Merolliv I really wanted to like this movie. I feel terribly cynical trashing it, and that's why I'm giving it a middling 5. Actually, I'm giving it a 5 because there were some superb performances.

KnotStronger This is a must-see and one of the best documentaries - and films - of this year.

Sienna-Rose Mclaughlin The movie really just wants to entertain people.

Guillelmina The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

Jugu Abraham An interesting work from Tornatore, while it is no match to his lovely "The Legend of 1900." "Baaria," apart from being autobiographical, is too clichéd (and dumb): A live fly imprisoned inside a wooden top by a blacksmith, apparently lays eggs that develop into another live fly decades later; a man who buys dollars as a trade for a living (shown yelling at public meetings in several scenes as a memory stamp for the lead character and the director) sells pens after the Americans have left Italy; a Leftist who saw "terrifying" things in Russia (in his own words) continues to be in the party... Apart from all this, the two lead actors, Scianna and Made (who was a model in her own right), the lovely Angela Molina, and the graceful Lina Sastri are wonderful to watch. Monica Bellucci, does a wordless cameo topless sex scene, which was totally unnecessary in the development of the film. Morricone was good but not exceptional here. The references to Fellini's "Satyricon", Rosi's "Three Brothers," and the poster of a Raf Vallone film, and a Hollywood film show Tornatore's love for cinema without borders, also evident in his "Cinema Paradiso". Give me "The Legend of 1900" any day--that was Tornatore's best work for me, a work of a mature director.

gradyharp BAARIA is another masterwork form the consummate film artist Giuseppe Tornatore. Tornatore is so highly regarded in Italy and Sicily that famous actors fight for the opportunity to work in one of his luminous films, agreeing to take minute walk on roles just to be near the director: Monica Belluci, Ángela Molina, Beppe Fiorello, Raoul Bova etc. This film deserves close attention form the viewer - and in some ways it may be better to view the DVD's Interview with Giuseppe Tornatore BEFORE watching this film so that the writer/director's concept and technique is understood before the story unfolds.Baarìa is Sicilian slang for Bagheria where Tornatore was born and this is an autobiographic epic of three generations in the Sicilian village where he was born. It begins in the 1920's where Giuseppe "Peppino" Torrenuova lives with his brother Nino and his parents in a hovel. They are so poor that Peppino's father advises him to become a shepherd in order to help support the family. Peppino progresses to taking a cow around the town to fill the milk buckets of the townspeople, struggles through school, progresses to young adulthood when he falls in love with Mannina and going against Mannina's family's dream of having their daughter marry money, the two elope - in the home of Mannina! - and it is here that the characters become the adults who carry the film. Of note, Tornatore elected to cast the main characters with little known Sicilian actors: Peppino is Francesco Scianna and Mannina is Margareth Madè - both brilliant in their roles. From this point the time passes through historical references to Il Duce, the mafia, WW II and the coming of the Americans, but more important is Peppino's idealistic concept that his future lies in politics. He becomes a Communist, rises in the ranks, eventually even visiting Moscow to meet with Stalin, and returns to Baaria to help the people struggle for land reform and socialism, all the while he continues to have children with Mannina and follow his dreams of being a successful politician, a dream that is as fragile as it is unattainable.The film flashes back and forth in time and has no linear story line: Tornatore is more interested in taking snippets of his memories of his past life growing up in Baaria than he is in keeping the audience clear about the characters who flash in and out of the story. His use of children is magical - they seem more wise in their innocence that the adults. But take the movie for what it is - a mélange of remembered moments in the writer/director's life - and witness some of the most beautiful moments ever created for the screen, such as the eventual death of Peppino's father who passes his wisdom to his son, and Peppino's advice to this oldest son as the son takes the train to Rome: the son asks 'Why do people call us hotheaded?' to which Peppino answers 'Because we think we can embrace the Universe, but our arms are too short.' Peppino's wisdom he passes to his son is to follow his heart at all costs and there will he find satisfaction. This film is overflowing in such moments and watching it is like opening a treasure trunk full of dazzlingly memories. The musical score by the evergreen Ennio Morricone is absolutely one of his finest - a score the composer created in conjunction with Tornatore.There is a problem with the DVD that hopefully someone will solve: the English subtitles (the film is in Italian and Sicilian) are very difficult to read - so bleached out are they over backgrounds of bright Sicilian light. It is a post-production flaw that needs to be corrected for non Italian speaking audiences, but even with that minor problem, this is one of the most touching and tender and emotionally satisfying films this viewer has ever seen. 10 stars! Grady Harp

sognio Baaria is a good film. Let me get that out of the way first. It is however a bit disjointed, it feels like your watching a story your parents might tell you about there childhood and growing up. Snap shots, highlights only. And for this reason we never really get to know the characters or stories before it fades to black and on to the next chapter in the history of Peppino and his family.Apart from this i did enjoy it. It's typical Tornatore. In fact It's Cinema Paradiso, Malena, Star Maker and something new all in the one film.You can see why it is rumoured to be the most expensive Italian film of all time. The sets are impressive (most of what you see are sets and they're top class) the camera work is expensive looking, the extras vast. It's a BIG film.It is my opinion that Tornatore made this film with Leningrad (his English language long in development project about the second world war in Russia) in mind. He wants to make it with big money. For him to get it he needs to show he can deliver the goods when it come to big 'Hollywood' movies. Most of us Tornatore fans know he can Direct small intimate stories, with Baaria he has shown he can do expansive more complex shoots. If he's going to get that money for Leningrad i think he just needs to show he can do action. I suspect his next film might feature more action for just this reason. Then it's off to Hollywood Beppe.

panda_elephant This was such a disappointment: I had been looking forward to seeing this movie, but I've seldom been so let down. I've never reviewed a movie on here before, but I just felt I had to tell you all: There is only one way to put this: save your money, go see something else.... Also, the actors sometimes seem to be reading directly from the script like paper dolls, what's up with that? It's no wonder the Italian film industry is going down the drain, with the budget provided ( by the Italian taxpayer) the movie should have been much better. Good things in the movie: photography is great, the scenery is fantastic, but unfortunately that does not make up for the Director's shortcomings.