Il Giardino dei Finzi Contini (1970)
Genre: Drama / History
Duration: 94 minuten
Alternative titles: The Garden of the Finzi-Continis / De Tuin van de Finzi Contini's / Der Garten der Finzi Contini
Country:
Italy / West Germany
Directed by: Vittorio De Sica
Stars: Lino Capolicchio, Dominique Sanda and Helmut Berger
IMDb score:
7,2 (8.371)
Releasedate: 4 December 1970
Il Giardino dei Finzi Contini plot
The Jewish aristocratic Finzi-Contini family lives on their estate in decadence in the late 1930s. They have a great indifference to what happens in the outside world. When the local tennis club starts banning Jews under pressure from fascist racial laws in 1938, the Finzi-Continis decide to open their private jobs to others in the town as well. And so Giorgio, from a humble Jewish family, comes into contact with Micòl, the daughter of the Finzi-Continis, with whom he falls madly in love...
Actors and actresses
Giorgio
Micól
Bruno
Padre di Giorgio
Alberto
Padre di Micól
Nonna di Micól
Madre di Micól
Madre di Giorgio
Studente tedesco
Reviews & comments
mrklm
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- 11629 messages
- 10041 votes
The winner of the Golden Bear in 1971 is a story about a group of Jewish friends in Italy from the late 1930s to the early 1940s. When Jewish members are no longer welcome at their tennis club, a number of Jewish young people decide to organize their own tennis tournament on the estate of the Finzi-Contini family. There they hardly have to worry about the fact that more and more rights are being taken away from them and it is tempting to close their eyes to the impending disaster.
A captivating story, beautifully filmed in dreamy soft-focus to reflect the dream world in which the families live. Particularly beautiful is a scene in which the family receives an ominous phone call while singing a song about the lessons of the Torah. However, the acting is very variable, partly due to disturbingly weak dubbing, something that Italian films of that time unfortunately often suffered from.
Translated from Dutch · View original
JJ_D
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- 3815 messages
- 1344 votes
Anyone read the book? I am particularly surprised that De Sica apparently found it necessary to rewrite the plot. For example, in Bassani's novel the relationship between Micòl and Malnate remains mysterious, which is necessary because the literary trip is mainly situated around and through the amorous fever of Giorgio, with a [spoiler ]inevitable advancing fascism in the background.
The film apparently reverses these relationships: 'Il Giardino dei Finzi Contini' seems to revolve to a lesser extent about an aristocracy that, out of providence, turns back on itself, its wealth and its escapist sporting excuse based on the insight in what is inevitable – at least that is how I understood the Finzi-Continis based on Bassani. Apart from that, the film also feels like a light simplification of the book based on other details, and as an audience member you can only wonder: why?
For the rest: kitschy soundtrack, messy-experimental camera work, little aesthetics, disturbing dubbing, ... In short, as far as I'm concerned, it's barely enjoyable.
Ladies and gentlemen: read the book!
2.25*
Translated from Dutch · View original
Filmkriebel
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- 10013 messages
- 4679 votes
The strong ending puts the entire film in a different perspective, and that is rewarded with a 3.5*. A portrait of two friendly aristocratic Jewish families just before the Second War and with the beginning of the persecution of the Jews that increasingly penetrates the story. Giorgio and Micol have known each other since childhood; flashbacks show that they are two hands on one stomach and seem destined for each other. Now that they are students, you would think that a romance and an engagement would be inevitable. But Micol is a very intelligent young woman, and the reason why she rejects the romance is deeply tragic but also a sign of true love. In this way, she actually sacrificed a relationship with Giorgio to give him the chance for a happier future, knowing well that Nazism would take everything from her and her family... .
I had to persevere for the first twenty minutes, but after that it all went smoothly. I'm also not a fan of that "soft porn" style (heavy zooms on faces, blurry, often overexposed images) so visually this is somewhat less strong from De Sica. The garden of the Finzi-Contini is a place of life in the beginning, then it becomes an open-air prison in which they close themselves off from the outside world and prefer to forget reality, and here I understand why others refer to Visconti.
Translated from Dutch · View original
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