As dysfunctional families go the Maglias should but of course if they did there would be no story. Jacques Prevert hit another one out of the park with this right-on-the-money take of Shakespeare's star-crossed lovers but it wouldn't be Prevert if there was no spin on it and here he has two non-actors assigned to stand in for the leads in a film version of Romeo and Juliet. He, Serge Reggiani, is a glass-blower by trade - the movie is being shot in Venice where the adjacent islands of Murano and Burano feature glass-blowing and lace-making as sole industries - and she, Anouk Aimee, is about the only thing resembling an ordinary human being in the Maglia clan. The evil content takes the shape of Pierre Brasseur, working for the fourth time with Prevert (Quai des Brumes, Les Enfants du Paradis, Adieu, Leonard) who is the architect of the ultimate tragedy. This is the work of a lyrical Andre Cayette, before he succumbed to an overwhelming urge to right social wrongs but on the other hand it's tough not to be lyrical/poetic when you're shooting a script that is written by Prevert. This is a wonderful movie and the sooner it is made widely available (it goes without saying that without our Norwegian friend I'd still be searching for this gem) the better.
Review of The Lovers of Verona
