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      Sandra

      Released Sep 16, 1965 1h 40m Drama List
      100% 6 Reviews Tomatometer 84% 250+ Ratings Audience Score The daughter of a Jewish man killed by Nazis returns to her Italian hometown suspicious of her mother and stepfather. Read More Read Less

      Audience Reviews

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      Mat L Michael Craig is sublime in a very subtle performance, holding the movie together betwen two scenery-chewing unhinged beauties, Cardinale and Sorel. The house is the real star of this fabulously atmospheric masterpiece, the best by the author, and the only one that delivers a message of love and hope, by an otherwise very overrated self indulgent movie genius. Look out for the shortest version, the one that cuts the long and tasteless confession of the incestuous brother at the end. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 10/08/23 Full Review andrey k A powerful movie that left me bewildered in the good sense of the word; its strong themes of confronting the dark and shadowy past full of guilt, sins, remorse and unsolved mysteries are alluring and challenging. It is shot in a very stark and contrasting black-and-white which greatly helps the story and manages to better convey the unspoken thoughts of the characters. My only critique would be the fact, that in some scenes the overly sexual Claudia Cardinale diverts your attention from the matter to be pondered upon. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review eric b "Sandra" promises greatness with the presence of luscious Claudia Cardinale and director Luchino Visconti, but this sluggish tale unfortunately fails to deliver. Cardinale plays a jet-set beauty who returns to the lavish family mansion with her new husband, only to find some dark secrets re-emerge during the reunion. There's not much more to say about the story, which should tell you something about its thin development -- mostly, the action is just a lot of indoor talking and implied tension. There's also a remarkably grating piano piece recurring in the score. And while I rarely complain about old films not being in color, this is one case where I will -- the black-and-white cinematography poorly serves the home's opulent decor. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member The gradual revelation of the forbidden past cannot overwhelm Visconti's gay theme. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/25/23 Full Review Audience Member Even some arty camerawork and decent direction couldn't save what was inherently a long-winded and unpleasant story. 6.5/10 Rated 3 out of 5 stars 01/25/23 Full Review walter m With the party now over in Geneva, Sandra(Claudia Cardinale) is currently free to return to her home village in Italy with Andrew(Michael Craig), her American husband of a year, to put the family affairs in order. Frustratingly enough, they have to wait for her brother Gianni(Jean Sorel) to put in an apperance. Otherwise, he has been busy selling off the family heirlooms to support his lifestyle and writing of a book. On the other hand, he is happy to give Andrew a tour of the sights that includes an introduction to Dr. Pietro Formari(Fred Williams) who used to have a crush on Sandra while she stays behind to look through the family documents. "Sandra" is a beguilingly gothic tale consisting of all the necessary ingredients such as family, madness and sex. In introducing the movie, Gavin Smith remarked on the triangle at its heart while I would respectfully point out that the geometry is much more complex, with Sandra throwing off the orbits of the men around her with her ample charms. Politically, the movie is also about identity(Gianni and Sandra prominently wear Star of David's mostly to honor their father who died in Auschwitz) and how some of the characters have a problem adjusting to the new world order which is not necessarily due to provincialism as stated. This all happens in a country that is in ruins but what beautiful ruins. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Read all reviews Post a rating

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      Critics Reviews

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      Eric Hynes Time Out Visconti's approach is both classical and modern, etching tableaus of gone-to-seed opulence in high-contrast black and white while incorporating handheld camerawork, zooms and idiosyncratically framed shots. Rated: 4/5 Nov 19, 2013 Full Review Alan Scherstuhl Village Voice A dessert cart for the cinema-minded. Nov 19, 2013 Full Review Richard Brody New Yorker With its hard edges and dark shadows, crashing zooms and feline rages, Visconti's tale is, in effect, a work of Gothic modernism, in which history replaces mythology and madness evokes the blocked-out light of therapy. Oct 14, 2013 Full Review Dwight MacDonald Esquire Magazine In general, [Vaghe stelle dell'Orsa] was quite good fun. Aug 13, 2019 Full Review Jennie Kermode Eye for Film The power of the film comes not from its mystery but from its drama, from Cardinale's incredible screen presence and Visconti's vivid visual ideas. Rated: 3.5/5 Mar 31, 2014 Full Review Dennis Schwartz Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews The sexy Claudia Cardinale in the Electra role steals the film's acting honors. Rated: B- Mar 15, 2013 Full Review Read all reviews

      Movie Info

      Synopsis The daughter of a Jewish man killed by Nazis returns to her Italian hometown suspicious of her mother and stepfather.
      Director
      Luchino Visconti
      Genre
      Drama
      Original Language
      English
      Release Date (Theaters)
      Sep 16, 1965, Original
      Runtime
      1h 40m