Amore tra le rovine (2015) User Reviews

A 90-year old film is meticulously restored for audiences of today with a story as relevant for today's viewers as it was nearly a century ago.

[Larry41OnEbay-2 · 7/10 · 11 March 2016]

"In 2012, a 6.0-magnitude earthquake struck northern Italy, including the city of Ferrara. The quake caused significant damage to the region's historic buildings and heritage sites. A cracked wall in Ferrara's municipal building revealed a hidden treasure—cans of old film. Could this be the long lost silent film made by the legendary Lumini brothers of Ferrara in the early 1920s? "Love Among the Ruins" is about the miraculous discovery of the long lost silent film and the intriguing speculation of its fate—all of which are explored by the filmmaker through interviews with some of the world's top film historians, archivists, critics and professors. Can the deteriorated film be repaired so that new audiences around the world can watch the moving story of two lovers caught in the events of World War I?"

SPOILERS:

"Love Among the Ruins (Amore tra le rovine) is a spoof about the miraculous discovery and restoration of a long lost Italian silent film. It is written and directed by Massimo Ali Mohammad, an Italian filmmaker who lives and works in Ferrara. The film is produced by Meyerhar Productions of Seattle.

Love Among the Ruins connects the curiosity of a contemporary filmmaker with the genius of the Lumini brothers, two cinematic icons almost overlooked in the history of cinema. Beyond speculation by film historians, critics and a family member revealed in the first "documentary" part of the film, Love Among the Ruins offers a complete silent film as if restored from the 1920s and with a newly commissioned musical score. More than a parody, the film celebrates the joy of discovering lost art, a rich tradition of filmmaking in Italy, and how a young filmmaker with his first feature film recreates the artistry of silent film."

Faux-Pas

[Enrique-Sanchez-56 · 5/10 · 3 July 2017]

The 1st part of film had the right documentary feel to it. Sadly, and I say this with my heart in my throat, did not result in a notable effort. Perhaps the production required more time or funding. I am not sure. One this is certain, the faux 2nd part of the film could have been so more authentic looking. I should not have expected so much.

First of all, the focus was much too sharp for the era. The film stock is generally one of the main reasons at fault in these efforts to duplicate the past. The creators had other challenges that fell short of the "authenticity" of lost silent film. The lighting was entirely too nuanced, the acting too modern, the make-up too refined.

OK, I was disappointed with the final effort, that's obvious. Perhaps one thing could have saved it: the frames per second. This might have been a real masterpiece had the creators made an effort to taken some of these aspects in order to present the feel of film-making of this very special era of this art form.

An Annoying Exercise In Fakery

[donnieland · 2/10 · 2 July 2017]

I am watching this film as I write. There are no spoilers, as I shall turn the film off when I am finished writing.

Even though this begins as a documentary about finding a 90 year old film, everything, and I mean 'everything' in this film is fake. The discovery of the film, the two director-brothers, the documentary interviews, and the supposed restoration of this 90 year old film, all fake.

I started watching because I thought it was a documentary, not a mockumentary. The discovery and restoration of a lost film is serious business to those of us who admire silent films. Simply the fact that this is a 'serious' mockumentary, makes this film becomes more annoying by the minute.

The actual fake movie within the fake movie is supposed to be this famous lost film. It is marginally acted, and is generally dull as dirt.

With all the great silent films out there, TCM has to show a 'fake' one? Stupid.