Movies-TV

My favorite movie

Christopher Lambert is my favorite actor and when I saw this movie it became my favorite movie. He was a very good Guiliano, the movie moved me to find more information about the real Guiliano.

Dancing

For the record, I'm not a Cimino knocker. I liked Thunderbolt & Lightfoot, I initially thought the Deer Hunter was overrated, but it's grown on me. I actually like Heaven's Gate (although the last third drags - and in a film of that length a third is a LONG time)... it also is obvious that it shouldn't have cost that much (The book on the making of it, Final Cut is a must read). Year Of The Dragon, I liked, even with the stereotyping and awful leading lady (where did she disappear too?)I just want to make a short and simple comment - worst dancing scene ever by an actor. Joss Ackland, the singing and dancing fool. Also, Cimino needs to seriously get out of this 'I want to be like Coppola' thing... it's not working. The Sicilian is junk.It's hard to tell if Cimino is talented or if he has a habit of picking good cinematographers... the only good point in The Sicilian

a good novel ruined by a bad actor

This movie is based on Mario Puzo's book of the same name: in other words, the source material here isn't that different from that of 'The Godfather'. It's a good book in the same way that 'The Godfather' is - exciting and rousing - but that isn't enough to make a good movie. Whereas Francis Ford Coppola and Marlon Brando made what many consider to be the best movie of all time, Michael Cimino and Christopher Lambert made a real stinker here. Actually, the problem less with Cimino than it does with Lambert. His attempt to play a Sicilian is bad enough; when you compare him to his co-star John Turturro he comes across as positively horrible. The beautiful scenery and some good acting from other cast members still can't save this movie. Avoid it.

A professional, timeless, and satisfying film

The Sicilian is inspired from a novel of Mario Puzo, of Godfather
fame, of course, and filmed by Michael Cimino. From its 1987 release
date, the entire picture was way ahead of its time. This is the case
from the many timeless aspects depicted, such as rural Sicily and
the era following the Second World War. Much kudos to the visual
quality which is excellent, the acting which is very good and the
plot which is very good, mainly for being credible.

The DVD is the Director's cut, clocking at 146 minutes, which may
seem long, but actually isn't, because of the quality and
entertainment.

The soundtrack is superb (piano, orchestral, big band, etc.) which
enhances the various moods in a highly talented manner.

The difficulty of this picture are perhaps several. First and
foremost, it's doubtful the actors (and the spectators too)
actually understand what is going on in the film, in terms of
coherence, sequence of events, from the way the actors deliver their
lines in the first hour. Several leading actors and actresses are
also blatantly French, struggling a bit with pronunciation
(Lambert, Boschi, mainly.) Some dialog is delivered with difficulty,
at times cartoonish in simplicity but this gets better after the 1st
hour.

Secondly, for those having seen the commercial cut, 30 mins are
missing from the footage, so the previous aspect was more severe.
Third, Lambert and Tururro seem to struggle at times in the first
third of the picture, appearing as an odd couple of sorts,
reminescent of Mathau and Lemmon, which is distracting. Fourth,
Lambert should never have worn a trenchcoat in the last third of
the picture. Also, an actor should never be hyper-clean shaven,
combed hair, with clean and ironed white shirt and pants just coming
from a shower, when presented to the audience as a guerilla, living
in the mountains with 50 bandits, and sleeping in caves.
Fortunately, this only occurred 1 time in the movie, but there is no
doubt that Lambert brought a big non-Italian, urban - city feel to
the role. Lastly, there are no subtitles on the DVD.

Lambert, who plays a Sicilian Robin Hood called Giuliano, is an
enigma of sorts as an actor, as he has his high points and luke-warm
moments, but overall, despite many who will underestimate his acting
greatly, actually he brings a personal touch to the action,
appealing to the youth segment, that is often necessary for profit
reasons. Joss Ackland, playing the president of a Sicilian province
as Masino, is excellent in his demeanor, rapport built with the
audience, and credibile in the scenes. Turturro seems to get a lot
better over the course of the movie, as he is better able to portray
himself as a local ethnic, blending with the supporting actors,
playing down his presence perfectly.

