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.
