User Reviews

In short there is no other move quite like it. One of those that you might not think to rent, but if you find yourself at the beginning of it, you'll not leave until you see the ending. Quinn is excellent.

The nutshell is that The Germans are coming, and the town has lost all of its older boys and men to the Italian army. They're a wine-producing town, and elect the town-fool to be the "mock mayor". The problem is that they need to hide the wine from the Germans, being their only real treasure. From that premise forward, the movie becomes dark and deeply compelling. I believe that these are some of the best performances of the star-studded actors...

I recommend it, as one of life's "must see's".

(PS: I'm a tough critic, so an "8" for me is just about tops)

Think you just turned 10 in a very small and provincial little village in the outskirts of Rome when one day of June 1968 the "AMERICANI" litterally take possession of the place. The only thing you know is they have chosen the place, ANTICOLI CORRADO, as a set for the latest Stanley Kramer's movie. Most of the peasants will work in it (average pay 5,000 Lira of those day, about 25 Euros nowdays), some of them will get big money for big troubles: the innocent place will never be the same eversince. Yet, even 35 years later, we Anticolani of those days still watch the movie with unlimited joy and endless nostalgia!!!

When casting this film there was only one actor possible for the lead. It could only have been Anthony Quinn playing lead character and town drunk of Santa Vittorio, Bombolini. The way Quinn plays him so broadly it could only have been the guy who brought Zorba The Greek to the big screen.

When new of the fall of Mussolini's government the town celebrates as most of the town's did until Kesselring's troops occupied them. Because Quinn got himself totally plastered and stuck on a 100 foot water tower taking down pro-Mussolini signs the Fascist council thinks he's the popular leader and they make the town drunk mayor.

All a big joke to the one who knows him best wife Anna Magnani. They have what could be considered a tempestuous relationship. The only kind Magnani ever had on the screen. These scenes have some real bite to them because Quinn and Magnani did not get along at all during the making of The Secret Of Santa Vittoria.

What is that secret you ask? It is the fact that the town which is in the grape growing wine pressing part of Italy has squirreled away much of its wine from the Fascist government. Now however the Nazis threaten to occupy the town and Quinn and the rest of the town have to get real creative in their hiding.

They do and Quinn and Wehrmacht commander Hardy Kruger have quite a battle of wits. The German officer and the town drunk. Who do you think comes out on top?

The Secret Of Santa Vittoria is mostly a comedy, but it gets close to serious once the Germans arrive. Kruger has one of his most interesting parts in his career. He's a lot like Hannes Messemer who was the German Wehrmacht commander in The Great Escape. Kruger too has the S.S. looking over his shoulder.

Watch the film as you see this battle of wits between Quinn and Kruger. Lots of laughs along the way as you see whether Santa Vittoria keeps its wine.

I missed the first half hour on Turner last night, but tuned in and was thoroughly entertained. This is top notch Anthony Quinn- he is terrific, and the entire cast is excellent. Looking forward to seeing the entire film now. Unlike another reviewer, I loved his over-the-top reaction to the German Captain's telling him he wanted the village's wine. Hardy Kruger, as the captain, gives a nuanced performance that adds a great deal to the film.

One of the great joys of this movie is the Italian location and extras. The economics of contemporary movie making rarely allow for true location shooting anymore, and its too bad. As these films from the 60s and 70s age, they become increasingly valuable as an historical record.

This movie also has a wonderful heart- it's a celebration of what makes life worth living. Highly recommended.

The film is set in Italy and begins just after the Italians surrender to the Allies during WWII. At first, the town is ecstatic--they are free and the fascists leaders quickly surrender the town to a man they designate the new mayor, Bombolini (Anthony Quinn). Bombolini seems ill-prepared, however, when the town learns that the Germans are coming--and will be occupying the town. However, a bright young man (Giancarlo Giannini) comes up with a great idea--to put all the town's wine in the Roman tunnels and then collapse the tunnels. That way, the Germans won't be able to steal the town's best resource. First, they need to move 1,000,000 bottles very quickly. Second, Bombolini needs to play nice to the German commander (Hardy Kruger) while also keeping the secret. Third, Bombolini needs to keep his nasty harpy of a wife (Anna Magnani) in line--and that might just be the most difficult task of all!

So is the film any good? Of course. With Anthony Quinn in the lead, the film is naturally quite good--as he seems a natural. He is also ably assisted by a nice supporting cast and nice location shooting. However, the film is a bit odd. The first half was rather comical and light in mood. The final portion, with the Nazis, was very dark--and it drug a bit in tempo compared to the first part. Not a perfect film but a very good one.