Clearly, Puzo wanted to guarantee an American flavor to this
picture, so an American jeep is shown, references to the American GI
presence in Italy brought up. In a non-sequitur, there is nudity
with Barbara Sukowa, from a bubble bath scene, and another
non-sequitur, when Lambert robs Sukowa along with other rich guests
at the dinner table, and beds her shortly after, eagerly, willingly.
A special performance, is by Giulia Boschi, playing Lambert's
sensitive girlfriend.

The essence of the picture, is that following WWII, a region in
Sicily is impassioned with Communism, as the peasants do not partake
of the vast food, wealth generated by the lands, commerce and
industry of the region. Masino, seeing this, secretly hires a
delusional local, believing himself to be a Robin Hood, promising to
reverse the injustice, by confiscating land and giving it to the
poor. Of course, Masino's Hegelian goal of scaring the population
(through Lambert's bandit conduct) so they will run back to him and
vote for him, is coupled with a strategy of physically eliminating
Marxist voters at a peaceful march.

The visual beauty of the picture is vast, as all the critical time
pieces are shown of the era (music, automobiles, clothes worn,
demeanor of the population) as well as the medieval, European
architecture of a small village and country side, such as vineyards,
large estates.

Homicidal behavior is carried out, at times, in an unconvincing,
manner, such as those of the local father, barber, etc. Some humor
doesn't work, such as the line about the dream of locals in opening
a pizzaria in New Jersey.

As with his other novels, Puzo has the courage of showing ceremonies
of marriages, funerals, public processions, as well as joyful
moments at dancehalls and dinners among rich crowds to balance out
the sorrow of other moments. He also underlines the 3 powers, 1 of
which a citizen must adhere to: church, state or mob. After taking
out 4 big landowners, the story makes clear that Robin Hood conduct
is not only misguided, but irrational and isolating, as the poor do
not want land to toil on, but money.

Creating a movie from a book, is a huge challenge, like an orchestra
reading sheet music and playing a composer's musical intent. As
such, the movie's inspiration seems a bit blurred, but nevertheless
very professional, timeless, and satisfying.

THE worst movie I've ever seen.

As I had just read Mario Puzo's "The Sicilian", I figured it'd be a good idea to have a look at the film. My expectations were very high. Unfortunately, the movie was everything but what I had expected of it. I'm not very sure about the real life of Salvatore Guiliano, but considering (as it says here ) it was made after Puzo's book... The events are in wrong order, the characters don't match the descriptions in the book or remaining photos of the people involved... I wouldn't recommend this movie to anyone, as most of it is simply lies AND the acting is awful. 1/10, as I've yet to see a movie that's based on a literature piece and is as poorly composed as this one.

Really awful

This must be one of the really awful films of all time, which belongs in the bottom 100. Must admit to having ignored the score and comment on the site here and purchased the DVD. Terrible mistake.I figured a Cimino directed Puzo film couldn't be that bad - it was. The acting is generally poor with a few exceptions. Notably, Joss Ackland, John Turturro and Giulia Boschi come out with some credit. Christopher Lambert, however, fails to carry the movie, and is as wooden as it gets. Even the Sicilian swagger fails to impress. Barbara Sukowa also is a let down, despite the odd sight of flesh.Cimino is a mega let down. It is as if there were a few scenes left over on the cutting room floor from the Godfather - marvelous scenery though it is - clipped together with a hastily put together script. To add to it all, the editing leaves a lot to be desired.I gave it 2/10, but only due to the scenery and score (which also may have been a hand-me-down from the Godfather).

ReadPuzo

The casting in this film was terrible. Anyone who read the book will agree. Besides, the costuming was terrible. And how about the catch phrase? "Before the Godfather..." That's not really true. First of all, Turi's parents were living in New York helping Don Corleone before he was even born. Second, Michael Corleone was in exhile in Sicily and was going to help bring Turi to America. Part of the cursed story took place DURING the Godfather book/film. Ah.... i dunno. it just wasn't great.

Well here are my thoughts

Totally absent from this movie are things like
1. Acting
2. plot
3. Some sort of rational story line
4. half-way decent cinematography

Puzo is rolling in his grave this was just awful. A waste of a perfectly good blockbuster rental. Heck the movie did have some great nude sceans, so if thats your thing yo might want to get this.

