Wondrous Boccaccio

Wondrous Boccaccio (Maraviglioso Boccaccio)

Movie · 2015 · 3 people

Brothers Paolo and Vittorio Taviani loosely adapted stories from Giovanni Boccaccio's The Decameron for Wondrous Boccaccio (original Italian title Maraviglioso Boccaccio), an Italian film of 2015 that pairs drama with a historical setting. It opened in Italy on 26 February 2015 and runs about two hours. In France it is known as Contes italiens, and France shares in the production alongside Italy.

The story begins in medieval Florence while the plague spreads. Seven young women and three young men leave the city to escape the shadow of death and look for refuge in the countryside. To pass the time, each of them tells a story in turn. The tales differ from one another, but all share one common thread, love: a love that helps the characters cope with their troubles in hard times. The cast features Kim Rossi Stuart as Calandrino and Jasmine Trinca as Giovanna, together with Kasia Smutniak, Riccardo Scamarcio as Gentile Carisendi, Rosabell Laurenti Sellers as Filomena, Paola Cortellesi, Vittoria Puccini, Michele Riondino and Lello Arena.

Filming began on 31 March 2014 and lasted ten weeks in Tuscany. The Taviani brothers also wrote the screenplay.

DirectorPaolo Taviani, Vittorio Taviani

Reactions

You can pick up to 3 reactions.

Cast

Only cast members with a profile on this site are listed.

Through different eyes

Family Viewer Asks whether the whole household can watch it; cares about humour and heart.

A film of about two hours made up of separate stories. Because it opens in the shadow of the plague, the start is a little sad. Every story is about love, so it speaks more to teenagers and adults than to young children. The pace is calm and little ones may get bored. A nice pick to watch with a high-schooler who loves books.

Cinephile Looks at script, editing and directing choices; keeps a distance from formula films.

The Taviani brothers take a free hand with The Decameron and build each tale like a separate room. The frame-narrative structure is faithful to the literary source, but on screen it has a cost: the episodes are uneven in strength, and the rhythm sags at times in the move from one story to the next. There is a wide cast, with Kim Rossi Stuart, Jasmine Trinca and Riccardo Scamarcio among them, yet the short span given to each tale leaves little room for the characters to deepen. On the other hand, the film keeps the contrast between plague and love on a single thematic line. Calm and careful, but it takes very few risks.

These are not reader reviews: they are short editorial takes written from different viewer perspectives with AI assistance. Reader reviews are below.

Reviews (0)

Log in Log in to write a review.

Comments