La corrispondenza

source: Correspondence

A complex, intellectual, deeply emotional love story between an university professor and his student. The story continues after one's death and the exchanges between them are full of romantism, coming from another world. Very touching movie, left me in tears with the end unraveling on the music of Ennio Morricone, the great Italian composer. What's left in life when you lose a loved one? A rainy dark path until you start to live again. Or not... I love Tornatore's style so much, he's one of my favorite film directors, definitely in top 3.

The acting was not at all convincing, it was instead the plot that moved me. I managed to make myself ignore the interpretation and focus on the story. Somehow a sweet, complex argument: to extend one's time beyond death. It worked -to me- for the sake of the love story, but completely detached from all the infinity-universe-galaxy-stars discourse. The starry night in the end, or that falcon flying along the train were I think cruel distractions. So 5/10, for the tears I shed and the beautiful frames of Orta and San Giulio island.

I love the creativity of this drama, we have creative fantasies, but why not use this kind of creativity in the drama? The story is about the love between a young student and a genius astronomer. And a crazy genius thinks he knows how to deal with death Dialog writing and Composition of scenes are lovely, but some * scenes are unnecessary, I know Olga Kurylenko is so pretty, attractive and proportional, but I see no reason for some * scenes, for example, the scene in the bathroom, I think this is an act of sexual objectification of women. finally, I should say that its one of best romance movies, which I ever have seen, Although it doesn't have something big as Titanic ship, it shakes your feeling hard as 7 Richter magnitude earthquake

Ed Phoerum (Jeremy Irons) is a renowned astrophysicist having a six year affair with a student Amy Ryan (Olga Kurylenko) who is also an actress/stunt woman. The opening scene was rather drippy which sets up for the cheesy love scenes that will make it impossible for couples to have normal relationships after watching this film. Knowing he is dying, Ed sets up for text messages, letters, and recorded DVDs to be sent to Amy from beyond the grave. Ed was very astute and knew Amy's schedule and her too. One of the discussions is String Theory which includes parallel and alternate universes from which we can have some sort on immortality of be able to communicate with each other. Amy realizes Ed lives on his her life as a dead star whose remnant we still see. This is not a film for everyone and requires a hopeless romantic with a little bit of a geek background. It is way too long at 2 hours as the Ed run around grew tiresome. Guide: F-word and nudity (Olga Kurylenko)

To me It looks like the easier version of Insterstellar. I found it completely moving. From the start to the end. Obviously it depends on your conception of love hic et nunc , and experience. I will suspend judgement about verisimilitude , communication strategies , and the actors' performance (as I watched it dubbed in Italian) and I will say here love is the way (no matter which way) Tornatore reflects on the relation between the logical and illogical. Is it possible to speak about mistakes and blame when love takes over? However, despite the plot there is something in the idea that moved me and motivated me. I trust it is not underrated just because it's a "love story", which would be an unjustified categorization.

Dear Amy, This is Ed writing from the dead. (LOL) You are now reading my final letter to you. I am not writing to you about the Higgs Boson or numerical orbit integration. Instead, I am writing about the horrible film that has been made from our correspondence. It turns out that the filmmakers got our story wrong. The film titled "La Corrispondenza" (Correspondence) seeks to weave a sentimental story about an old man having an adulterous affair with a woman thirty years his younger. They carry on for six "beautiful" (ha ha) years. Then, when the old geezer dies, he leaves an endless stream of letters and videos to be delivered to you. In watching this film, I kept saying out loud to the screen, "Oh, please! Not another letter!" I feel as if I have a case of crabs coming on...not from studying my favorite supernova, Crab Nebula, but from having to endure my own letters and videos! I realize that I have been pretty nosy in interfering with your life. I pried into your personal background when your inept driving took the life of your father. I coerced you into giving up a successful career as a stunt woman in films (screen name: Kamikaze) to become a student of astrophysics. I prodded you into writing a thesis called "From Gas, Stars to Supernovas: A Dialogue With Dead Stars," instead of allowing you to select your own topic. The filmmakers took an arty approach to our love affair. It was especially the "flawed" sculpture of you that I found unbearably pretentious. It never occurred to the filmmakers that all of the letters and videos were fake and that I'm still alive, having pulled off the hoax of the century. Please meet me at "our" favorite spot on Borso Ventoso. See you on the island! Love, Ed (Professor Edward Phoerum, as in "theorem")

