Reviews

Love for the rich and vibrant traditions of the ancient city of Naples fills every scene of this series, but the vibe is fresh and contemporary. The cinematography is first-rate, and the acting is superb. Each lead character is well fleshed out, and the character roles in each case are brilliantly cast and acted, be they innocent children or mob bosses, concierges or architects, young lovers or old widows and widowers. The older characters are especially fine, including detective Giorgio Pisanelli, played by Gianfelice Imparato, who, despite his colleagues' skepticism, is doggedly on the trail of a serial killer. It may not be the most original whodunit, but there is plenty of eye candy, and the music is good. It just sings. Of course it does, it's Napoli!

This priceless old film contains brilliant performances, not only by the great Sonia Braga, and the Moliere Award-winning Jose Wilker, but also by the entire supporting cast.

The gossipy neighbors, the uptight mother, the casino and whorehouse friends of Vadinho, are all played to absolute perfection! Mauro Mendonça deserves honorable mention for his spot-on portrayal of the bassoon-playing dork of a second husband. I've seen this at least a dozen times, and I still can't stop laughing.

Few films create a masterpiece out of a masterpiece of fiction, which both this film and Jorge Amado's novel certainly are. Here, you get not only erotic art, but a hilarious and splendid comedy of manners, in a fantastic period setting, perfect in every detail. If that were not enough, the soundtrack of Francis Hime and Chico Buarque de Hollanda, with the theme song, "O que sera sera," sung by the great Simone, serves you an auditory feast worthy of Dona Flor's immortal moqueca.

A treasure to savor, over and over and over again!