Stealing Beauty | 
| Director: Bernardo Bertolucci
Actors: Jeremy Irons, Liv Tyler, Carlo Cecchi, Sinead Cusack, Joseph Fiennes
Studio: 20th Century Fox
Category: DVD
List Price: $9.98
Buy New: $4.19
You Save: $5.79 (58%)
New (33) Used (16) from $3.65
Rating:  106 reviews
Sales Rank: 9962
Format: Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Color, Dvd, Widescreen, Ntsc
Languages: English (Original Language), English (Subtitled), Spanish (Subtitled)
Rating: R (Restricted)
Region: 1
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
Number Of Discs: 1
Running Time: 118 Minutes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 7.4 x 5.1 x 0.6
MPN: FOXD2002833D
UPC: 024543028338
EAN: 0024543028338
ASIN: B00005QZ7W
Theatrical Release Date: June 14, 1996
Release Date: January 8, 2002
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
Movie DVD
Amazon.com
Critics were decidedly mixed about this 1996 drama from Italian director Bernardo Bertolucci, and the movie enjoyed only a brief theatrical release. Now it's best known for its early appearance by Liv Tyler as a 19-year-old beauty named Lucy who summers at a villa in Tuscany with a variety of artistic types who immediately respond to her inspirational innocence. An amateur poet who has decided it's time to lose her virginity, Lucy has come to Italy after the death of her mother, who visited this artist's refuge 20 years earlier. Several young Italian men find Lucy quite heavenly (she is, after all, Liv Tyler), and she's not immune to their attentions, but she'd rather spend time with a playwright (Jeremy Irons) who is dying of AIDS and therefore has something other than sex on his mind. The movie's plot is about as substantial as Tyler's character (she's sexy, all right, but hardly an intellectual muse), but Stealing Beauty creates a serene mood that's so soothing you'll want to book a flight to Tuscany immediately, just to soak up the setting's idyllic atmosphere. If you're in the right frame of mind, this movie is like a balm for the soul, and Tyler and Bertolucci can share the credit for making this two-hour vacation so charmingly relaxing. --Jeff Shannon
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| Customer Reviews: Read 101 more reviews...
 Uninteresting story and characters June 15, 2009
M. Smith (Washington, NC)
Liv Tyler plays 19-year old Lucy Harmon, who travels to Italy to spend the summer with family friends following the suicide of her mother, a poet. The friends, an Irish sculptor and his wife, have an attractive villa in the Tuscan hills which seems to be a gathering place for her mother's artistic and literary friends.
An intriguing entry in her mother's diary suggests Lucy's father was someone other than her husband. Lucy hopes to discover her natural father's identity during her stay at the villa. Lucy's second goal for the summer is to lose her virginity, perhaps in the same olive grove where she suspects she, herself, was conceived.
My problem with this film is that I don't care enough about the characters to be interested in their problems. Many people come and go, often with little introduction or explanation of who they are or why they are there, making it seem as though the audience is being excluded from the goings-on. Even after a second viewing, I still do not know who some of the characters were.
Neither the film nor the characters held my interest.
A little bare, but nothing short of beautiful... March 23, 2009
Andrew Ellington (Mulholland Drive)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Bernardo Bertolucci is one of those directors you either love or hate. He can easily rub someone the wrong way with his exploitation and ceaseless explicit content, but when one understands the message behind Bertolucci's apparent sensual frustrations he can be appreciated for much more than he is usually regarded as. His films are not mere `skin flicks' as some have felt the need to wrongfully accuse them of being. In fact, some of his films are sheer masterpieces (`Last Tango in Paris' is above and beyond one of the best films ever made) and even those that fall somewhat short of his intellectual reaching (`The Dreamers' was close but yet so far from his potential) are still much more than meets the eye. `Stealing Beauty' is one of his weaker films, for it doesn't have the emotional or even the political depth of his other work, but it still manages to carry itself rather well and touches upon much more than bare skin.
The story is a coming of age tale that revolves around a nineteen year old virgin named Lucy. After her mother's suicide, Lucy travels to Italy to visit friends of her mothers. Her mother had journeyed to this artistic retreat twenty years prior and had become pregnant with Lucy, so Lucy's agenda in visiting is to find her real father; and lose her virginity. There are many different individuals whom she meets and forms friendships with, including Ian, the serious sculptor who is intrigued by Lucy's innocence, as well as Alex, the dying guest who stimulates Lucy intellectually.
