[size=12pt]La Cattura/The Ravine[/size] b Paolo Cavara[/b]
Story/Script
This was the first film of the year for me it was suppose to be a SW, but a friend have lend me a copy, and I became so curious about it that I decided to give a look. The reason I become curious were of course the main cast, and the fact that I’ve never heard of it before.
The story itself it’s not nothing new, it’s has been filmed before, a German sharpshooter (David McCallum) is send to the Balkans conflict during WWII to kill an enemy par, that is causing havoc among the German ranks (Nicoletta Machiavelli), but then things took a strange turn from what’s the plan mission suppose to be and both end up together and isolated from the war, inevitably a romantic interest flourish between the two.
For a Italian/Yugoslav war film it’s a very strange one, nothing similar to Battle of Neretva epic style for instance .
It’s divided in two parts the first one where one of snipers stalks the other on the winter landscapes of the Balkans forests, and the other where the romantic scenes and the drama are the motto.
Like I said nothing that we have not seen before, but in other shores, this film must be a rarity among the Italian war flicks of the period, the subject and style are quite unique, no similarities with those Five for Hell type of films and similar stuff
Actors
The film is made almost by two actors all the others have little screen time, David McCallum is one of those type actors with such a peculiar look, that you just can forget him, it may seem a strange choice for the part, not that he wasn’t used to play military characters, but anyhow strange, surprising he gives a solid and competent performance as the German hunter became soldier, very effective and very believable, got up a few ranks in my consideration, I have some films with him of course but nothing like this. Nicoletta Machiavelli is such a beautiful actress that it doesn’t matter how she acts in the end, in any case she not being such a professional talent as McCallum, gives also a nice performance as the woman in arms doing a men’s job but I assure you there not nothing of men on her. Special mention to western’s regular US actor John Crawford, a very International cast also typical of those days where actors travelled a lot to find work.
Director/Cinematography
The guy who borrowed me the film is a Paolo Cavara fan (well there are worst things), I guess cause of the men’s Mondo flicks, that’s why I got my hands on this somehow rare flick, I have to say that the things I’ve seen from him (and he had a not so long career dying still a relatively young men), I liked both his Giallos those are quite good, very stylish works, even if É tanta paura, still not so good as La tarantola dal ventre nero. In La Cattura he took the path of a more slow pace film style, concentrating the core of the film more on the relationship of both the main characters, which taking in account the script he had was quite understandable, the action scenes are few and nothing of special. The photography on the other hand is superb, great work its almost worth of viewing the film just for that reason.
The director could have made the movie a little bit more original, and avoid also some of the clichés usual of the period, but in the end he didn’t do a bad job, giving at least some consistency to the film, maybe those who may like some more action packed films, won’t find this one so interesting.
Conclusion
Well this is not a lost gem, or an underrated film, it’s not a bad one either, it works more like a curiosity, mainly cause of the theme and the cast, I have to confess that I liked, but I’m not being really impartial, war films are probably my favourite ones, also its beautifully filmed in a snow winter landscape, I might even say that it’s one of those war flicks that you can watch with your wife’s girlfriends (or sisters/mothers if that’s the case) I apologized for the stupid macho remark, but I just can find a better way to put it.
The work of the actor’s are very good and those who have some nostalgia for David McCallum films when he was younger, for those this it’s a must have. Now it’s a must have for me to just to place next to my two Cavara film, and cause I liked.
I know that this one is a 3 stars affair in general terms (it’s not a masterpiece or something of the kind), apart from the photography and the curiosity factor, there’s nothing of stellar here, but in any case and just for me and for the reasons I’ve mentioned I’ll give it 4 stars, but this is just for me OK
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