Film Forum

(1984, Paolo & Vittorio Taviani) A raven with a bell on its neck weaves through four Sicilian stories by Pirandello: a mother favors missing sons over the one present; three weeks after the honeymoon, is the husband a werewolf?; a jar-fixer forgetfully does it from the inside; with the legendary comedy team Franco and Ciccio; and graveyard placement is a rural issue – with an epilogue featuring Omero Antonutti as the author himself. From the directors of Padre Padrone and Night of the Shooting Stars. DCP.

Reviews

“A GORGEOUS FILM, with the episodes connected by magical shots of a raven flying over the sun-drenched vistas of Sicily over Nicola Piovani’s soaring music. The directors have a very elemental, naturalistic understanding of human behavior: A character’s transformation by the full moon into a howling madman is suggested by a shot of a tree shaking, as he beats himself against it. But the moment feels earthy and experiential — never symbolic or distant. For all the clarity of the Tavianis’ direction, however, the tales deny us comforting resolutions — they tend toward messiness, raising more questions than they answer.”
– Bilge Ebiri, The Village Voice 

“LUMINOUS. The Tavianis fuse many strands of Pirandello’s experience and interests: myth and anthropology, unredressed economic inequality and feudal authority, unresolved historical conflicts and exquisite psychological intimacies, and, above all, the brazenly asserted power of men and its devastating effect on the island’s women... Filming on location in the region’s still-wild landscapes, savoring the bird’s-eye views of the raw and rocky terrain, returning to the world of childhood and listening closely to women’s words, the Tavianis evoke the mighty sources of Pirandello’s inspiration with a unique tone of secular holiness.”
– Richard Brody, The New Yorker

“DELIGHTFUL!”
– New York Magazine

“UNFORGETTABLE.”
– Time Out 

“Unfolds with the rapturous simplicity that was most apparent in Padre Padrone and that is even more mesmerizing this time. The Pirandello influence makes itself felt in the twists of fate that turn each tale’s principals against prevailing values, and in the bittersweet note on which the stories conclude; as for the Tavianis, their contribution is an earthy, knowing storytelling style that finds a folk wisdom in the characters’ humanity. The task of adapting Pirandello proves particularly felicitous for these screenwriter-directors.”
– Janet Maslin, The New York Times

“The Tavianis are like magicians who expose their tricks as they go along but still manage to astound--somehow, seeing how it’s done increases our pleasure. Unlike a Spielberg, who tries to overwhelm us with his heavy rhetoric, the Tavianis treat us as equals, giving us the occasional glimpse behind the scenes that lets us share the secrets and satisfactions of creation. They appeal to the child in us, but they also appeal to the adult. Childlike marvel coexists with a mature appreciation for the texture of the work, its elegant mechanics and deftly deployed details.”
– Dave Kehr

 “A film of fierce sunlight, bleached rocks, dark interiors, silent stares, and dialogue as rough and sparse as the land. In the years since the Tavianis’ Padre Padrone, naturalism has given ground to a more grotesque vision of the past, allowing black comedy to creep into the always subtle socio-historical subject matter.”
– Martyn Auty, Time Out (London)