I just don't understand how this film is so highly rated. Although VERY beautifully filmed, it is, in my opinion, one of the MOST ponderous and boring films I have ever seen. Seeing this film, especially due to its length (I saw the restored version) was like seeing Lawrence of Arabia AFTER 9 hours of additional desert footage was added! It just seemed to go on and on and on. The final segment of the movie was set at a dinner party and it lasted about an hour when it easily could have been done better in about 10 minutes! Now there are some films that are three or more hours long and they are captivating throughout (such as "Ben Hur" or "Gone With The Wind"), but this film merited, at best, about two hours worth of film. Normal scenes that could have been done in seconds or just a few minutes seemed to take an eternity. I STRONGLY disagree about the notion of restoring the lost footage, as despite this the characters generally seemed very wooden and the action and intrigue were minimal. Perhaps the original American version WAS edited poorly BUT adding all this additional footage just didn't help.
Do NOT assume I dislike Italian films. I have really enjoyed many--just not this one.
Do NOT assume I dislike Italian films. I have really enjoyed many--just not this one.