The book that this movie is based was one of the biggest best-sellers of the 1960's by the author of "The Great Imposter" (also adapted into a movie starring Tony Curtis). The book was hailed by one critic as giving a sense hope in a crazy world. And that's what this story is about, a kind of modern David and Golliath. Or maybe the town-drunkard-turned-mayor versus Nazi Germany.

The village of Santa Vittoria is no Rome. It's just a small town in Italy where the townspeople live very simple lives. They would be almost destitute except for one small commodity they all share: the town makes and exports wonderful wine to all parts of the world. They may not make as much as Mondavi, but it's a good living. Now, it's War World II, and the Germans have infiltrated the town. Not because they love the small-town folk of Santa Vittoria and want to protect them. They want their world-famous wine to help finance the war. But of course, the townspeople are dependent upon the wine for their livelihoods. So Anthony Quinn, perfectly cast as the town drunkard who ends up mayor, comes up with a plan. They give the Germans some of the wine and insist that they have given all the town possesses.

Hardy Kruger as the German officer in charge of the operation is unconvinced. They seemed too happy and too willing to give up their wine. He knows the townspeople are hiding more wine, and he will use all means at his disposal to retrieve every last bottle. The cat and mouse game is on! Can a bunch of simple-folk led by their clownish mayor in rural Italy outwit the likes of the German army? I vastly underrated movie that is mostly hilarious from beginning until end. There are a couple of references to torture but mostly it is quite a fun plot. Will Anthony Quinn and the town through sheer determination wear down the stubbornness of Hardy Kruger and the Germans, who seem absolutely relentless in their conviction that more wine exists? And now out on DVD!

Please vote for this movie on sites that have influence on DVD releases to get this movie available!

What a movie. The horror of the second world war was that it destroyed millions of normal people's lives throughout the world. This is just one small village in Italy that has survived Mussolini, but now must face the Germans that are coming to take the only thing they have, their wine. The only thing that stands in their way is the town drunk Bombolini (Anthony Quinn in one of his greatest performances). I don't know if this was based on a true story but I hope it was, this small, delightful movies shows why the Germans could never win the war, because no matter how brutal they were they could not take the soul of people. In one of the greatest lines in movie history, the German Captain, (Hardy Kruger in his best role ever), understands all of this when he cries in the end, "What kind of people are you?". This movie is as good as any book could be and seeing the faces of the villagers makes it all the more real.

This film is meant to be set during the second world war but the hair styles, makeup and clothes on the women especially Caterina are definately of the 1960s??

I never tire of seeing this film with its repeated line, "There is no wine" from Bombolini. Anthony Quinn shows his comedy character acting skills as he acts in scenes with wife, daughter and the town council. He acts the hero when is is "interrogated" by the tough guys. The only time I find fault is when he throws himself to the ground and acts the imbecile - not part of Bombolini as a character I think.

It must be said, however, that Hardy Kruger as the German commanding officer of the troops who come to occupy the town and steal its wine, is the perfect choice. Eventually he leaves town after the population have foiled his efforts to take the precious wine stocks. He turns to them in defeat, "What kind of people are you?" During the process of transporting the wine via a chain of citizens to the cave the camera shows many local faces that are utterly convincing. They are lived in, hard worn, determined faces of people who will not be beaten.

For anyone seeking to visit Santa Vittoria when in Italy - don't expect to see street scenes that you remember. They used another nearby town, whose name escapes me, for the location. However, I understand the extras were all local people.

Secret Of Santa Vittoria (1969) : Brief Review -

3 and a half decades before Jack Sparrow said, "Why's the Rum gone?" Italo Bombolini said, "There is no Wine!" I am almost done with all the top-rated Stanley Kramer movies, and this might be the last of them. I wasn't expecting much since Kramer was done with all his fine works before making The Secret Of Santa Vittoria. I must say, this one was a surprisingly good watch. Whatever flaws it had did not matter to me because I was expecting them to be there. But the rest of the narrative-the comedy, the storyline, the screenplay, and the humour-all kept me hooked for over two hours. That's one of the issues with the film; it's a bit too long, actually. Two hours would have been the perfect runtime for this story. The beginning was too slow and unnecessary, I feel. The introduction of Bombolini and his people took more than half an hour, when it could have been wrapped up within the first 10-15 minutes. You see, those extra 15 minutes I was talking about were these. The other major faults were all those love stories, be it Bombolini's issues with his wife, his daughter's sexual obsession with Fabio, or the Malatesta's love affair and illicit one-night stand. These things were not needed at all for this story. A war film with such fine and breezy humour can't be spoiled with outdated and monotonous affairs, man. Kramer could have made it much better just as a war comedy with moments of tension. Nevertheless, it is a good watch for the rest of the things, such as performances, the accent, some hilarious scenes, and Stanley's satirical take on war that unknowingly reflects on humanity and unity. There are a few things that don't work or look typical, but believe me, you'll enjoy this one if you watch it with less expectations, just like me. Wine lovers will relate to it, though I am not one of them. Though not as quirky as Jack Sparrow, Bombolini is too much fun for its time.

