I was scanning my TiVo the other day for one of the many classic films I regularly record and came across this enjoyable 50′s flick. Wild is the Wind, (1958) stars Anthony Quinn, the Mexican-born actor, and the Italian born actress (or is it actor…in our new freak world?), Anna Magnanni.
Quinn plays Gino, a wealthy Italian American sheep farmer, with Italian accent and all, living with his daughter, brother, sister-in-law, and a young man he calls Bene (Tony Franciosa) whom he loves as a son.
Years after his wife’s death Gino travels to the old country to meet and marry her younger sister. She arrives with Gino to her new home and life to a true Italian hyper energy fest, wine, a million words a minute, arms flailing, the whole Italian experience…it was fun to watch. If you’re Italian, or speak it, you’ll get a kick out the Italian lingo; you’ll the love the interaction.
Anna Magnanni’s character, Gioia, is played with awesome energy as a pure Italian ball of fire. Gino still loves his first wife, and has a hard time dealing with his new one. As result, tensions mount and he inadvertently pushes her into another man’s arms and the love triangle is on. Tony Franciosa, “Bene” is the third side of the triangle, but you hardly noticed him with the amazing performance from Anna and Tony. I like the ending.