And then there are a slew of young Italian boys who find her just utterly delicious.
While the film centers itself on Lucy's libido and her desire to lose that prized possession known as her virginity (why are we so quick to give away something so precious) it isn't merely about that act. While staying at this home Lucy is given a glimpse a life very far removed from her own; a life of carefree passions and removed from all scrutiny. There are scenes where characters parade about in the nude; no one reluctant but everyone comfortable and content. It appears shocking to some and maybe even repulsive, but the truth of the matter is that Bertolucci is trying to show the contrasting variables of self contentment. As an American culture we are often guarded, as if we are afraid to expose ourselves to others. The fact that everyone at this house is that open, even the unfit and or older ones, shows that there is a level of self respect and love that is not found in a lot of individuals today.
The acting is all pretty well done, with only a few missteps. Sinead Cusack and Rachel Weisz stand out amidst all the pretty faces as two very talented and very moving actresses. Liv Tyler is gorgeous and has a sense of restraint needed to carry her character, but she does at times get lost in the scenes. A lot has been said over Jeremy Irons performance, but personally I didn't find him nearly as moving as the late Donal McCann who handled Ian with such fervor. He really understood how to embody his character with the right amount of smoldering sensuality that made him utterly irresistible. His eyes were just downright piercing.
This is no where near as deeply investing as `Last Tango in Paris', but it is much more than some reviewers have made it sound. This is not a `boring film only good for a shot of Tyler's goods' but a sensible and honest portrait of a young girl finding herself amidst people who truly understand what it means to be free.
The ending January 1, 2009
C. Parham
This is a long movie. The intimacy was short and then the movie was over.
Makes Me Want to Move to Italy December 28, 2008
billjv (Smyrna, TN United States)
This film has a relaxing quality about it that just soothes the soul. The cast is very good together as well, and the film really does have a nice ensemble quality even if Liv takes up the majority of screen time. I bought the DVD after watching on IFC, and the television version has english subtitles when Italian is being spoken. The DVD does not, as many others have mentioned. This is very annoying, because you do lose some sub-plot information by not knowing what is being said between characters speaking Italian.
I would have loved to have seen a director's cut with commentary. Anyway, regardless, this is a great film for any time you want to really escape for a couple of hours. The film is such that after you've watched it, you feel as if you've become one of the summer house guests. I think I read another review somewhere that was critical of the fact that this area of Italy is shown as being "old country" and that these areas are much more urbanized than portrayed. However, I think this is actually being addressed in the film when they show the television station/towers being built and comment on it.
All in all, I do love this film. I love watching it, I love watching certain scenes, and it's very, very relaxing!
 Got virginity? August 31, 2008
Nicole Bradshaw (Jackson, MS USA)
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
Stealing Beauty stars Liv Tyler, Jeremy Irons, Joseph Fiennes, Rachel Weisz, and a host of talented Italian actors. (I only mention the names preceding because those are probably the names you will recognize. Other than Tyler and Irons, most of the substantial roles seem to have been performed by Italian actors.)
At any rate, Tyler stars as Lucy Harmon, the 19-year-old, virginal daughter of a famous poet who has recently committed suicide. Lucy, upon going through her late mother's things, finds evidence that the man she thought was her father is not, indeed, her father. Her mother's notes suggest that an Italian man is Lucy's true father. Curious, Lucy goes to an art colony (of sorts) in Italy that her mother used to frequent to find out more.
There, we are introduced to a bohemian way of life and an eccentric cast of characters. Lovable Alex (Irons), a writer with a terminal illness, becomes fast friends with Lucy. As the summer progresses, Lucy discovers the identity of her father and finds her first love.
This film is beautifully shot. It takes a nostalgic, romantic view of Italy and the artist's life. The film explores the concepts of love, secrets, and youth. I enjoyed watching most of it, though there was a bit too much nudity and profanity for my taste. This is definitely an adults-only film, but there are some good performances (notably Tyler, Irons, and a solid turn by Sinead Cusack) that make the film worth watching.
(The film actually reminded me a bit of an arty version of those old "losing your virginity" movies of the 80s. It's sort-of the same concept, but treated with a loftier, more serious tone and set in a MUCH more atmospheric location.)
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