RATING - 6.5/10*

By - #samthebestest.

Watching people bicker for two hours is not comedy, it's tiresome. Anthony Quinn over-acts like he just knows his career is on a serious downslope. Anna Magnani, fated to die of cancer only a few years later, still looks pretty good for a 60-year-old. But watching her harp on Quinn is beneath her dignity. It saddens me that this was her last big-screen role, unless you count Roma. So many excellent Italian movies about WWII. No need to waste time on a tawdry English-speaking knockoff.

Recently, I have had a chance to see Stanley Kramer's film on the big screen as a part of movie theater shows commemorating Anthony Quinn's 100 birth anniversary. The versatile and extremely talented actor as he was leads the expectation to keep at the very high level. And hardly ever are you, as a viewer, disappointed with the poignant portrayal of the leading character. However, THE SECRET OF SANTA VITTORIA clearly appears to be not merely an Anthony Quinn movie.

As a matter of fact, the storyline itself does not raise much enthusiasm and does not offer so much as to make for a film that can really stand a test of time. Although it is set in the idyllic little town somewhere in the middle of the Italian peninsula and filmed primarily in such renowned surroundings as Viterbo or Tivoli, that is not where its power lies. Thoough the views are terrific. Nor does it in the direction by a renowned (at the time) but also controversial director Stanely Kramer. The movie's major strength lies in its 'characters' no matter if they are portrayed by greatest stars of the time (indeed, it is not short of them) or simple extras, the innumerable citizens of the town of Santa Vittoria, Bosley Crowther, the New York Times reviewer called a "picturesque familiar lot." The center of their town is a square (naturally) and a fountain with no saint but...a cute turtle, a silent observer of making history.

In the character of the protagonist, Vittorio Bombolini, played magnificently by ANTHONY QUINN, you can easily recognize a variety of features that make him, on the one hand, one of the most 'ridiculous' mayors of a town like this and, on the other hand, one of the most appealing and likable fellows, one from his community, who 'smells his people.' He beautifully combines humor, parody even, responsibility, sentiment, compassion. After the propaganda of "Mussolini is always right" the new times for Santa Vittoria come..."Bombolini is always right." Corso Mussolini turns into Corso Bombolini and his people, except for his closest family (above all his wife Rosa) seem to like him. He forms a government of a very unique quality, something to laugh at...perhaps, but something to take for granted. They are all far from being sort of 'bookworms' or very learned in the statutes and law. However, his diplomatic mission will face a very hard dilemma of saving their greatest treasure, the local wine from the German occupying force. Anthony Quinn's moments prove sheer brilliance of performance and are all high worth seeing.

ANNA MAGNANI as his wife Rosa delivers a tremendously emotional performance as a wife, as a mother, hardly a 'public persona.' The great amount of humanity that she puts to the role results in pure enjoyment of seeing her on the screen. Sometimes too brutal to her husband, sometimes furious, sometimes shedding a tear of two, she is never pale, a very vivid character that has not lost any of her power after the years.

Quite a contrast to her 'neurotic' character appears to be La Contessa, Caterina played by an underrated Italian actress VIRNA LISI. She is a classical woman of inner struggle tormented by the choice of love. Is there any choice when she goes with the German (Hardy Krueger)? Clearly in love with Tufa (Sergio Franchi) whom she first nurses with the wounds of the war, she represents the positive aspect of aristocracy. Particularly appealing when working with the people when one passes to another...bottles of wine.

A very interesting couple and a backdrop love story are Angela (Patrizia Valturri) and Fabio (Giancarlo Giannini). Two young people quite underrated in the town (consider Fabio bringing news to the town and the ignorance he meets). Their love affair is both serious and hilarious, something of a classical drama. Shocked parents end up taking part in the wedding of their 'beloved child' they have always aimed at protecting...

SOME MOMENTS OF EXCEPTIONAL NOTE: The scene of passing the wine is, perhaps, too long but as it constitutes the crucial aspect of the plot, it remains most memorable. The almost 'acrophobic' moment of erasing the slogan "Mussolini is always right" highlights the irony of historic changes. The finale, being simultaneously dramatic, comedic and uplifting still makes viewers absorbed in every little move and helps leave the cinema with a smile and satisfaction of having seen something valuable.