As for myself i'll read the book(agian).

Garbage, I wish there was zero Stars

Don't waste your money on this.It is not worth seeing. It is an insult to the movie going public.I threw mine into the Garbage

A movie with some political comment.

In keeping with one of the movie's subplots, I confess to being a total Cimino fan. I have loved the four films that I have bought on DVD and I believe he is a much underrated director.  I just finished The Sicilian several minutes ago and I, as opposed to the last commentators, loved the film, did not fall to the floor in hysterical laughter and did not think that Cimino wanted to become Scorsese in the worst way. I thought the script was thoughtful and one of the few films to confront the historical political skeleton hanging in every Italian closet--the skeleton of land redistribution and the ghosts that haunt,to this day, the society of old Italy. The people of Bologna and Emilia-Romangna understand this but the Scicilians still rely on the Mafia. Of course, everyone sees in a film that which they are programmed from childhood to see; for me, however, I saw a deeper film than other commentators saw and as a result, I watched a far better film--a film of great substance with the rough beauty of the Scicilian countryside and the Scililian cityscapes bared for all to appreciate. The historicity of Cimino's films produce a memorable panoply of substance, painted on a canvas of great beauty. I loved the actors and I loved all that they did on the screen; I applaud Cimino for his artistic brilliance. I am hugely saddened that there is nothing comparable in today's Hollywood cinema.

A pretentious campy Godfather!

You can't be serious. This movie could have been great. It's got tragedy and struggle at its heart. The score is mournful and sufficiently mody. The direction and photography are at times beautiful and inspired. But the hard-boiled and wooden acting - combined with some of the most ridiculous dialouge - takes all seriousness right out of this over-achieving film. The only true hope within this waste of money is the always brilliant, John Turtorro. Watching him act one gets the idea that he knows the dialogue is ridiculous and acts up the campiness accordingly. Look out for a scene late in the film when he visits the cardinal to retrieve a message for Guliano. AS he walks back, he stumbles over a coffee table, in effect pulling the wind right out of the drama!

More hokum than history - and shoddy hokum at that

Salvatore Giuliano has been poorly served by the two films made about him, albeit in very different ways. Francesco Rosi's Salvatore Giuliano sidelines the legendary Sicilian bandit completely and distorts much of the events around him to support a political agenda despite posing as a semi-documentary dramatisation. Despite a few good scenes, it almost seems as if the contradictions in Giuliano's story dictate it should best be told by an outsider with no political axe to grind.

On the surface, that theory is soundly kicked in the groin, beaten to a pulp and left for dead in a ditch by The Sicilian, along with Desperate Hours the only Michael Cimino film that really IS as bad as critics said Heaven's Gate was. This film is so far from the truth that only the addition of flying saucers and death rays could make it any more outlandish. This Giuliano is a Christ-like martyr and hero of the people caught smuggling grain to the starving (in reality he was selling on the black market), buying land for the peasants (Giuliano had no interest in land reform), marries the sister of a communist (Giuliano didn't even have a girlfriend), hijacking troop trains, crucifying priests and even trying to stop the massacre at Portella della Ginestre (shamefully blamed in the film on Terranova, who was one of the few of Giuliano's band who it's definitely known did NOT fire a single shot on that day). No sign of the American occupation, no mention of the Separatist movement, no sense of how Giuliano operated: just Hollywood hokum, and badly executed hokum at that.

Of course, a film can be a total fantasy and still be enjoyable, as anyone who's ever seen a Jesse James or Robin Hood movie knows. Unfortunately, The Sicilian also has the disadvantage of being an astonishing piece of crap for most of its running time. It's full of atrocities, from Joss Ackland's comedy Mafia don (his dance with Barbara Sukowa is one of cinema's great this-isn't-working-but-just-grit-your-teeth-and-try-to-get-through-it-as-quickly-as-possible acting moments), an embarrassing acappella bebop mountain wedding (dig those crazy jitterbugging bandits, man), clunking dialog ("They'll never trust you again." "Yes. Sad, isn't it?") and situations, a terrible grinning performance from Christophe Lambert and a has-to-be-seen-to-be-disbelieved final shot of Salvatore rearing up on a horse against the setting sun at his own funeral. The uncut version actually is worse than the edited version released in the US, giving more screentime to Barbara Sukowa's atrocious `American' aristocrat ("Ja, ay em verr Amerikahn"), who even gets to rape the hero during a robbery at her villa, and amplifying the inept Messianic parallels to a comic degree. There are hints at ambition, with a couple of scenes that threaten to work and the odd good line that one suspects comes from Gore Vidal's rewrite, but it's just another Hollywood mafia movie, with Ackland's Don protecting and ultimately betraying Giuliano, the son he never had. This was, after all, originally a semi-sequel to The Godfather (in Mario Puzo's novel Michael Corleone tries to arrange Giuliano's escape) until the producers found out Paramount owned the screen rights to Corleone characters and had to write them out. Unfortunately, they threw out the baby with the bathwater.

