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Italian For Beginners [2002]


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Editorial
Amazon.co.uk Review

The winner of a Silver Bear at the Berlin Film Festival, Italian for Beginners is the first film made under the Dogme rules of austerity (no artificial lighting, no extraneous music, no imported props, etc) to be directed by a woman, Danish director Lone Scherfig. It's set in a small Danish town where half-a-dozen awkward misfits (the newly arrived pastor, a recently bereaved hairdresser, an ex-footballer turned abrasive bar manager, a put-upon baker's assistant and so on) are drawn together by the shared activity of an Italian-language evening-class and--yes, you guessed it--start coming out of their shells and finding love.

This is a gentle, good-natured film, full of quirky dialogue and unforced humour. Scherfig derives a good deal of amusement from watching the gloomy, buttoned-up Danes gradually relaxing and expanding under the influence of their improved linguistic skills, and reaching out for happiness. (As usual in North European cinema, Italian equals everything that's spontaneous, life-loving and sexy.) True, the pro-togetherness message is banal, and the whole film's altogether a little too pat, especially in the final neat pairing-off and the way a couple of obstructive parents helpfully contrive to die just when they need to. Still, the freshness of the largely improvised performances, and Scherfig's affectionate regard for her characters, make for a film that's hard to dislike.

On the DVD: Italian for Beginners has no extras except the theatrical trailer. The transfer faithfully reproduces the mainly hand-held, digital video quality of the original. --Philip Kemp

Editorial
Special Features

1.33 Full Screen
4.3
Danish
Region 2
Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround Danish
Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround
Theatrical Trailer
English

Editorial
Synopsis

In this beautiful, understated film, every character possesses a naive, heartbreaking honesty and every line communicates the sweet simplicity of basic human longing. From Danish director Lone Scherfig (ON OUR OWN), ITALIAN FOR BEGINNERS uses natural lighting, muted cinematography, and a partially improvised script--falling into the Dogme 95 genre. The film is not about learning Italian, though the film's six thirtysomething characters all meet each other through an Italian class at the community center in their quiet, rainy town. The film is about real life and hardship and hope. A nurturing hair stylist, a clumsy bakery clerk, a committed pastor, a foulmouthed waiter, a friendly hotel manager, and a lonely waitress all struggle with the banality of daily life, while dealing with their own unique challenges. But as they begin to reveal themselves and their problems to each other, they form a bond and a network that is both a safety net and a new reason to live.

Bittersweet story about lonely people
Review date: 2008-06-05 Rating: 8 out of 10

This film was billed as a comedy but, at least at first, there aren't many laughs. It starts with the separate, rather sad stories of six lonely people with troubled lives burdened with a lot of emotional baggage. Gradually the pair up as potential couples and progress to on/off relationships. All this doesn't sound very compelling, but the script, the director and, especially, the fine acting make the characters seem like real people for whom one feels sympathy and about whom one cares about the outcome. I can see why some reviewers were disappointed by the ending, but I was glad the way things turned out for the group.
An unsual film well-worth watching.

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Reviews


Tremendously dull
Review date: 2007-12-08 Rating: 2 out of 10

I got a bit further than another viewer but not much, after maybe 35-40 minutes of absolutely nothing happening but dull dull dull conversations, I stopped watching before I died of boredom.

A special memory
Review date: 2007-10-26 Rating: 10 out of 10

I have fond memories of first watching Italian for beginners five years ago. This film remains one of my favourites and always makes me feel connected when I feel lost. The characters are hopeful and vulnerable but are struggling to find their path in life. Adherence to the Dogma manifesto makes the storytelling sensitive and charming. Having first watched this film with a friend who has recently died, it will continue to be special to me and allow me to remember how we connected.

Depressing but insightful
Review date: 2007-10-20 Rating: 6 out of 10

Quirky this film certainly is, and it's also a rigorous example of the Dogme genre - but feelgood it isn't. I found it quite depressing and melancholy, though with some uplifting moments of genuine humour and a sweet ending, which almost jarred with the harsh realism of the rest of the film. Definitely worth watching though, as it makes such a pleasant change from artificial hollywood flicks.

Flat
Review date: 2007-04-30 Rating: 4 out of 10

I found the characters in this so stereotypical. There's the person with the anger management problem; the one with the mother with mental health problems, the ex drug-addict, etc. Anyway, the opening scenes were so uninspiring that I must admit I could not watch more than 20 minutes. This probably does not make me the best person to review the film. However, I can only remember one other occassion where I did not watch a film to the end, so this in itself equates to a pretty unwatchable film by my standards.

Product Details/Specifications


Actor(s):
Peter Gantzler
Lars Kaalund
Anders W. Berthelsen
Anette Støvelbæk
Ann Eleonora Jørgensen

Creators:
Anders W. Berthelsen (Primary Contributor)
Anette Støvelbæk (Primary Contributor)

Director(s):

Recording label: Pathe Distribution
Manufacturer: Pathe Distribution
EAN: 5060002830932
Binding: DVD
Number of items: 1
Format: Full Screen, PAL,
Release date: 2003-03-31
Number of discs: 1
Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
Audience rating: Suitable for 15 years and over
Region code: 2
Running time: 107 minutes
Theatrical release date: 2002-01-17
Language: Danish (Original Language)
Language: English (Original Language)
Language: Italian (Original Language)
Language: English (Subtitled)

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