It occurs, with the passing of years, that THE SECRET OF SANTA VITTORIA is a movie like no other movie. Yes, like Cinzano wine, a wine like no other wine! This movie-wine relation is inseparable: the older, the better!

Saw this film when it was first released. Quinn does an excellent job of playing the role of the town drunk/buffoon and then masterfully transitions into the brave and clever Mayor matching wits with the local German Command. Magnani does a great job playing the role of a wife frustrated and embarrassed with being married to a drunk and failure. Movie has very good scenes and is, in my view, very funny.

I read "The Secret Of Santa Vittoria" about ten years ago and I thought it would make a good movie. It turned out that Stanley Kramer had the same idea back in 1968. The movie is a bit uneven, but I thought there were some good moments. The film did a good job of showing the people of the town hiding the wine in the old cave. Their exhaustive work indicated how important and vital the wine was to the town. Anthony Quinn may have been a bit too broad in certain scenes. Also, there's something in his screen persona that indicates a forceful personality that seems to contradict the clownishness of his character. I liked Hardy Kruger and thought there was a little more to his character than the usual one dimensional evil Nazi seen in a million other World War II films. Apparently Anna Magnani really didn't care much for Quinn. In the scene where she repeatedly kicked him she broke her foot. The real town of Santa Vittoria was not chosen as the location because it was too modern in appearance by 1968, so the the beautiful and atmospheric town of Anticoli Corrado was chosen as the location.

This one deserves more than the 2 1/2 stars given it by Maltin. A superb combination of earthy humor and wartime intrigue, it gives us the triumph of human resourcefulness and peasant wiliness in the face of overpowering might. I like Anthony Quinn as Bombolini much more so than as Zorba. Anna Magnani as the long-suffering wife of Bombolini is magnificent. It is true that the love story subplot between the Sergio Franchi and Virna Lisi characters is a tad wearying, but it is not enough to detract from the overall success of the film. The true heros of the story, of course, are the Italian peasantry, as represented by the citizens of Anticoli Corrado, the central Italian village not far from Rome where the film was shot. As Babalucci says, finally: "I've been an anarchist all my life, although I've never been sure what it means, except that nothing means anything. But if anything does mean anything, it's this stinking town."

When you start out watching The Secret of Santa Vittoria, you'll see a quaint Italian village, local residents (although not filmed in the actual city, it was filmed nearby), and a classic larger-than-life Anthony Quinn performance. He stars as the lovable moron Bombolini, the wine seller in town who's drunk more often than sober. When the film starts, he's stuck (and drunk) by the town's water tower, over a hundred feet in the air. His strong and coarse wife, Anna Magnani, doesn't care, but the villagers have gathered to see him either fall or climb down. When he finally raises a defiant fist to the air and exclaims, "I am coming down!" there's a deafening roar - and the cue to Ernest Gold's charming theme to play.

Anthony Quinn's powerful energy can carry any movie, but the story of this heartwarming comedy is fantastic enough to carry itself. I've read the original novel, and while the basic story is the same, the movie puts a much more comedic spin on it. The Secret of Santa Vittoria takes place at the close of WWII. When Mussolini reaches his downfall, there's a change of power everywhere in Italy, even in this small town. Tony is appointed to be the new mayor because they think he'll be stupid and malleable. But when they learn the Nazis are coming to occupy the village, everyone panics and worries that they've made a mistake in giving Tony all the power. The village's only income is their wine. They have a million bottles of wine, and if the Nazis confiscate them, the entire town will be ruined. What will the peasants do?

You might think it's a silly movie when you first start watching it, but it's actually quite moving. Just like a family, the different residents who clash and fight with each other under normal circumstances all pull together during tough times. The aloof Contessa Virna Lisi and the renegade soldier Sergio Franchi (who would have thought he could act?) fall in love, and Anna and Tony scream and fight like any normal Italian couple.

Obviously, I recommend this movie. I've seen it four times so far, and I already can't wait to watch it again. It's an emotional experience from start to finish, aided by the acting and director Stanley Kramer. The wine sequence gave me goosebumps the first time I watched it, and it stayed with me for a very long time. Anthony Quinn is fantastic, and Anna Magnani, whom I normally don't like, is believable and very funny. Hardy Kruger adds so many subtleties to his performance, balancing out the gregarious Italian culture. When he makes his entrance and steps out of his motorcycle sidecar, he limps for a few seconds. It's a small touch, but it shows us he's traveled a long way without stopping because he's stuck to his schedule, and he straightens himself quickly because he's proud and wants to show strength to the Italians. You can immediately he doesn't want to be there but he's taking his orders like a good soldier - all without him saying a word.

