It's complicated... I really like the directing, acting and writing but, there are issues with the way it's shot that I just can't deny. As much as I love the storytelling and the fantastic performance but, there are also certain scenes that didn't need to exist.

It's hard to see any effort in the film. There's no comedy to speak of, no real drama and, worst of all.

It is a whirlwind of delight --- attractive actors, stunning couture, spectacular sets and outrageous parties.

Great story, amazing characters, superb action, enthralling cinematography. Yes, this is something I am glad I spent money on.

When you put Anthony Quinn and Giancarlo Giannini together, you expect some magic. These are two GIANTS of the screen from Europe who have put together some of the most memorable performances on film. I think they could read the dictionary and make it sound important.Poor Keanu Reeves. His scenes with these two cinematic giants just showed how really out of his depth he was. He seems like an earnest guy, and he has found some roles that suit him, (The Matrix series.) but this was WAY over his head. If they had found someone else for the role, I think they could have pulled it off. That and.....The end? REALLY?! The story was quite a stretch from the start, but I felt like they kept it moving along, and there were some well written scenes. But when they set everything on fire at the end, it was just dumb and ridiculous.I will say this is one of the prettiest movies you will ever see. It's a bit spoiled by too much CGI and enhanced trickery. My guess is they got tired of waiting for nature to come up with some beautiful sunsets for them. But the rest of the cinematography is really good.For romantics only. (And REALLY big Keanu fans!)

In terms of what "A Walk in the Clouds" does right and wrong, it's like "Memoirs of a Geisha," a dissimilar romance that came out a decade later. The acting is great. The cinematography is breathtaking. The film works with pure magic. But there's a big problem: the screenplay is terrible.Paul Sutton (Keanu Reeves) is a war hero returning from the Pacific to be reunited with a girl he married "just so I could have someone to write to" (Debra Messing). Realizing that he's entered into a nightmare, he resumes his job as a chocolate salesman. On a bus to Sacremento for his job, he meets Victoria Aragon (Aitana Sanchez-Guijon), a Mexican beauty who is pregnant and unmarried. This would be troubling for anyone, but Victoria's father, Alberto (Giancarlo Giannini) is so traditional he makes Jerry Falwell look positively liberal. Because Paul is such a nice guy, he agrees to pose as her husband for a day, then leave her, which would hopefully solve the problem. Of course, they fall in love, which makes the situation even more complicated.The acting is solid. Many people give Keanu Reeves a hard time about his performances, and that's a little unfair. True, he's no Sean Penn, and I doubt that anyone will mention his name and "Oscar" in the same sentence any time soon, but given the right role, he can be effective. This was true of "Speed," "The Matrix," and "The Devil's Advocate," which I consider his best performance. "A Walk in the Clouds" should be among that list. It's easily the weakest of the three, but his performance is not. Paul is so immensely likable that it would turn the movie into a case of sugar shock, except that Reeves keeps Paul so genuine that it is impossible to not like him. His co-star, Aitana Sanchez-Guijon, is solid, although their chemistry is more of the "great friends" variety, not "star-crossed lovers." The other main actors, Giancarlo Giannini and Anthony Quinn, are excellent. Giannini is Oscar-worthy as Alberto. He's rigidly traditional, but it's his love of his family that makes him so. Ironically, however, it makes him blind to the needs of others. His father, Don Pedro (Quinn), is like the rest of his family: wise and more open. He always on hand to give advice on love and marriage to the would-be husband. He is also present in a hilarious scene where he gets Paul (and himself) very drunk and has him sing a traditional Mexican courting song outside Victoria's window.Alfonso Arau made the art-house hit, "Like Water for Chocolate," a film that I haven't seen, but is in my Netflix queue (and has been for some time). The middle part is magic, and it's Arau's talent that speaks to that. Unfortunately, the beginning is clunky, and the ending is completely over-the-top. Not all of this can be blamed on Arau, however. It's his first mainstream American film, so he was probably forced to make some concessions at the behest of the producers. However, even they should have realized that some of the lines needed to be rewritten.Overall, it works, but not as well as you'd hope.

What a beautiful movie! What grand and lush style and color, what emotion and care and breath taking scenery.. This has to be one of the most beautiful films of all time.A walk in the clouds is not something you'd except in the modern film industry, no this film is out side of what we see now of days this film is not a sexual charged romance film like 9 1/2 weeks or Night's In rodanthe. No this film follows the old fashioned way romance use to be like back in the 40's and 50's it is an a film with values that lie deep in the story and plot and if yo look deep enough you will see that there more to this film than meets the eye.Keanu Reeves turns in a very believable and very skilled performance as a lost G.I. trying to find his place in the world, he plays the honorable and very kind Paul with such decency and grace that you can not love his performance.A walk in the clouds is just what the title says. It's a walk amongst the most beautiful and cherished things in life love, honor, friendship and most important family. This movie is a true joy and wonder to watch unfold on the screen, Once it's over you'll want to watch it again and again it's just that good! Alfonso Arau directs this beautiful and visually stunning period romance to perfection, and he does with such style and grace that everything seems to fit in. Those that said this movie was terrible or even a mediocre romance weren't watching this movie closely. You need to pretend that your Paul Sutton and that your helping this girl out of her troubles, if you do that, if you immerse yourself in the films grandeur and beauty then you are truly watching A Walk in the Clouds and you are truly seeing a movie that is wroth the time and the money to rent or even buy for your collection.All in all A Walk in the Clouds is a film that you just can't miss or ignore, it's perfect any day entertainment for anyone with a heart for romance.

Having seen this in maybe 1996, it was a long time ago. I still remember feeling ill at ease at the acting of Reeves and even Aitana and the awkward way the plot was carried and scenes were wrenched. Now thinking about it, I remember and feel much. I wish to see this movie yet again to see why I remember the emotion I felt then, so well, so many years later. I came to like Reeves awkward style and I miss not seeing again the inner beauty of Aitana that seems to outshine her looks (not easy), I guess Italy is the luckier. It also is a fond memory for Anthony Quinn . I should try and find "The Machinist". Well then, just out of sappy compassion I gave it another star, even though I over rated it before. There is more than meets the eye.