Ivano Ferrario	....	head plasterer
Alfonso Fortunati	....	head painter
Nello Giorgetti	....	interior designer
Claudio Magrini	....	head constructor
Stefano Morbidelli	....	props
Antonino Nastasi	....	head constructor
Biagio Nastasi	....	head constructor
Riccardo Passanisi	....	props
Flavio Popolizio	....	prop assistant
Thierry Poullain	....	prop assistant
Salvatore Saito	....	assistant interior designer
Monica Sallustio	....	designer
Monica Sallustio	....	set designer
Fabio Sclauzero	....	stagehand
Domenico Sica	....	assistant set designer
Donato Tieppo	....	assistant interior designer
Doriano Torriero	....	stage foreman

Sound Department
Paolo Amici	....	sound effects editor
Cinzia Andrei	....	dubbing assistant
Benni Atria	....	sound editor
Dean Beville	....	sound editor: US domestic version
Italo Cameracanna	....	sound effects supervisor
Gaetano Carito	....	production sound mixer
Gaetano Carito	....	sound recordist
Francesca Genevois	....	assistant to sound editor
Bruno Giacchetti	....	synchronization
Antonello Giorgiucci	....	sound dubbing
Valentina Guerra	....	synchronization
Claudio Marani	....	assistant sound editor
Pierpaolo Merafino	....	boom operator
Roberto Moroni	....	sound mixer
Massimo Puccio	....	stereo sound consultant: Dolby
David Quadroli	....	sound effects editor

Special Effects by
Daniel Acon	....	special effects coordinator
Antonio Corridori	....	special effects supervisor
Maurizio Corridori	....	special effects supervisor

Visual Effects by
Damiano Alberti	....	digital matte painter
Stefano Ballirano	....	senior digital artist
Avi Basuki	....	Inferno compositor
Federico Bozzano	....	digital matte painter
Stefano 'Brusco' Bruscolini	....	digital compositor
Marcello Buffa	....	digital post-production supervisor
David Bush	....	visual effects supervisor
Manfred Büttner	....	visual effects producer
Amedeo Califano	....	Domino artist
Maurizio Castellano	....	Domino artist
Sergio Cremasco	....	assistant colourist
Monica Di Sabatino	....	scanning and recording
Matteo Eleni	....	Inferno compositor
Nicola Fontana	....	computer graphics artist
Pietro Iodice	....	Domino artist
Armando Lombardo	....	compositor
George Maihöfer	....	digital artist (as George Maihoefer)
Guido Pappadá	....	computer graphics supervisor
Ivan Parillo	....	Domino artist
Christian Pezza	....	CG artist
Riccardo Russo	....	Domino artist
Franco Sgueglia	....	computer graphics supervisor
Fabrizio Volpi	....	visual effects supervisor

Stunts
Alberto Martello	....	stunts

Camera and Electrical Department
Renato Alfarano	....	director of photography: second unit
Giancarlo Checchi	....	electrician
Raffaele Chianese	....	assistant camera: second unit
Flaviano Biagioni Gazzoli	....	electrician
Giovanni Gebbia	....	steadicam operator
Danilo Grazzani	....	assistant camera
Simone Iorio	....	assistant camera
Simone Lucchetti	....	electrician
Enrico Lucidi	....	camera operator
Enrico Lucidi	....	director of photography: second unit
Daniele Massaccesi	....	camera operator
Daniele Massaccesi	....	steadicam operator
Emanuele Mazzilli	....	assistant camera
Mauro Mura	....	electrician
Stefano Novelli	....	assistant camera: second unit
Francisco Pintore	....	focus puller: "b" camera
Francisco Pintore	....	second assistant camera
Flaviano Ricci	....	grip
Marco Sacerdoti	....	camera operator: "b" camera
Marco Sacerdoti	....	focus puller: "a" camera
Marta Spedaletti	....	assistant still photographer
Sergio Strizzi	....	still photographer
Giovanni Tancredi	....	electrician
Cristiano Trentini	....	electrician
Carlo Vinciguerra	....	gaffer
Francesco Zaccaria	....	gaffer

Casting Department
Federico Cori	....	extras casting
Vito Di Lorenzo	....	extras casting
Massimo Malerba	....	extras casting

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Giuseppe Avallone	....	assistant costume designer
Fabio Gorgoglione	....	assistant costume designer: second unit
Alfonsina Lettieri	....	costume collaborator
Valentina Monticelli	....	assistant costume designer
Sabina Rostri	....	head cutter

Editorial Department
Pasquale Cuzzupoli	....	color supervisor
Ugo De Rossi	....	associate editor
Claudio Misantoni	....	assistant editor: avid
Alessandro Quaglia	....	second assistant editor: avid
Pamela Quaglia	....	assistant splicing editor
Stefano Quaglia	....	assistant splicing editor
Roberta Schiavoni	....	negative cutter
Silvano Soldati	....	negative cutter

