The beautiful concept, cast, and scenery in the 2015 Italian drama "Wondrous Boccaccio" make it the perfect choice for a summertime release in the uber-fantabulous foreign Film of the Month Club that Film Movement operates. The only criticism of this release is that Movement does not do it complete justice by releasing it in Blu-ray.
Movement perfectly describes the spell of "Wondrous" by writing in the DVD liner notes that "we (Movement) found ourselves mesmerized by the beauty this great mind (Boccaccio) conjured up so long ago, and that the (directors) the Tavianis so eloquently brought to life today."
The following YouTube clip of the NON-SUBTITLED Italian trailer for "Wondrous" awesomely conveys the aforementioned beauty of the film and the operatic style of the production.
Although this tale of seven attractive young women and three dreamy young men fleeing plague-ridden 1348 Florence for the peace and safety of a country villa is based on the collection of novellas titled "The Decameron" by "wondrous" Italian author Giovanni Boccaccio, the film will evoke thoughts of the similar "The Canterbury Tales" by Geoffrey Chaucer.
The opening scenes of piles of dead bodies, callous indifference, emotional turmoil, and paranoia in Florence set the stage for our band of free spirits to gather there before departing for their personal Utopia. On arriving, the group agrees to share stories of love to entertain their peers. However, they frolic and otherwise settle in before telling the tales of the Italian city,
One of the aforementioned dreamy lads kicks off the story series with the tale of an equally appealing guy who falls in love with the abandoned wife of a not-so-noble wealthy man with a not-so-nice mother. The themes of partially requited love, rights of a husband, and overall being a man make for an intriguing entertainment.
A much lighter story revolves around the alpha males in an artist's studio playing a hilariously cruel trick on an adorkable (but not-so-bright) peer. The hilarity (with a touch of tragedy) ensues when the bullies convince their dupe that a stone grants the power of invisibility.
The story that edges the tale of the enchanted rock out as the most fablelike of the tales deals with a man initially making a huge sacrifice for the woman he loves only to have a follow-up equally grand gesture jeopardize any hope of winning the heart of his true love.
All of this makes "Wondrous" a wonderful addition to a modern genre of films that involve urbanites fleeing a dystopian city for a country life with potential for a Utopian existence. The not-so-long-ago (Unreal TV reviewed) Movement film "Amorous," which has four Londoners moving to the country to practice free love and other ideals, is a prime example of such movies.
Movement further continues its track record of choosing wisely in selecting the stylishly drawn animated three-minute Israeli film "Ground Floor" to accompany "Wondrous." Movement nicely sums up this companion piece by describing in the following manner. "An urban environment reflects the inner feelings of a city walker."
Anyone with questions or comments regarding "Wondrous" or "Floor" is strongly encouraged to email me; you can also connect on Twitter via @tvdvdguy,
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