Miracolo a Sant'Anna
Directed by:
Spike LeeCinematography:
Matthew LibatiqueComposer:
Terence BlanchardCast:
Derek Luke, Michael Ealy, Laz Alonso, Omar Benson Miller, Pierfrancesco Favino, Valentina Cervi, Matteo Sciabordi, D.B. Sweeney, John Turturro (more)Plots(1)
Spike Lee directs this World War Two epic from a screenplay adapted by James McBride from his own novel. Told in flashbacks over a 40-year period, the film chronicles events in World War Two Italy that eventually culminate in a seemingly random killing in 1983 New York City. In 1944, four black American soldiers and a shell-shocked Italian boy become stranded in the Tuscan village of Colognora after an offensive on German positions across the Serchio River goes disastrously wrong. But as the men become enmeshed in village life, it soon becomes clear that the loyalties and allegiances of the people they meet are not always as they seem. (Revolver Entertainment)
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Reviews (1)
Spike Lee on the battlefield? I think that even if he went to the other side of the universe, he would still pursue his favorite themes, which he can set in any environment. In this war drama about the fact that miracles sometimes do happen, he looks again at racism and the sins of the past that can reverberate even decades later. Although it is not as much of a game with the viewer as, say, Inside Man, the directness will be more to the likes of many. This is especially true if you can appreciate likable characters and miracle-level coincidences (which, judging by all the crying on IMDb, you probably can't). But even if not, the ice cream passage or the church in St. Anna are emotional highlights that few other films offer. It’s too bad that the cathartic ending, which I suspected from the halfway point, doesn't have the same impact. Otherwise, it’s great. 4 ½.
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