Music Department
Enrico DeMelis	....	music coordinator (as Enrico De Melis)
Enrico DeMelis	....	music mixer (as Enrico De Melis)
Ennio Morricone	....	conductor
Ennio Morricone	....	orchestrator
William Ross	....	music arranger: "You're Still You"
Fabio Venturi	....	music scoring engineer

Other crew
Verena Balco	....	production coordinator
Massimo Bertucci	....	electronic foreman
Marcantonio Borghese	....	location manager
Lucia Bugoloni	....	production administrator
Enrico Cavallaro	....	production secretary
Fabio Ciotto	....	operator assistant
Erasmo Colucci	....	accountant
Valentina Cotone	....	production secretary
Franco Fantini	....	head administrator
Sebastian Grande	....	local production assistant
Nicoletta Maggi	....	production assistant: second unit
Alberto Mangiante	....	assistant to director
Cecilia Mazzá	....	production coordinator: second unit
Franco Minchella	....	production assistant: second unit
Angela Oddo	....	production secretary
Patrizia Pierucci	....	accountant
Francisco Pintore	....	operator assistant (as Francesco Pintore)
Maria Antonietta Salvatori	....	head tailor
Fabio Scarselli	....	local production assistant
Enrico Sollazzo	....	production secretary
Gianluca Tittonel	....	production assistant: second unit
Vittorio Torrieri	....	head tailor
Agostino Varchi	....	assistant tailor

Thanks
Anthony Minghella	....	special thanks

Production Companies

• Medusa Produzione
• Miramax Films
• Pacific Pictures

Distributors

• A-Film Distribution (2001) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• Buena Vista International (Argentina)
• Concorde Filmverleih (Germany)
• Laurenfilm (Spain)
• Mars Distribution (France)
• Miramax Films (2000) (USA) (theatrical) (subtitled)
• New Films International
• RCV Film Distribution (Belgium)
• RCV Film Distribution (Luxembourg)
• RCV Film Distribution (Netherlands)
• RCV Home Entertainment (200?) (Netherlands) (video)
• Shocking Videos (????) (USA) (DVD)
• United International Pictures (UIP)

Special Effects

• DYTE
• Interactive Group
• Interactive S.p.a.
• tvt. postproduction

Other Companies

• Solare Location & Casting  casting
• Studio 16  sound effects (as Consorzio Studio 16)
• Virgin Records  soundtrack

MPAA:

Rated R for sexuality/nudity, language and some violence.

Runtime:

Italy:109 min | USA:92 min

Country:

Italy | USA

Language:

Italian | Sicilian | English | Latin

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Malaysia:18SX | Iceland:12 | Canada:14A (Ontario) | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Canada:18 (Nova Scotia) | Chile:14 | Finland:K-15 | France:U | Germany:12 | Hong Kong:IIB | Italy:T | Netherlands:16 | Norway:15 | Peru:14 | Portugal:M/12 (re-rating) | Portugal:M/16 (original rating) | Singapore:M18 (re-rating) | South Korea:18 | Spain:13 | Sweden:11 | Switzerland:14 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Vaud) | UK:15 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Messina, Sicily, Italy

Company:

Medusa Produzione

Goofs:

Continuity: The bike that Renato rides, suddenly has a modern derailleur-type chain tensioner at the rear at about 20-21 minutes into the film. At all other times, his bike has a fixed rear gear without the chain tensioner.

Quotes:

Renato's Mother: But he'll have no pockets!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in One Minutes (2008)

Cinematographic Symphony

Malena is a beautiful and deeply touching film. It is a masterful combination of sites, sounds and colors. The two leading actors (Monica Bellucci and Giuseppe Sulfaro) are simply excellent at what they are supposed to convey in this movie. Apart from her truly majestic elegance, Monica Bellucci invests her character (Malena) with an aura of tragedy, of some profound and unrelenting emotional trauma and pain which remains unspoken throughout the film and reaches its climax at the very end. Malena's stunningly beautiful eyes remain constantly downcast, and her face -- tense and pierced through by psychic pain (she rarely raises her face, let alone speaks words). Renato (the teenage boy) wins his audience by his incredibly pure and valiant love for Malena (this affection he carries in his heart for several years). She becomes his muse, his courage, his sense of honor, his whole rationale for confronting difficult and disruptive life of the war-torn Italy. I agree completely with another commentator who said that the ending of the movie is perhaps one of the most genuinely melancholic moments in modern cinematography. Simply brilliant. Superb music! This movie should be watched several times to be fully appreciated.