Fiche technique
Titre original : Italiensk for begyndere
Réalisation : Lone Scherfig
Scénario : Lone Scherfig
Production : Ib Tardini (pour Zentropa)
Photographie : Jørgen Johansson
Montage : Gerd Tjur
Pays d'origine : Danemark, en coproduction avec la Suède
Langues originales : danois, italien et anglais
Format : Couleurs - 1,66:1 - Dolby SR -
Betacam numérique (transféré sur 35 mm)
Genre : Drame, romance
Durée : 112 minutes
Lieux de tournage : Hvidovre (Danemark) et Venise
Dates de sortie : Danemark : 8 décembre 2000
Allemagne 9 février 2001 (Festival de Berlin)
France : 19 décembre 2001

Charm that grows on you
8/10
Author: WriConsult from Portland OR USA
12 April 2003

I have to admit, after the first few minutes I was wondering if I'd even manage to finish the whole thing. Also, as this was the first Dogme film I'd seen, I was also really questioning the whole concept. The opening scenes seemed amateurish in both filming and acting, with jerky editing and camera movements, and seemingly one- dimensional characters. But it really grew on me as I kept watching.

The more the characters revealed themselves, the more sympathetic and complex they became. It actually became quite engrossing as the film progressed. There were just so many moments of geniune warmth and humor. In fact, what really struck me about this film after it was all over was its geniuneness. I haven't seen anything so heartwarming in a long time. 8/10.

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33 out of 40 people found the following review useful:
 
Bravo!
9/10
Author: jotix100 from New York
21 March 2002

This is a very intimate and enjoyable film. It shows every day characters in their own surroundings interacting in a manner that is very naturalistic and true. Director Lone Scherfig has directed with a sure hand and the situation is believable.

The ensemble cast plays well, as it is with the majority of the Dogme95 films. At times, they make us forget that we are watching a film, as it struck me, that I was just intruding in the life of a bunch of people in that town in Denmark.

What is amazing is that the film doesn't become an Italian travelogue as it would have been the case had this story been done by a non-Scandinavian director with pressures from studio heads. It has the right amount ingredients and it makes a delicious minestrone for all to enjoy.

Bravi a tutti!

Proof that budget doesn't matter
Author: potblackettle from columbia south carolina
28 July 2003

A clever film, with low production values but a witty script and great cast. The characters are so real and vivid. You sympathize with them, want them to succeed. There are so many tiny little things that make it leap from the screen. As you become caught up in the story you forget that the camera is a little shaky, the video not always perfectly focused. The scenes in Italy are absolutly beautiful. The director uses colors well, the color of the characters clothes reflects their emotions. Never heavy handed or pushy, just a sweet little film.

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Thoroughly enjoyable and totally devoid of Hollywood-style contrivance
10/10
Author: Xenon242 from Halifax NS (Canada)
2 February 2003

I had the pleasure of seeing Italiensk for begyndere in a pretty small, intimiate cinema, which set the audience up beautifully for this movie.The characters really drive this story, rather than the film pushing the characters around. What results is a movie that takes its own time to say what it needs to say, and that allows us to gain insight on what really is a broad spectrum of very human, very diverse personalities.

Romantic comedies-dramas, by and large, are pretty hit-and-miss, though more miss than hit if they come from Hollywood. They're bogged down in clichés, saccarine melodrama and characters that don't at all behave like real people. Italiensk for begyndere avoids all that, giving us characters that could just as well be the person sitting three seats from you in the cinema, that's how human they are.I didn't feel at all cheated with this film, and left the cinema feeling like I saw a film that speaks to people. Superb.

Nine Lovely People, No Villains!
Author: Ralph Michael Stein (riglltesobxs@mailinator.com) from New York, N.Y.
24 January 2002

What a pleasure "Italian for Beginners" is. Each character is appealing as well as complex and recognizable.A new pastor, bereft after his wife's death,interacts with an assortment of people who by accident or stumbling and fumbling intent come together in overlapping relationships. Romance is in the air, deaths dislocate several of the characters' lives, comedic movements help all to cope with the vagaries of life.

Taking place mostly in Denmark (with a restaurant manager whose style convinces me that he must have done an internship in a New York City eatery), the story revolves around the central goal of learning Italian. Only one of the main characters is from Italy, a beautiful waitress with the clearest agenda of anyone in the film. After wrestling through a non-Berlitz approach to the language all head for Venice where hearts meet and fun reigns.

Dogma 95 certificate or not, this is a convincing, endearing, excellent film. By intent or otherwise, many scenes are shot with a slight jerkiness that adds to a viewer's sense of inclusion. Unfortunately this film won't screen in many theatres and rentals and sales will be the path to a wider audience. And this film merits a very big following.

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19 out of 23 people found the following review useful:
 
Another dogme hit.
8/10
Author: McBuff from Slagelse, Denmark
16 February 2001

At the time of writing, "Italian for beginners" is a big hit on the Berlin Film Festival. The reason may be that it´s another film made under the Dogme 95 certificate, but it can easily stand on its own, without comparison to "The Celebration", "The Idiots" and "Mifune". Basically it´s a comedy-drama (although one of the Dogme rules prohibits genre definition) telling several interwoven stories connected by the Italian-for-beginners-class. There are a whole variety of characters: the young pastor, the hothead short order cook from the sports restaurant, the clumsy girl from the bakery etc.

All very recognizable everyday types, but beautifully realized by its talented cast, with special kudos to Peter Gantzler, cast against type and hilariously underplaying as the nerdish impotent hotel clerk. Lars Kaalund is also very funny, sporting a very authentic sounding Italian.

Director Lone Scherfig has made a very endearing, romantic film that is very universal in its tone, which is probably why it has performed so well at the Berlin film festival. For a feel-good movie experience, you should definitely go see "Italian for beginners".

One fine romantic comedy
9/10
Author: dlpatrick1 from United States
19 February 2005

This is one of the most enjoyable and rewarding romantic comedies at the beginning of the decade. A Dogma 95 film, this movie exemplifies the challenges put up by the group of film makers that created Dogma 95 in Copenhagen. DOGMA 95 counters the individual film by the principle of presenting an indisputable set of rules known as THE VOW OF CHASTITY.

The rules (10 in all) include principles such as: shooting must be done on location (scenes in Venezia) and on a sound stage used to rehearse Sound of Music--an auditorium where the Italian classes are held. Music should not be used unless it occurs where hte scene is being shot (how refreshing not to have Hollywood scores interrupting the natural sound).* Hand-held camera-- this produces a feeling that you are doing the filming yourself. I felt that when Andreas was swimming in the hotel pool.

Special lighting is not acceptable - again the auditorium and the lights. Or the restaurant lighting. The characters in this movie are so real one feels you have met them before. You can read the plot elsewhere if you haven't seen this movie. There are pairings in this movie that show romance at its best - forgiveness for the foible (Olympia was probably born with fetal alcohol syndrome-- Andreas understands this and near the end when he suggests she sing in the church choir, he suggests they prepare for her falling over into the pews.

Giulia's budding love for Jorgen Mortensen is a treat -- little prayers in the kitchen -- and rehearsal for the big moments. This movie even treats impotence with the gentleness and humor and understanding that the best of life can deal. Perhaps most erotic is the scene where Karen washes Hal-Finn's hair in her salon -- ummmm! Not enough can be said about this movie. So to cut it short -- go see it -- watch it several times. A magical experience awaits -- where real people with real foibles find real connection.