L'Adieu à Venise

One of the most romantic films ever made and that still bears the pass of time despite some camera cliches of the 70's. Venice at its best is the setting for a poignant story of lovers parting for ever in a day's time. Sensitive and powerfully emotional, but never corny, with Musante and Bolkan as passional as you may wish lovers can be. A wonderful soundtrack and a beautiful cinematography help to make this film be a delight thirty-two years after it was made. Not to be missed.

"Anonimo veneziano" is one of the most beautiful movies I have ever seen. Musante and Bolkan are terrific in their roles. It deserves more than one look at it.

Enrico (Toni Musante) is a Venetian musician and maestro with a terminal disease, who invites his wife Valeria (Florinda Bolkan) to visit him in Venice without disclosing the reason for such invitation. Although still married, since there is no divorce in Italy, they have been living separated of each other for seven years. Valeria lives with their son and with her new mate, a wealthy industrial in Ferrara. When they meet each other, they walk along though Venice and recall their relationship since their first encounter, disclosing their intense love through flashbacks. Enrico lives a conflicting emotional moment of his life while recording the concert Anonimo Veneziano for oboe and strings.

"Anonimo Veneziano" is a melancholic and beautiful romance, an elegy to a terminal man in a dying city. There is a parallel in the story between the healthy of Enrico and the decay of Venice. Although being from 1970, this movie has surprisingly resisted to time and remains absolutely updated. Even the costumes are not completely old fashioned, since they are classic and elegant. The marvelous soundtrack of Stelvio Cipriani is depressive but certainly one of the most beautiful in the cinema history. The first time I saw this movie was on 04 July 2003 in a VHS of poor quality of the sound (mono) and color. Now, on 15 August 2009, I have just watched again on DVD. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "Anônimo Veneziano" ("Anonymous Venetian")

Note: On 15 Aug 2009 I saw this film again.

Note: On 17 May 2012 I saw this film again.

Note: On 06 Dec 2017 I saw this film again.

What we see here is a rather strong, yet very human, representation of how love truly operates in many people's lives: It sinks its claws into one's essence, making him/her or both leery about what such love could bring and how it could evolve itself. I'm talking about fear, fear of abandonment, being cognizant of the fact that, unfortunately, many situations do not last forever.

The above comment was by me laid out mimicking Enrico's cynicism, not only because of his terminal disease, but due to his awareness of what explained above. Their love explodes, rather than blossoming, a true love I shall say, the love two persons are ready to promise to each other no matter what the odds in life may be. Unluckily for many, such drive (which was not sexual on either side in my opinion) walks its path along with an unwanted travel mate, fear, which deals its lethal blows to a lot of relationships due to past wounds and human vulnerability.

Valeria, notwithstanding her "so-called" new life, shows her devotion to Enrico throughout the entire movie, accepting his behavior, knowing what that really means, knowing that he was acting out of pain, sorrow and FEAR. After all. at one point in the movie, as he angrily throws his briefcase up in the air after disclosing his doom to Valeria, Enrico does say "All of this is happening and I should not be scared?".

Through Salerno's camera, Tony Musante portrays, via his character, the filth and mud he says Venice is made of, a city that sank in the water a very long time before; he admits, by way of his actions and words, to have become part of that squalid scene.

Being human though also implies hope, current or lost that it may be, which we notice only once when he says "There's still a lot of poetry in life" before taking Valeria to purchase a brocade tailor made dress. I won't comment on his citation of Proust… Unlike (always in my opinion)Morricone, Stelvio Cipriani creates more of a one-to-one musical situation in the movies accompanied by its scores (e.g., L'ultima neve di primavera, Dov'è Anna et al), where the sounds, always rather somber, act as a narrator while the characters perform.

Musante and Bolkan were a perfect match, as their figures portray "Man and Woman", with every related quirk and problem, underpinned, however, by a love that will never end. Valeria realizes he really always loved her once it becomes obvious to her that he really needed to see her before dying, also when he prompts her to go before missing her last train to Ferrara. Sadly for her, the train she really missed had left Venice 7 years before from a track that only brought it back to her for a few hours that day only, to see it depart again, this time, toward a point of no return.

Valeria will carry on painfully, as she truly always loved Enrico.

Hopefully you will get the Italian version with subtitles.

Some people say this movie is about a dying musician. I disagree. This movie is all about humanity, and the errors we make in our youth.

If we could have recorded every minute when we fell in love , every gesture, every smile and every Kiss, then maybe we wouldnt have to remind ourselves why we fell so deeply in love.

In this case the musician has a terminal disease, however life in its immense sarcasm and cruelty, reminds him , and the love of his life, how small and stupid as a species we are. And how , so many small mistakes lead to desperation and sadness.

The astonishingly beautiful scenery, the most romantic music, the live drama are just perfect. Its European cinema at its best. No need for special effects or expensive sets. The city itself provides everything needed. Pure acting is all that is required, and both actors deliver superb performances.

It is the type of movies that shakes depressed souls and hopelessly romantic individuals like myself. Life can be beautiful one moment yet tremendously cruel the next. Lets not give it a chance to destroy us earlier than necessary. It is a fact of life, though , eventually we will all end up alone, miserable with just our memories.

A must for couples that want to rescue their love. And a warning for the rest of mortals so they dont fall down into the well of total and inconsolable desperation.

ps. Never visit Venice in the summer. Wait for the fall, or winter, you will fall in love with the unforgettable city like no other.