Marcello Mastroianni: I Remember

Italian film legend Marcello Mastroianni remembers. (And boy, does he--over 3 hours worth!) But it's a remembrance that no one who loves film should miss. Anna Maria Tato, Mastroianni's 22 year companion, directed this 1997 documentary, a thoughtful and gently nostalgic look back at the actor's extraordinary career. Timed to coincide with the actor's 72nd birthday, and made just prior to his death, I Remember follows Mastroianni's life from his film debut as an extra at age 11, through the nearly 150 films he made in his nearly 60 year career, offering wonderful anecdotes, intimate portraits of the directors and actors he's worked with, and scores of clips from his films. At all times wise, modest, and irresistibly charming, Mastroianni shares his thoughts on everything from his screen image ("At 72, I'm still the 'Latin Lover'. What am I? A fairground freak?"), to his views on television ("Give me a break! How can we keep on watching game shows? Who kept a hand in his waistcoat? Napoleon. You win a million!"). From the contribution that Italian cinema has made to the art form, to his own contributions to some real clunkers, Mastroianni even shares his views on animals (Mammals? Yes. Birds and fish? No.) I Remember does have two downsides. First, a minor complaint: it would have been nice if the names and dates of the excerpted films were given as subtitles. The second, however, is a major problem. While there's little the filmmakers could have done about the white subtitles provided on the various clips, the titles for the film itself really should have been yellow, or at the very least enhanced. Often illegible against the film's lighter backgrounds, particularly considering Mastroianni's penchant for white suits, even when the backgrounds are darker it's still quite a chore reading them. But in the end, it's a labor of love, for Marcello Mastroianni: I Remember is as precious as its subject. An extraordinary man. An extraordinary life. An extraordinary memoir. Highly recommended. Editor's Choice. (S. C. Sickles)