By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 2.5 cats
Director: Ferzan Ozpetek
Starring: Anna Proclemer | Beppe Fiorello | Elio Germano | Margherita Buy | Massimilliano Gallo | Paola Minaccioni
Original language title: Magnifica presenza
Country: italy
Year: 2012
Running time: 105
IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2281345/
Bruce says: “When directors have had multiple successes there is no reason to doubt that subsequent films will fall flat; yet that is exactly the situation with Ferzan Ozpetek. Here’s hoping that MAGNIFICENT PRESENCE lost its continuity, among other things, on the editing floor. Otherwise, the loose-ends and moments that make little sense must be the product of a very poorly written script. In this case, it is doubly sad because the acting and production design are first rate.
“Pietro (Elio Germano) has come to the big city (Rome) to be an actor. His exact goals and desires are a bit fuzzy. The film opens as he and his cousin Maria are being led through an empty apartment, one that Pietro loves and Maria hates. Hers is an
emphatic ‘No!’ but Pietro is determined and signs the lease in spite of Maria’s objections. He moves in. At first he thinks he is
just having trouble sleeping, using the common excuses surrounding a new place. When his discomfort does not go away he fears homeless people may be squatting in his apartment during the night. Finally he stumbles on the true story: his apartment is inhabited by ghosts.
“The storyline includes Pietro’s audition for a commercial, his flirtations with a neighbor, and his ongoing battles with Maria.
None of these plot lines are resolved. Slowly the film becomes a story of the ghosts, all members of an acting troupe during World War II. There is a mystery involved and Pietro fortunately is up to the task of solving it. The shift in the film’s focus leaves the viewer somewhat stranded. By the film’s conclusion I had lost interest.
“Ozpetek’s career started with a bang. His STEAM: TURKISH BATH, HIS OTHER LIFE, and FACING WINDOWS were all wonderful films with strong scripts. Since then his career has been hit and miss. Certainly MAGNIFICENT PRESENCE is one of the big misses. Many thought he would attain master status. Such glory remains to be seen. 2.5 cats
“(MAGNIFICENT PRESENCE screened at the 2012 Open Roads: New Italian Cinema festival sponsored by the Film Society of Lincoln Center.)”