Bad Acting and worse Bad Screenplay

It is both painfully honest and laugh-out-loud funny at the same time.

Excellent and certainly provocative... If nothing else, the film is a real conversation starter.

There are moments that feel comical, some horrific, and some downright inspiring but the tonal shifts hardly matter as the end results come to a film that's perfect for this time.

How much has to endure an Actor: to be hit with a huge paddle, to be kicked in his butt, to have put noodles in his head, to be hit with pots and saucepans. But it is not any actor, it is Anthony Quinn, who does not care of nothing to live his character, Bombolini, to his own... blood. Anna Magnani, a great tragedian actress of the Italian cinema, has the most funny replica: "The whole world knows that Bombolini's brains are in his ass!" Virna Lisi, my childhood love from "Coplan prend des risques" is beautiful and credible in the role of Caterina. A very young Giancarlo Giannini is OK. The same Hardy Krüger and Renato Rascel. Actually, Krüger is great! I've seen almost all Stanley Kramer's films, the best, in my opinion are "It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World", "The Defiant Ones" and this one.

In short there is no other move quite like it. One of those that you might not think to rent, but if you find yourself at the beginning of it, you'll not leave until you see the ending. Quinn is excellent.The nutshell is that The Germans are coming, and the town has lost all of its older boys and men to the Italian army. They're a wine-producing town, and elect the town-fool to be the "mock mayor". The problem is that they need to hide the wine from the Germans, being their only real treasure. From that premise forward, the movie becomes dark and deeply compelling. I believe that these are some of the best performances of the star-studded actors...I recommend it, as one of life's "must see's".(PS: I'm a tough critic, so an "8" for me is just about tops)

This was the last film I saw with Anthony Quinn before his recent death, his performance is similar to that of his most famous role, Zorba the Greek, but not quite as good. He is often over the top playing the dirty town drunk finding himself elected Mayor but you gradually find yourself loving him as his character bounces off the excellently cast Hardy Kruger as the leader of a German platoon who settle in the small Italian town of Santa Vittoria during World War II. As the film centres upon the hiding of one million bottles of wine from the Germans there is great mix of tense drama and comedy with a reliable supporting cast including a very young Giancarlo Giannini, more recently seen as the Italian detective in Hannibal. Enjoyable Sunday afternoon entertainment.

Let me say at the start that I love this film. Anthony Quinn is superb as Bombolini, the drunken failure who is thrust into the role of mayor of Santa Vittoria, studies Machiavelli's 'The Prince' and becomes a cunning and resourceful leader of men. He knows the Germans expect him to cheat them out of some wine, so he must act as if he's not cheating; then, when the Germans find out he *is* cheating, they won't look for the million bottles he's really hiding. Some drunken clown!Anna Magnani is wonderful. This is the only film of hers that I've managed to see but I think she's great, and far sexier in her earthy vitality than the women we're usually told to think of as 'sex symbols'. [Possible spoiler]:The scene where she admits that Bombolini's leadership has surprised her after the wasted years of their marriage is incredibly touching.[End of possible spoiler.]While I know you shouldn't compare the two media, if you enjoy this film, read the book. Robert Crichton's novel makes far more of the relationship between Bombolini and Von Prumm and their different views of life than a two hour film allows. There are more incidents between the Germans and Italians, and the conflicts within Santa Vittoria itself are explored in far more - and funnier - detail.