'Three Brothers' Makes a Wise and Touching Journey Home

By JON MATSUMOTO

Dec. 24, 1992 12 AM PT

The character of Donato only utters a few lines in Francesco Rosi’s poetic and contemplative “Three Brothers.” But that hardly matters. In this rural widower’s craggy face, you can feel a profoundly earthy dignity and sadness that seems to transcend language.

Throughout this 1980 Italian film, the old man (Charles Vanel) seems to symbolize a simple yet honorable way of life that is crumbling in the face of an increasingly chaotic modern society.

It is Donato who sets “Three Brothers” in motion when he calls his three urban-based sons home after the death of his wife. As they journey back to the setting of their youth, the life of each brother is revealed in very stark terms. For Raffaele (Philippe Noiret) and Nicola (Michele Placido), life is already so full of stress and worry that they barely have the time to mourn their mother’s death.

These two combative siblings represent very different world views. The pragmatic Raffaele is a high-placed judge who is about to take on a case that will make him a target of terrorists. The hotheaded Nicola is a leftist union organizer whose marriage is deteriorating.

“Three Brothers” reflects the political and social turmoil in Italy during the late ‘70s. During this terrorist-plagued period, civilization wasn’t always very civilized. Rosi underscores this loss of innocence by employing a number of deeply lyrical and loving flashbacks of Donato’s life as a young, carefree man.

Donato is presented as a kind of a spoke in the wheel of nature. In one memorable scene, the old man explains to his young granddaughter that alarm clocks aren’t necessary in the country. In this unspoiled setting, he tells her, one acts in concert with the sounds and movements of nature.

Rocco (Vittorio Mezzogiorno) is the most likable brother. A sensitive soul, he teaches wayward children in a reformatory. Rocco is the son most like Donato. And not surprisingly, he is also the son most moved to reflection and nostalgia after his mother’s passing.

“Three Brothers” really does feel like a master painting. Visually striking and artfully crafted, this reflective film possesses an intelligence and emotional depth that is timeless.

“Three Brothers” (1980), directed by Francesco Rosi. 113 minutes. Rated PG. “The Heiress” (1949), directed by William Wyler. 115 minutes. Olivia de Havilland won an Oscar for her portrayal of Catherine Sloper, one of cinema’s most memorable and heartbreaking doormats. In this truly tragic film, based on the Henry James novel “Washington Square,” she falls for a wily gold digger (Montgomery Clift).

“The Front” (1976), directed by Martin Ritt. 94 minutes. Rated PG. Woody Allen “fronts” for a blacklisted TV writer in this compelling and often darkly humorous reminder that the carefree ‘50s were far from the happiest of days for those Americans who were either Communists or suspected Communists.

“Near Dark” (1987), directed by Kathryn Bigelow. 95 minutes. Rated R. In Heartland, USA, a handsome farm kid named Caleb (Adrian Pasdar) falls for Mae (Jenny Wright), a comely young woman who just happens to be a vampire. When Mae nips Caleb on the neck, he is involuntarily thrust into her “family” of marauding bloodhounds, and a unique road movie ensues. Although it’s not for the squeamish, “Near Dark” is unusually insightful for a film so frightening. And it’s pocked with moments of wicked black humor too.

“The White Sheik” (1952), directed by Federico Fellini. 86 minutes. Not rated. This underrated little gem is one of Fellini’s most charming and comic films, marked by a neo-realist style that contrasts with the more baroque surrealism of some of his later films. It’s a biting portrayal of show-biz charlatans that is both funny and a little bit frightening.

“Tokyo-Ga” (1985), directed by Wim Wenders. 92 minutes. Not rated. A fascinating and very personal documentary account of Wim Wenders’ 1983 journey to rediscover the Tokyo made famous by Japanese director Yasujiro Ozu. As seen through Wenders’ roving camera, to live in this bustling metropolis is to be assaulted by a level of commercialism and tension that might even intimidate a lifelong New Yorker.

Orange County Video Rentals

A look at the fast-moving video rentals in four Orange County neighborhoods.

VIDEO TOWN

5300 Beach Blvd., Buena Park.

(714) 739-6032.

* Housesitter (MCA/Universal)

* Lethal Weapon 3 (Warner)

* The Universal Soldier (Carolco)

* Patriot Games (Paramount)

* Sister Act (Disney)

VIDE-O-LYMPIX

8955 Atlanta Ave., Huntington Beach.