With Rag nominations for Anthony Quinn, Hardy Kruger, Anna Magnani, Stanley Kramer, and Ernest Gold - and winning Best Picture and Comedic Screenplay - this movie is not to be missed.

Anthony Quinn's performance in The Secret of Santa Vittoria (1969) was worthy of an Academy Award for Best Actor, and certainly honorable mention for Best Picture as well as Best Cinematography. This film has aged well over the past fifty two (52) years and I found myself mesmerized by Anthony Quinn's performance as the drunkard Mayor of Santa Vittoria who develops a questionable plan to hide one million bottles of the towns wine production from the German soldiers who are on their way into town to abscond with all the towns wine and any other valuables the town has to offer them.

It is not an intense dramatic/action film about World War 2, but rather a unique comedic story about the town of Santa Vittoria and its people. The story focuses on the.love/hate relationship of the drunkard towns Mayor Bombolini (Anthony Quinn) and his estranged wife. Rosa (Anna Magnani) as they try and raise their sixteen (16) year old daughter who is falling in love with a local boy. The Mayor Bombolini is challenged to come up with a quick plan to hide the towns 1.3 million bottles of wine from the Germans who are heading to their little town to ravage it and take its spoils of World war 2.

The German Captain Von Prum (Hardy Krüger) appears to be civil but has a difficult assignment in fron of him and his troops in finding out where the one million bottles of wine have been hidden. Strategically May Bombolini has left 300 thousand bottles of wine for the Germans to find to fool them in believing "there is no more wine" which is the mantra that his honor the Mayor Bambolini as well as the townspeople repeats ad nauseum to the German Captain Von Prum.

Quinn is an emotional big man who can't help but steal every scene he appears in and quite frankly, he deserves an Academy Award for his performance which in some scenes is silly comedy but he is an affectionate big man who is a father, husband, and Mayor who loves his family, his townspeople, but especially his town's sacred wine.

I find it hard to believe.that the Hollywood library of film has not placed this film in the top 1000 film category, as part of the Criterion Collection, nor why it has never been released on Blu Ray and now 4K resolution in North America. I trust the manufacturers will right this wrong shortly and release a high quality resolution copy of this classic comedy/romance/war/drama film.

I give it an 8 out of 10 IMDB rating.

This is one of those movie you never heard of. But you should have. How is this not a classic that people talk about. Bombalini bumballs his way to become the mayor and then to beat the Nazi Party. I would have to describe it as mob meats Hogans Heroes. Many laughs. Many repeatable moments. I would watch it again. And yes I will be telling my friends to watch this.

This movie tells a story of how small Italian village was able to hide million bottles of wine from the German Nazis. It's pretty much a two hour twelve minutes movie that is driven by Anthony Quinn as the Bombollini . His performance obviously is a copy of his famous Greek Zorba. Still , it's a great performance and a real tour-de-force from Quinn.

Virna Lisi is one sexy woman as Caterina . Hardy Kruger is great as Captain von Prum . He's not your typical one dimensional evil Nazi or noble Nazi that you see in many Hollywood movies. Anna Magnani is fun as Bombollini's nasty wife Rosa.

The movie is fun and pleasant comedy , yet there are some serious dramatic moments here. The love story is actually really touching just like the determination of Santa Vittoria citizens. The movie also isn't afraid to remind us from time to time what horror war really is.

Don't worry . The movie never forgets to be funny . Most of the jokes comes from the fact that Bombollini is not too bright , yet they aren't boring.

It's not necessarily a laugh out loud comedy , but definitely a good way to spend time in a pleasant way. Mind that it's not a mindless comedy , because there is some drama . I you can accept comedy with some substance this one is for you. I give it 8/10.

How much has to endure an Actor: to be hit with a huge paddle, to be kicked in his butt, to have put noodles in his head, to be hit with pots and saucepans. But it is not any actor, it is Anthony Quinn, who does not care of nothing to live his character, Bombolini, to his own... blood. Anna Magnani, a great tragedian actress of the Italian cinema, has the most funny replica: "The whole world knows that Bombolini's brains are in his ass!" Virna Lisi, my childhood love from "Coplan prend des risques" is beautiful and credible in the role of Caterina. A very young Giancarlo Giannini is OK. The same Hardy Krüger and Renato Rascel. Actually, Krüger is great! I've seen almost all Stanley Kramer's films, the best, in my opinion are "It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World", "The Defiant Ones" and this one.