Queen of Hearts (1989 film)
| Queen of Hearts | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Jon Amiel |
| Written by | Tony Grisoni |
| Starring | Vittorio Duse Joseph Long Anita Zagaria |
| Cinematography | Mike Southon |
| Edited by | Peter Boyle |
| Music by | Michael Convertino |
Production companies | |
| Distributed by | Cinecom Pictures |
Release date |
|
Running time | 112 minutes |
| Countries | United Kingdom United States |
| Language | English |
| Box office | £107,840 (UK)[1] |
Queen of Hearts is a British comedy film directed by Jon Amiel in 1989.[2]
Plot[]
"An epic tale of romance, revenge... and cappuccino". An Italian couple marry for love and elope to London. Four children later, they are running a café in the Italian Quarter. The story is told through the eyes of young Eddie Luca.
Cast[]
- Vittorio Duse as Nonno
- Joseph Long as Danilo
- Anita Zagaria as Rosa
- Eileen Way as Mama Sibilla
- Vittorio Amandola as Barbariccia
- Ian Hawkes as Eddie
- Cliff Parisi in one of his first screen roles, as "manager"
Production[]
A UK and US co-production, filming took place in Italy and the UK, with a mixed Italian and British cast.[2] It was the first cinema film directed by Jon Amiel,[3] and the first feature film written by Tony Grisoni.[4]
Reception[]
The film received mostly positive reviews. On Rotten Tomatoes 3 of 4 critic reviews were positive.[5] US film critic Leonard Maltin included Queen of Hearts in his list of "Great Films You Can't Find on DVD" as well as his book "Leonard Maltin’s 151 Best Movies You’ve Never Seen",[6] and called it an "extraordinary and unusual film about an Italian couple who lead a pleasantly quixotic life in England running a family cafe. Tony Grisoni's screenplay embraces elements of romance, humor, melodrama, mysticism and fantasy in a heady mix. Remarkable first feature for director Amiel." Roger Ebert said that it "has the same sort of magical romanticism as "Moonstruck," but in a more gentle key" and rated it 3.5 out of 4.[7] It won the Montréal First Film Prize at the Montreal World Film Festival in 1989 (at which Vittorio Duse won the best supporting actor prize for his portrayal of Nonno in the film),[8] and won the Grand Prix at the 1990 Festival du Film de Paris.[9]
References[]
- ^ "Back to the Future: The Fall and Rise of the British Film Industry in the 1980s - An Information Briefing" (PDF). British Film Institute. 2005. p. 28.
- ^ a b Queen of Hearts (1989) British Film Institute, retrieved 24 February 2021
- ^ Jon Amiel, British Film Institute, retrieved 24 February 2021
- ^ Tony Grisoni, British Film Institute, retrieved 24 February 2021
- ^ Queen of Hearts (1989), Rotten Tomatoes, retrieved 10 February 2021
- ^ Great Films You Can't Find on DVD, Leonard Maltin, retrieved 10 February 2021
- ^ Queen of Hearts, Roger Ebert, 20 October 1989, retrieved 10 February 2021
- ^ IMDb, Montréal World Film Festival, 1989, retrieved 15 February 2021
- ^ Queen Of Hearts, National Library of Wales, Scripts 1/14/1 (Box 30), retrieved 15 February 2021
External links[]
- Queen of Hearts at IMDb
- Time Out magazine's review of the film
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- 1989 films
- English-language films
- 1989 comedy films
- 1989 directorial debut films
- American films
- American comedy films
- British films
- British comedy films
- Films directed by Jon Amiel
- Films scored by Michael Convertino
- Films shot in Italy
- 1980s comedy film stubs