Watched 'Correspondence' for many reasons. The concept was intriguing and is hardly an outdated one. Ennio Morricone is one of cinema's best and most iconic composers, consider the likes of 'Cinema Paradiso', 'The Mission' and 'The Good, The Bad and the Ugly' particularly amazing. Do like some of Giuseppe Tornatore's other work, 'Cinema Paradiso' is a masterpiece. Also really like Olga Kurylenko and Jeremy Irons, am a fan of Irons actually. Unfortunately, 'Correspondence' left me underwhelmed. It is not as bad as the critics made out from personal opinion (though do share most of their problems with it), but it is a case of a good concept but mixed bag/average execution so can understand too the disappointment. Should have been much better considering the amount of talent and potential involved, with all having done much better work (all before and none since). The two best things about 'Correspondence' are Kurylenko and Irons. Kurylenko is the one who has to carry the film and found her performance very committed and heartfelt as the one character 'Correspondence' tries to properly develop. Irons matches her sympathetically and brings his usual gravitas and that wonderfully distinctive voice to Ed. Despite being apart almost all the time, corresponding through texts, emails and video messages, the chemistry between the two is believable in that one can feel that they're in love and the big age gap between them is nowhere near as creepy to me than it sounds. 'Correspondence' is beautifully filmed and makes the most of the locations. All of which look great, stunning in the case of Italy. Morricone's score is nowhere near among his best work, but is suitably hypnotic and understated. There were moments in the script, everything with Ed's job was somewhat interesting and actually from personal view Ed's final speech was quite poignant. Much of it though is down to Irons' delivery of it, like the rest of the film's voice overs (which did not have anywhere near the same amount of impact) when it comes to acting not many actors delivered voice overs and narrations in the same way Irons did. However, 'Correspondence' does have a lot of problems. A major problem is that the script is very limp and very rarely sounds natural. That is including most of the voice overs, which tend to ramble. Tornatore's direction is pretty uninspired, nowhere near close to amateurish but the pace especially needed to be tighter and somehow it didn't feel like Tornatore, other films of his had more emotional impact, were more sweeping and weren't as "safe". The supporting characters were very bland and stock, and in the acting department Kurylenko and Irons were the only ones that stood out (do not remember the other performances at all). It's the story and pace that fare worst. The pace is a vast majority of the time, well almost the whole film, very pedestrian and never really comes to life. Am certain that it was intended to be deliberate, but the script and story (performances too) needed to compel to make that not be a weakness and 'Correspondence' failed on all three. The story started off quite well but will admit to having lost interest under halfway through when the mystery aspect of the film came in, then the film became dull and episodic. Then from just over halfway through, it became increasingly duller and more preposterous, some of it for me bordered on confusing too. Summing up, liked the concept but the film was wanting in too many areas. 5/10

As compare to his former, exceptionally great, movies like Cinema Paradiso, The Legend of 1900, Malena, Sttano Tutti Bene(Everbodys Fine), Baaria, The Best Offer and The Unknown Women, his Correspondence is somewhat left me in depsair. His direction skills are peerless with impulse of emotions and feeling in most of his movies with touch of comedy. Correspondence is what i will call not a movie of Guissepe.

Maybe this is a movie for necrophilic melancholics, but there is next to no joy in it. If you like drama and tragedy it may be for you. Otherwise you shouldn't waste your time. I didn't even understand the idea of the protagonist to drag out the mourning of his love. Sad!