Review of Canone Inverso

Life, music, love, and tragedy: four elements beautifully linked together in this Tognazzi's great Italian cinema jewel. Two musicians; a superb romance destroyed by the Nazis in its culminating happiness; a vague memory sprung by the notes of a violin's music piece; an astounding film, and a delightful score by Ennio Morricone which illustrates a love story between a violinist (Jeno) and a pianist (Sophie), both stigmatized by their Jewish origins.The first time I saw this film at Rome I was broken to tears... and every time I see it I can't fight with all the deep emotions and feelings this visual jewel provokes on me. I always finish crying, despite the hundred times I've seen it. The original story by Paolo Maurensig set in Italy here is placed during the nazi regime and the '68 Praga Spring, and I think that Tognazzi's choice is just accurate: it gives a historical, hence global, dimension to a tragedy based in endless love. How superb characterizations those of Thierry and Matheson, according to me superior to those of Winslet and DiCaprio in "Titanic"...!!! "Canone Inverso" demonstrates that you don't need to sink billionaire ships nor use info graphic (and expensive) effects to make a great, unforgettable film: only good actors, good story, good direction and good music are needed. If you're gonna do something, do it with all the passion of your soul, because life goes, and suddenly you could see all things gone away... life itself. Enjoy every second, love as if you would never do it again, live with intensity... I mean, make love to life at every moment. These are the inner messages of the film, treated in an elegant (European) way, without any Hollywoodean artificial taste. This is "ars gratia artis" cinema, and you will never forget it!!!!! When showing this movie to my university students at film clubs or school movies festivals, I've always made an "experiment": I ask them to close their eyes and listen the "Concerto Interrotto" end title music after seeing the entire movie. No one can stop the tears!!!!! That's the power of this Morricone's soundtrack: this is not Hollywood adagio sound (thank God!!!!), but an allegro con fuoco that only talks about joy, passion and contained pleasure... Despite the "Twilight" (awful!!!!) saga that has contaminated their young, tender souls, my pupils fall in love with Sophie and Jeno; because these characters are not superstupidheroes, nor they have strange (idiot) powers: they're just two boys that want to love, to have a chance to live; they're two young talents with all against them, only with their music as a sword and their love as a guide. They're so fragile, so passionate, so defenseless... so human. This is my film number one, and its soundtrack my favorite one. If I had to go to the moon in order to scape the crazy 2012 "world's end" circus, I would take with me this movie. Give yourselves the pleasure to admire it, and you'll know why. After seeing it, and when you'll make something with passion, 'cause you like to do it, you will say like me: "stiamo faccendo l'amore"!!!!!!!!