Very Cool!!!

The greatest movie ever made..!

I wanted to like it more than I actually did... But much of the humor totally escaped me and I walked out only mildly impressed.

The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.

As a member of the US Air Force stationed in Naples during the movie I had the opportunity to appear in the film. I think I had 26 appearances in the film, all as a non-speaking extra. I got to know some of the actors, Ken Marshall was a really decent guy, Burt Lancaster (had a photo with him) always took 2 or 3 takes to get it right, Marcello Mastroiani was amazing, he spoke his lines like he was telling a story over dinner, just flawless! Claudia Cardinale was really nice the couple times we talked. It was really an adventure doing the film, there were many hours of just sitting around waiting for something to happen. Months later when the film was released they had two showings at the NATO base. It was a sell out both times and all you could here was everyone (along with me) saying things like: "Hey there I am, That was me, Look look, there I am again"! Someday I would like to see it again so I could hear what it was about. One last thing, the most memorable part of the film for me was when the American tanks (Korean war vintage) went through the town and the Italians all came out and cheered. That scene had to be done twice and then spliced together. Once the director yelled (in Italian) "cut", Bert stood up in his jeep, with his hands on his hips, looked at a now silent cast and proclaimed in his strong voice "In my 35 years of movie making, this is the most f***ed up fiasco I have ever been involved in"! Maybe that made it in the directors cut!

We're still stunned. Such actors, Marcello Mastroianni, Burt Lancaster, Claudia Cardinale. And then such a bad, bad movie, unbelievable but true. There's no story line at all. We're jumping from one non plot into another very unclear little not important plot. What a mess it is. Very strange thing happen, for example an American tank is torn apart by about 10 boys in 5 minutes. When the soldiers come back there's nothing left. Offcause: it's very logical and believable. Mastroianni explains to another American officer that this is the way it goes in Naples, Italy. And then there's discrimination. What?! Yes, discrimination. Of black American soldiers, called different, searching for blond... Of soldiers from Morocco, who always have one thing on their mind and only want one thing, the French officer explains to the American general (Burt Lancaster). I'm sorry to write this, it's so stupid: but that's what this movie is! Please don't watch it!

I'd like to say that all these comments against this movie are inaccurate. La Pelle is a great movie. Hollywood would never make a movie like this. This movie has nothing to do with `Pearl Harbor'. La Pelle is a work of art, this is not another US war propaganda designed for a public brain wash. This movie is realistic, funny and sad at the same time. The story is very cleaver, intelligent. Perhaps, Americans don't like it because this movie depicts the US army involved in prostitution and in a certain disregard for the Italian people. Anyway, it's the best war movie I've ever watched in my life. There is no lies like in `Rambo', there is no hate like in `Platoon' (in which is good movie too). I recommend , I would say that it's excellent.

This movie, which is situated in Italy in 1944, when the Nazis were being driven out by the American army, drew a lot of attention in Italy when it came out in 1980. I watched it in an Italian cinema the year after its release and did not like it.In my opinion, the director tried to draw a large audience by producing a movie wíth a maximum of shocking scenes, hoping that it would be discussed a lot (which was the case). The movie perspires, however, such a negative atmosphere, that even the presence of such famous actors like Marcello Mastroiani and Claudia Cardinale could not save it.That a war movie presents some shocking scenes is quite natural. But in « La Pelle » they are not balanced by any scenes transpiring humanity and positive sentiments.That a movie about the same period can be an enjoyment to watch, is shown, for example, by « La Notte di San Lorenzo » by the brothers Taviani, a film I can warmly recommend. I would not recommend « La Pelle » to anyone.