I heard great things about this movie/miniseries and so picked it up. Unfortunately, I can't get past the first hour because I think it is so wretchedly boring that I can't bring myself to even imagine watching another five hours of it. Tell me please: what am I missing and why should I watch the rest of it?!!
Seriously, I'd like to know because I'm intrigued as to why so many people recommend I see this film!
Just try watching through the first two discs, at least. The first hour in a six-hour film is like the first twenty minutes in a two-hour film. It's barely set up the platform by that point.
shareWell, I often hear (read) from people who think the first part is most interesting, but I simply love the second part (the 80's until the end). I actually (accidently) watched the second part first, so that might be the reason for me to like that part of the movie more, but watching the first part afterwards made me understand the second part a bit more, so I'd say 'watch everything in chronological order...'
~~~And then I went totally mweeeeeeeeeeeeep!~~~
How can you say this movie is crap having only watched the first hour?
As much as I want everyone in the world to see this amazing movie, I am tempted to say that viewers like you should just avoid movies such as these, as it appears as though you have no "ability" to watch anything but cheap fluff that, while enjoyable, has none of the substance a film such as this one has. I don't mean to sound pretentious, but it really shows an incredible disrespect to filmmakers when such things are said without proper evaluation.
Please, I urge you to prove me wrong and watch the rest of this film. Although I personally think it is one of the finest films of the last ten years or so, I would love to hear your honest comments as to why you think that it is "crap" (that is, after all, why I chose to look at your thread in the first place. I admire the film so much that I almost want someone to make a valuable critique of it so that I can put it in context with the rest of the world of film.).
As for what you are missing (besides 5/6 of the film) is the incredible emotional capability of good storytelling. Nothing in this film is very complex, no fantastical storylines (except perhaps one...), nothing but the pulse of humanity and the emotion of life in a changing society--and yet it has such a grand epic scale that by the closing scenes you will feel as though you have shared a lifetime with these characters and hopefully grown in your understanding of the basic human desires and, quite simply, gained knowledge as to why we do what we do.
As someone who is still very young, I do not think that I in any way possess the knowledge to say that this film contains "the essence of life" or anything of that sort, but I feel I can say that in watching it (twice), I have learned a great deal more about what it means to be alive and relate to others, what it means to deal with change, and how to cope with the obstacles I am faced with in my lifetime.
And if all of that abstract stuff bores you, watch it for Italy. It's truly some of the most beautiful cinematography you're likely to ever see.
If you watched the movie for one hour then I can understand why you feel it is "crap". I am a fan of the movie and in reccomending it to others, I have noticed that when someone watches it for one hour they usually don't like it. However when I get these same people to take the time to watch even half of it, they love it. The value of the movie is the mood it builds over time, so it takes time. We are all busy people today, even people who have nothing to do really, are very busy. So planning and taking the time to watch a movie of this length can be a problem. And if it doesn't "perform" in the first few minutes, we get impatient and wonder about the other things we "have" to do.
So I reccomend you set aside the time, get in a relaxed frame of mind and watch the movie, knoing it is not going to "deliver" like an action film, but has its own rewards if you give it a chance to show them. Even if you still don't like it, taking a break from your busy life would probably do anyone some good.
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A friend of mine had a bunch of people over to watch this film. During the first hour I noticed I was looking at the clock and was wondering how I could leave without being rude. But after the first hour I was transfixed. I saw it in two seatings. 3 hours the first night and 3 the second. After the first night I went out with friends to a party but all I could think about was what was going to happen. I felt to attached to all the characters. They are real people with real emotions living a life going through some tumultuous times and some beautiful times.
It was like watching my life or your life. In it, there's a life for most people. The character development (granted they had 6 hours) is the best I've ever seen. The scenery is beautiful, I felt like I went all over Italy and to parts of Norway in this scenic adventure. But mostly it gave me perspective on lifes trials and tribulations (as cliche as that may sound). I saw what my life could become if I let it happen vs. what I could make of it. I saw my options laid out in front of me; when the brothers have choices to make they were choices we all can make for ourselves. We can realize our anger instead of hide from it ( a major plot point). It's like what people say about Hamlet, every human emotion is expressed in it, and you need more than an hour to experience that.
Also, if you're young and you see this it might make you appreciate what you have a little more: youth.
In the end, I felt bonded to every character in the movie as well as every character in the room watching it with me.
Wow, five responses and nobody's been extremely rude to the guy. This is some kind of a miracle on the IMDb forums.
I guess this may not be your kind of movie. That's okay; there really isn't much wrong with liking your films fast-paced.
But I'd think that by giving up on this film, you'd be missing out. If you're willing to watch the film, and think about the characters, and just let yourself be absorbed, it's immensely rewarding and beautiful. But if you don't have the patience for that, that's okay; this probably isn't a film for everybody.
(Personally, I didn't think the movie's first hour was slow or boring, but that's me.)
Well, wouldn't say that in these exact words. The movie is unduly long, yes, the big mistake was made with the script itself which makes the movie looks an odd mix between art cinema and soap opera.
Other than that is a beautifully crafted story subject which also contains good actings, direction and scenery.
I'm sorry, but I disagree with you. This movie is excellent and very touching. A 'relief' among the Hollywood 'movies', that is the real crap. I would recommend you to watch it in parts, relaxed and confortable. If you want another similar, I would recommend 1900, from the great director Bernardo Bertolucci.
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Fair enough that you call Novecento (1900) similar, in that both films are linear epic tales with historical backdrop, but your post does not adress the huge difference between the elevated but shallow soap that "Il meglio gioventù" (IMG) is and the deep but flawed film art that Novecento is.
IMG is easily forgotten. You'll never forget Novecento (flawed and all).
When people disagree with the notion that IMG is excellent, most oftenly it is not because they do not understand that it is better than crap and need insight from other viewers, but because they understand very well how it lacks in important areas.
Off the top of my head, and I'll certainly forget a lot, my take is that the relationship between the historical backdrop and the characters is shallow and cramped. The constant moving to areas of interest is artificial at best. The general tone is uniform, distant and event oriented while it uses (or rather tries to use) tools that are suitable for more emotional approaches. It's like looking at an indifferent German soap. Too much of the plot is left unexplained. The rhythm is sometimes ghastly (with an absolute low for the extremely long New Year's Eve scenes). Only a few characters are made interesting and only a few plot elements are made interesting - who and what will you remember 10 years from now? And so on and so forth.
Thus, it is not an intelligent set of observations for intelligent viewers to make their own mind up about, nor a manipulative but enriching and mindset changing view at the human condition, but a simple and beautiful looking TV drama that may try to be something it isn't.
No lover of Italian cinema who loves classical directors like Rossellini, Visconti, Antonioni, De Sica, Fellini, Pasolini, Bertolucci or Scola should think one minute that this film comes even close to film art.
They should rather look for Olmi, Tornatore, Moretti, Faenza, Salvatores or even other Giordana work.
Still, I do hope IMG brings TV drama lovers to the cinema.