For those who want the film in its original 2.35:1 ratio rather than Artisan's fullframe panned-and-scanned version, the European PAL DVD is the uncut version in a good 2.35:1 widescreen transfer that showcases the fine photography. Extras are limited to a trailer and stills gallery.

Artisan does it again

Amazing, isn't it? They somehow -- probably entirely by
accident -- put out the longer "Director's Cut" of this
terrific and hugely underrated movie, then destroy it with
a careless, awful, cropped presentation. But then, these
are the people who advertised a "documentary" on their disc
of FIRST BLOOD -- which turned out to be nothing but clips
from that film.

"Make Your Peace With God."

I'm very glad this movie finally came out on DVD with Cimino's excellent Director's Cut, but Artisan has a history of crap DVDs, and this is no exception.
The movie itself is excellent, the noble story of Salvatore Giuliano, who attempted a failed revolution of Sicily. People who have problems with Christopher Lambert's performance obviously see him then immediately stop watching the movie. His character is out of place in every aspect, he rears his horse at a woman in the window, skids across the floor like he's flying to start a dance, and continually makes a point of how different he is, Lambert seems to fit the role perfectly. Aside from him we have John Turturro in the performance of a lifetime and an interesting contribution by Terrance Stamp.
I sincerely hope a special edition of this DVD comes out in the future.

Sadly, no option for zero stars

What a terrible movie and a waste of talent. Trying to be another Godfather flick, but falling way short. There is some nice cinematography and a musical score that starts out promising but ends up being grating. The worst and most insurmountable problem is, naturally, Christopher Lambert. He can't act, doesn't look or sound Italian (let alone Sicilian) and is too old for the part (Guliano is supposed to be very young -- everyone comments on this -- and is compared to Alexander the Great, while Lambert is clearly in his mid-thirties). A OK enough actor for action films, he is way out of his depth here. Also, the always excellent John Turturro makes him look awful feeble. What power-that-be in the casting department decided on Lambert as the lead and NOT Turturro -- who looks and is of Italian ancestry? There is some kind of interesting story here about the modern history of Sicily after WWII, and the struggle between the church, government, rich landowners, poor peasants and communists...but darned if I could make out what it was. It was buried under a barrage of odd accents -- some American, some "fake" Italian, some generic "European" -- and dialogue that stinks. I hung on to the dogged end of this long (uncut version) flick, but I was wasting my time. It didn't improve or get any clearer. A movie to be avoided.

Lambert = wooden

This is a fantastic story about rebellion against the odds, Mario Puzo's Novel is a splendid read. However, Christopher Lambert acting is completely wooden. Absolutely awful. He straight out looks and speaks like an American with a terrible attempt at a Sicilians accent. Very annoying to people that have read the book and looked forward to decent story being told. Too much emphasis on the relationship between the duchess and not Giovanna. Gives the viewer the impression of a stronger love connection (when it was just sex for revenge/future plans) between the duchess than when Giovanna (his true love in the book) sat by the sidelines. Crappy casting and a poorly adapted novel seems like Michael Cimino just missed the whole plot. could of been so much more. Oh well read the book instead.

This Sicilian will make you an offer you can refuse.

