Rocco and his Brothers: the best boxing film, period.

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Notice how the bouts are filmed with no excessive blood spatterings, ridiculously over-delivered-and-reacted-to blows, slow-mo, strange camera angles?, Both Rocco and Simone showed REAL skills, not only in delivering blows but in slipping, dancing, and taking shots (heads pivot the direction of the blow). Scorscese should have paid closer attention.
This is, inarguably, Delon's finest role (I know Vic thought he overplayed it at times but I couldn't find any instance: after all, his brother did some extraordinarily hateful things to him and to the girl; if anything, Delon UNDER played). For someone accustomed to American acting, his minimalist approach is much more difficult to dismiss as "non-real"---like The Bicycle Thief, this is a classic of realist film.
The mother in the film is another acting tour de force: this woman's face, absent the prettiness and paint which American audiences expect even in dowagers, has anguish that comes only from a hard life (or so the great actress convinces you!).
I didn't find the principal actress very physically attractive, but to make a prostitute into such a complex and disturbing character takes intelligence and great skill. Having seen Antonioni's trilogy immediately before this film, I wasn't challenged by its deliberate pacing: in fact, with its many violent and disturbing scenes, I thought it flowed well.
The film, obviously, isn't any more about boxing or, indeed, the individuals. It speaks to the injustice of post-war Italy and shows the social forces at work that one day resulted in modern day Italy's socialism. All Italians, Visconti is saying, are brothers.

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Topic - Rocco and his Brothers: the best boxing film, period. - tinear 06:54:03 10/02/05 (9)

Not sure it is a "boxing film", but a gem - Victor Khomenko 08:39:56 10/02/05 (8)

Of course, you're right and I only was jabbing in Scorscese's direction - tinear 09:13:03 10/02/05 (7)

Re: Of course, you're right and I only was jabbing in Scorscese's direction - patrickU 10:14:20 10/02/05 (6)

Re: Hang's out with Brigit Bardo who's also into Le Pen (nt) - Jeff Starrs 23:54:21 10/02/05 (1)

Re: They both love dogs.....nt - patrickU 07:48:40 10/03/05 (0)

Delon appears to have a history of dubious associations - grinagog 23:01:52 10/02/05 (3)

Doobie us? nt - tinear 10:20:04 10/03/05 (2)

Nah, that was Bogart (nt) - grinagog 21:24:32 10/03/05 (1)

Or maybe it was Kermit the Frog... - grinagog 04:21:52 10/05/05 (0)

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