Plantiana Yawn. Poorly Filmed Snooze Fest.

GrimPrecise I'll tell you why so serious

Dynamixor The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

Senteur As somebody who had not heard any of this before, it became a curious phenomenon to sit and watch a film and slowly have the realities begin to click into place.

Hitchcoc What happens when you put two polar opposites on a desert island. One is a beautiful, rich, opinionated woman--the other a communist male who is much lower in political status. Of course, the barbs fly as they sort each other out. She is reluctant to give him any status, but she is also dependent on his practical knowledge. They are at each other's throats throughout the film. They slowly develop feelings for each other. The question is whether or not this young woman, who has been pampered and looked after and has a group of snotty friends, can make him part of her life. Simple plot done before. But the dialogue is frothy and intense.

gavin6942 A trip into the Mediterranean sea becomes a trip into the discovery of how society's frameworks of the rich and poor are delicate and temporary.In his review in the Chicago Sun-Times, American film critic Roger Ebert gave the film four stars, his highest rating. Ebert wrote that the film "resists the director's most determined attempts to make it a fable about the bourgeoisie and the proletariat, and persists in being about a man and a woman. On that level, it's a great success." I'm on board with Ebert. I think this film was exceptional. Emotionally, it was raw, and I have to praise the performers and the director for the intensity. How you get a love story out of deep economic and political hatred, I don't know, but they pull it off. And despite the violence and abuse, there is something deeper here. Really a great film with something powerful to say.

disinterested_spectator Raffaella, who is a rich woman, her husband, and their rich friends rent a yacht and go sailing in the Mediterranean. She and her husband carry on screaming arguments about political ideology, with Raffaella expressing her fascist views with much vehemence. We all expect Italians in movies to be passionate, but we have never seen anything like this. Gennarino is a deckhand and a communist, whom she treats like dirt.When Raffaella and Gennarino get stranded on a deserted island, he decides to reverse roles with a vengeance. He beats her into submission, forcing her to call him Signor Carunchio, while calling her Raffaella (when not calling her a bitch or an industrial whore), instead of Signora Lanzetti, as he did on board the yacht. Then, when all this verbal and physical abuse has finally made her want him to ravish her brutally, he says that is not enough. She must tell him she loves him, kiss his feet, and worship him like a god. She actually does kiss his feet and submit to him totally, falling madly in love with him. But he still beats her whenever she misbehaves, as when she presumes to think instead of doing what she is told.This may be a minor point, but it is odd that Gennarino, the communist, believes that women should be totally subservient to men, which we would be more likely to associate with fascism.Anyway, the day finally arrives when a boat comes within sight of the island. Raffaella does not want to signal them because she fears being rescued might spoil their happiness. But Gennarino believes that only if they are rescued can he be sure that she truly loves him. Once rescued, Raffaella might have been able to thwart public opinion and marry Gennarino, but when she sees him being greeted by his wife, who talks about their children, she has misgivings. But given Gennarino's attitude toward women, why should he care about what happens to his wife? He wants Raffaella to go back and live on the island with him, but she decides against it. He reverts to calling her a bitch and an industrial whore.Because this is a comedy, we hesitate to take it too seriously, but there simply is not enough humor in this movie to overcome the revulsion we feel at the way he treats her, especially since the movie seems to prove he is right in believing that a man can make a woman love him by degrading her and beating her.

alicecbr Cinematography: superior. Writing: excellent. Acting: somewhat over the top in the political arguments yelled at top volumn. Sexual chemistry between the proletarian and 'aristocrat': Priceless.I found myself mesmerized. The huge eyes of the man, as he listens to the bigoted arrogant arguments of the beautiful woman are amazing, as you can see the tension and anger building. Turns out, he is a devoted communist, not a follower of the totalitarian government in Russia...so often confused with true communism, but a devoted communist. One of those.We are about to go crazy with the stupid mindless arguing by these rich people on this gorgeous yacht, when finally we are rescued by the imperious bikini-girl, demanding that she be taken to the others to fish at 7 p.m. Of course, we all know that they won't get there, as the motor kicks out and they wander around in the middle of a gorgeous sea. No one seems to ever have to go to the bathroom, unfortunately. Just as well. No, they don't get thirsty either.But the acting, especially the fury between them which resolves itself into hot, flaming sex that she has to beg for is glorious!!!! It is definitely NOT what you would expect.Spoiler*****************8 When finally united with his wife, he asks tenderly about the kids. So you know, he can't return to that magic island where all the love was white hot. That's not real. But when he takes the 100000 lire and buys a beautiful ring for the woman, you know that he is showing todo el mundo that he is indeed a man, buying her this 'divorcement' ring....already knowing she'll reject his invitation to return to the island.Great movie. I"m glad I bought it, and I WISH there was one of those discussions on it to give us some insight into the Italian government of the 70s. I was confused by the discussion of the Pope, fascism and communism. Had I known the political climate of Italy at the time, I might have understood this part better.