Based on the novel by Mario Puzo, which was in turn loosely inspired by the life of bandit, black marketeer, and separatist Salvatore Giuliano, "The Sicilian" is a confusing, self-important mess of a movie. As was the case with Rob Roy, Jesse James, and Bonnie and Clyde, popular culture once again whitewashes the acts of a real-life criminal and reinvents them as a folk hero. Set in Sicily during the 1940s, the film begins with Giuliano (Christopher Lambert) and his friend Pisciotta (John Turturro) stealing grain to feed hungry villagers. Caught in the act, Giuliano escapes after shooting a police officer, but he is seriously wounded himself (despite his life-threatening injury, Giuliano still manages to outrace the authorities and leap onto the back of a horse!). Giuliano seeks shelter in a monastery and is treated by a barber who says he will certainly die. However, Giuliano declares that he will live and makes a miraculous recovery. Giuliano's (near) death and resurrection is obviously intended as an allusion to Christ. I'm not a religious person, but I still think there's something blasphemous about comparing a thief and murderer to the Messiah.Once fully healed, Giuliano launches a crusade to provide the poor people of Sicily with land and counter the authority of the Mafia, the Catholic Church, and the wealthy landowners. To accomplish this he becomes a bandit and flees to the mountains, eventually assembling a large following. However, Giuliano goes too far, makes powerful enemies, and (in another parallel with Christ) is betrayed by a Judas in his ranks.If executed properly, "The Sicilian" could have been a powerful, complex tale of a man who does terrible things for noble reasons and ends up undermining everything he fought for. Unfortunately, the motion picture is plagued by poor choices. Various accents are spoken by the international cast, very few of which sound remotely Sicilian. Christopher Lambert in particular is miscast. Supporting characters come and go without contributing much to the story. Numerous factions become involved in the plot - the government, the Mafia, the church, the nobility, and the socialists - but it's not always clear whom is allied with whom or why. Many scenes were cut from the finished film by the studio and the audience can tell."The Sicilian" was directed by Michael Cimino, who has a very mixed track record. After directing one of the greatest movies of all time, "The Deer Hunter", Cimino was responsible for the notorious commercial and critical disaster "Heaven's Gate" (which, in retrospect, is actually not that bad). Cimino recovered somewhat with the crime thriller "Year of the Dragon", but "The Sicilian" was another step backwards for his career. Cimino at least insures that the film is well shot, but his deadly serious intentions are frequently undermined by weak performances, clunky dialogue, and schmaltzy music.** out of ****

I like it

Despite the score of 4.8/10, I still picked up The Sicilian in the DVD bargain bin since I liked Christopher Lambert in Highlander and Fortress. I'm not gonna say Christopher Lambert is the greatest actor in the world but I guess he did OK in this. They've got some good supporting actors such as Joss Ackland and John Turturro that bring life to the movie. I like this movie a lot. It is MUCH better than the trash Lambert has starred in the past five years [i.e. Fortress 2, Absolon]. This movie deserves more than a 4.8...more like a 6.5+. Michael Cimino has got to be one of the greatest directors ever but I guess after Heavens Gate, people lost faith in him. Oh well. If you're looking for a spin-off Godfather type movie with the 'Highlander', it's worth a rent.

Buy British!

Admirers of THE SICILIAN may like to know that the British DVD release (on the Momentum label) is both uncut and fully letterboxed!

One of the great 1980s films, unseen until now.

I'm thrilled that the complete version of Michael Cimino's masterpiece is FINALLY going to be available in the United States! I caught this in Paris during its first week in October of 1987 and was floored by the movie. Brilliantly literate screenplay by the uncredited Gore Vidal, with Terrance Stamp as Vidal's stnad-in. Elegant mise-en-scene and a tight dramatic arc that I wouldn't have thought Cimino capable of. (I'm one of the minority that hated "The Deer Hunter" but thouht "Heaven's Gate" was brilliant.) When I got back to the United States I was shocked to find out "The Sicilian" had been released in a version cut by 25 minutes and was roundly trashed as incoherent. The rumor was also out that when Fox demanded that Cimino deliver a 120 minute version, he deliberately cut it to make no sense thinking that the studio would then have no choice but to release his complete film. But they released the deliberately sabotaged version instead. Anybody know the truth about this? Anyway, this is one of the great American-produced films of the 1980s -- if you love Scorsese and Visconti,and want something both passionate and cerebral, political and exciting, you must see this.