The story starts from one of the
most typical situations of melodrama, but also in the cinema: the love
triangle and betrayal; the difference is that the protagonist are an
American blue collar, his housewife, of course both Italian American, and
the other she is a clerk, but in a porn-shop. Moreover, the daughters of the
couple have put together a punk-rock band like the Sletaer-Kinney, the
boyfriend of the favorite daughter is an aspiring revival, between Travolta
and Elvis, his cousin is an original character who lives in the memory of
the faithless wife, and so on. The film proceeds with a intriguing
realization, with the support of a first-rate cast out with an excellent
Susan Sarandon, with situations that alternate between the comic and the
thoughtful and dazzling musical numbers organized as a "scene" or maybe as
video clips, including the and compelling interpretation of Delilah and of
Pieces Of My Heart in the church.
Very pronounced and almost caricature the interpretation of Kate Winslet, very overweight, difficult to assess, and large space to the Italian-American actor James Gandolfini (from the famous U.S. TV series The Sopranos) definitely in party (the" physique du rol" is unquestionable) that has the opportunity to express all the colors of melodrama, from farce to tragedy. The rising young star Mandy Moore has a role a little bit one-dimensional, a daughter who has few other distinguishing features in addition to being actually a daughter. A really interesting film (but not
recommended for smokers) often surprising, a little bit uneven, full of
surprises for spectators that are also ready to new discoveries, and above
all that are music lovers. A rich casting for the first film
of John Turturro. |
Interpreter |
Character |
Notes |
James Gandolfini |
Nick Murder |
He, the Italian-American carpenter Nick |
Susan Sarandon |
Kitty Kane Murder |
She, housewife and mother |
Kate Winslet |
Tula |
The other one, clerk in a successful porn-shop |
Steve Buscemi |
Angelo |
Friend of Nick |
Mandy Moore |
Baby Murder |
The beloved daughetr. Bass player in the punk rock band |
Mary-Louise Parker |
Constance Murder |
The other daughter, the rocker, first guitar |
Aida Turturro |
Rosebud "Rara" Murder |
The third daughter, the flat one. She's the drummer |
Bobby Cannavale |
Fryburg |
Baby's boyfriend |
Amy Sedaris |
Frances |
A friend of the daughters |
Christopher Walken |
Bo |
Kitty's cousin |
Eddie Izzard |
Gene Vincent |
Organ player in the church |
Barbara Sukowa |
Gracie |
Rainer Werner Fassbinder' actress as a friend of Kitty |
Elaine Stritch |
Nick's mother |
|
P.J. Brown |
Police officer |
|
A soundtrack in which the songs are chosen mostly because they are consistent with the particular moment of the movie or the character who sings them; as Delilah used as a comment for the betrayal of teh wife of Bo, or Red Headed Woman by Bruce Springsteen dedicated to Tula. Specific of the film they are a romantic Italian song by Anna Identici (Quando m'innamoro performed both in Italian and in English) and the apotheosis during the soul classic Piece Of My Heart. |
|
Piece |
Performer |
Author |
Editor |
Notes |
A Man without Love |
Engelbert Humperdinck |
Barry Mason (as John Barry Mason), Daniele Pace, Mario Panzeri & Roberto Livraghi |
Decca Music Group Limited |
|
Answer Me, My Love |
Gene Ammons |
Fred Rauch, Carl Sigman and Gerhard Winkler |
Prestige Records/Fantasy, Inc. |
|
Samson & Delilah Theme |
Soundtrack |
Victor Young |
Paramount Pictures Corporation |
|
El cuarto de Tula |
Buena Vista Social Club |
Sergio Gonzales Siaba |
Nonesuch Records/World Circuit |
A piece taken from teh famous album Buena Vista Social Club and the succesfull eponymous film by Wim Wenders. |
Piece of My Heart |
Dusty Springfield |
Bert Berns and Jerry Ragovoy |
Mercury Records Limited |
The soul classic song was firstly a success by the british soul singer Dusty Spriengfield. Even most famous after the passional interpretations by Janis Joplin in the late sixties. Often cited as "Take Another Little Piece Of My Heart". |
Piece of My Heart |
Janis Joplin |
Bert Berns and Jerry Ragovoy |
Columbia Records |
|
Piece of My Heart |
Erma Franklin |
Bert Bern and Jerry Ragovoy |
Epic Records |
The first interpretation (1967, top-10 U.S.) of the famous song was, however, by Erma Franklin, sister of the "Queen of Soul" Aretha Franklin, also a good singer, though less well known. And this is, if we are not mistaken, the version sung (in playback) by Susan Sarandon in the climax scene of the film. |
Trouble |
Elvis Presley |
Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller |
BMG Strategic Marketing Group |
|
Hot Pants |
Bobby Cannavale (James Brown) |
James Brown and Fred Wesley |
|
A success of the 1971 by James Brown commenting the worldwide success of the "hot pants", the very brief skin-tight shorts to be worn with the tights even at office, which supplanted the miniskirts in the first seventies. |
Prisoner of Love |
Cindy Lauper |
Russ Columbo, Clarence Gaskill and Leo Robin |
GaRelila, Inc. |
An explicit citation of the classic musical Les parapluies di Cherbourg. |
Tom Jones |
Les Reed and Barry Mason |
Chrysalis Copyrights Limited |
During the ballet commenting the betrayal of the wife of Bo, the cousin of kitty. |
|
I Want Candy |
Mandy Moore, Aida Turturro and Mary-Louise Parker |
Bert Berns, Robert Feldman, Gerald Goldstein and Richard Gottehrer |
|
The punk band of the three daughters perform a song of Bow Wow Wow, a british group of the 80s. |
Scapricciatiello (Do You Love Me Like You Kiss Me) |
Connie Francis |
Vento, Albano, Manning, Hoffman. |
Universal Records |
During the meeting in hotel between Nick and Tula. An almost Italian song. |
Red Headed Woman |
Bruce Springsteen |
Bruce Springsteen |
Columbia Records |
For the red heade Kate Winslet - Tula. |
Little Water Song |
Ute Lemper |
Nick Cave and Bruno Pisek |
Decca Music Group Limited |
|
It's a Man's Man's Man's World |
James Brown |
James Brown and Betty Newsome |
Universal Records |
A new consciousness for Nick, he's discovering the importance of the family. |
It Must Be Him |
Vikki Carr |
Maurice Vidalin, Gilbert Bécaud and Mack David |
EMI Records |
|
The Girl That I Marry |
James Gandolfini and Susan Sarandon |
Irving Berlin |
|
|
Quando m'innamoro |
Anna Identici |
Daniele Pace, Mario Panzeri and Roberto Livraghi |
BMG Italy |
|
Ten Commandments of Love |
Harvey & The Moonglows |
Marshall Paul |
MCA Records |
|
I Wonder Who's Kissing Her Now |
Ray Charles (Aida Turturro) |
Music Joseph E. Howard and Harold Orlob / William M. Hough (as Will M. Hough) and Frank R. Adams |
|
|
Banks of the Ohio |
David Patrick Kelly and Katherine Borowitz |
Traditional |
|
|
When the Saviour Reached Down for Me |
The R&C Choir |
Traditional / Arrangement by Paul Chihara |
|
|
© Alberto Truffi 2007-2011 / Music-Graffiti |