THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, June 6, 1996 TAG: 9606060088
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E5 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Movie Review
SOURCE: BY MAL VINCENT, MOVIE CRITIC
LENGTH: 57 lines
DREAMS FOR sale!
That's what Dr. Signore Morelli offers as he motors his battered old truck through the tiny villages and back roads of Sicily in 1953 - a year when much of the world's dreams were still centered on the movies. Displaying a poster of Rita Hayworth in ``Gilda,'' he offers ``screen tests'' to the hope-starved country folk, promising them a chance at fame and wealth in return for a fee.
Of course, he has no film in his camera.
Cruelty or kindness? ``The Star Maker'' presents the intriguing premise that phony dreams are better than no dreams at all.
People who love movies will love ``The Star Maker,'' just as they loved the unforgettable ``Cinema Paradiso'' from this same director (Giuseppe Tonatore). This bittersweet, and often hilarious, tale of illusion vs. fantasy hasn't a wasted scene or gesture. In the grand tradition of the Italian films it worships, it goes for big emotions in a disarming mixture of tragedy and comedy.
To hear lines from ``Gone With the Wind'' performed in Italian is among the more side-splitting joys of this immensely entertaining film. And, indeed, the people the shyster ``photographs'' are supreme ``faces.'' People confess to his camera - telling their most intimate secrets as they steadfastly attempt to play Scarlett or Rhett.
It is primarily through a beautiful peasant girl, played by the striking Tiziana Lodato, that Morelli, played by Sergio Castellitto, begins to question his own schemes. He is played with a threadbare elegance that suggests the wry style of Fellini himself. (And the rundown truck does resemble the vehicle in ``La Strada,'' a frayed chariot to be carrying dreams.)
The film, which was nominated for an Oscar as Italy's official entry this year, is bolstered by its simplicity and open-hearted approach to its subject.
In one sad, prophetic scene, the country folk are seen gathered around a new invention, a flickering TV screen. It's a suggestion that the magic world of cinema dreams would never again be the same and neither would the people who harbored them. No one who loves the mystery and bigger-than-life fantasy that once was movie magic should miss ``The Star Maker.'' ILLUSTRATION: Photo by MIRAMAX
Sergio Castellitto plays a scam artist giving ``screen tests'' to
Sicilian country folk in ``The Star Maker.''
Graphic
MOVIE REVIEW
``The Star Maker''
Cast: Sergio Castellito, Tiziana Lodato
Director: Giuseppe Tonatore
Music: Ennio Morricone
MPAA rating: R (nudity, language, violence)
Mal's rating: four stars
Location: Naro in Norfolk, through Sunday. by CNB