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Queen of Hearts (1989 film)
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Wikipedia article
'Queen of Hearts' is a British comedy film directed by Jon Amiel in 1989.
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 caf 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.[https://www2.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b7986dc68 Queen of Hearts (1989)] British Film Institute, retrieved 24 February 2021 It was the first cinema film directed by Jon Amiel,[https://www2.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2ba35c41db Jon Amiel], British Film Institute, retrieved 24 February 2021 and the first feature film written by Tony Grisoni.[https://www2.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2ba0aeb90a Tony Grisoni], British Film Institute, retrieved 24 February 2021
Reception
The film received mostly positive reviews. On Rotten Tomatoes 3 of 4 critic reviews were positive.[https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/queen_of_hearts Queen of Hearts (1989)], Rotten Tomatoes, retrieved 10 February 2021 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 Maltins 151 Best Movies Youve Never Seen",[https://leonardmaltin.com/great-films-you-cant-find-on-dvd/ Great Films You Can't Find on DVD], Leonard Maltin, retrieved 10 February 2021 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.[https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/queen-of-hearts-1989 Queen of Hearts], Roger Ebert, 20 October 1989, retrieved 10 February 2021
It won the Montral 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),[https://www.imdb.com/event/ev0000449/1989/1?ref_=ttawd_ev_1 IMDb, Montral World Film Festival, 1989], retrieved 15 February 2021 and won the Grand Prix at the 1990 Festival du Film de Paris.[https://archifau.llyfrgell.cymru/index.php/queen-of-hearts Queen Of Hearts], National Library of Wales, Scripts 1/14/1 (Box 30), retrieved 15 February 2021
References
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