Did you happen to record Monty Python’s Flying Circus when it was shown on PBS back in the 1970s? Do you still have the tapes? Is there a TIME LIFE logo at the end? If so, please write to me. Thank you!

THE WORKS OF TINTO BRASS

Erotic and Commercial Experiments—Continued

Capriccio

(a.k.a. Love and Passion, 1987)

REVISED NOTES, POSTED ON MONDAY, 11 NOVEMBER 2002: On my first viewing, nearly a year ago, I thought the first 15 minutes enchanting, but the rest of the movie didn’t do much for me. Well, that’s putting it mildly. Actually it horrified me. But a second viewing changed my mind, and Capriccio is now one of my favorites. Brass had wanted to make this film, from Mario Soldati’s novel, immediately after The Key, but had to wait a few years to convince a producer. The story, which I at first thought overly simplistic, is of Jennifer and Fred, a couple whose marriage is beginning to fail. A business trip to Capri after the war reunites them with their previous lovers, the scary pimp Ciro and the hot-tempered hooker Rosa. The disillusionment that both Jennifer and Fred suffer has the unexpected consequence of renewing their marriage. On my first viewing, my basic problem was Jennifer’s crush on the scary Ciro, which I found disturbingly unrealistic. More specifically, the one scene that turned my stomach and turned me off to the entire movie was when Jennifer lured Ciro into attacking her. But when I watched the film again (Why, you ask? Because I wanted to write about it), I realized how dumb I was. All my life I’ve been witnessing otherwise-intelligent women swooning over dangerously scary guys—and seeming to enjoy being victims of violence. For the life of me I’ll never understand why that is. So okay, the movie is perfectly realistic. How could I have thought otherwise? Still, though, I wish that scene had been written differently, without the sexual violence. Anyway, that aside, Capriccio beautifully explores the minds of people who are a short step away from self-understanding. The acting by the four leads is completely convincing, and Nicola Warren in particular is superb. (She is obviously a professional actress, but she has made no other movies, and Google searches turn up absolutely nothing. Strano!) The more I think about it, the more beautiful I think this movie is. (And no, in case you’re wondering, the sex scene at the end is faked. And if you’re wondering why Mario Soldati is not credited, well, that’s simply because he didn’t want to be. I don’t know why.)

Interesting to see Brass’s daughter Beatrice as Alice the babysitter. (Is she the one who’s credited simply as “Bea”? Is the baby she’s babysitting her real-life son? Is his name Matteo? Is the girl watching the parade Brass’s niece Lulù?)

NOTE: Ciro, in addition to being a personal name, is also the name of the film splicer invented by famous editor Dott. Leo Catozzo. The expensive models are the best splicers in the world, and the inexpensive models are the worst splicers in the world. I don’t know if that bears any significance on this film, but just in case it does, now you know.

TECHNICAL NOTES: Capriccio was made in English, but every English copy we have found looks just terrible. The only copy we know of that looks nice, bright, clear, sharp, colorful, and widescreen (1.66:1) is the Italian dub. Oy.

ANOTHER NOTE: This is the first of Brass’s films in stereo.

YET ANOTHER NOTE: Brass’s next script was L’uomo che guarda, from the Alberto Moravia novel, which was scheduled to go before cameras in late 1986 or early 1987, but was delayed by seven years. (See Variety, 2 April 1986, p. 42.)

The out-of-print Region-2 PAL DVD from somewhere in Scandinavia, which is full-screen (cropped) but at least in the original English. This will not play on most US equipment.	The widescreen Italian Region-2 PAL DVD, which seems to contain only the Italian-dubbed soundtrack. This will not play on most US equipment.

ANICA — Associazione Nazionale Industrie Cinematografiche Audiovisive e Multimediali

Luigi e Aurelio De Laurentiis presentano
un film di Tinto Brass

Capriccio

Copyright © 1987 Famous Films Productions n.v.

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