Showing posts with label Lara Wendel. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Lara Wendel. Show all posts

Thursday, December 2, 2021

Short Takes: 'The Hawk and the Dove' (1981) ★★ 1/2

If you like looking at teenaged titties and listening to Neil Diamond, this is the movie for you!

The Hawk and the Dove (or Il falco e la colomba) is a romantic melodrama starring Fabio Testi as Michel, a low-level politician who is tended to by Viva (Lara Wendel), a beautiful young model, after he’s attacked by protestors. Their interaction is brief, but since Viva’s young (very young, actually, but we’ll get to that later) and hot, Michel is immediately transfixed. He later encounters her in a restaurant (cue Neil Diamond’s “September Morn”) but is cockblocked by her sleazy boyfriend (Cannibal Ferox’s Danilo Mattei). Of course, Michel is married, but he’s not going to let that stand in his way. Besides, his wife Rita (Simonetta Stefanelli)—the daughter of a prominent senator—is an emasculating bitch, so who can blame him for pursuing a side piece? The pair finally hookup (reprise “September Morn”), only for Michel’s fantasy of Viva to be shattered when he discovers she’s a heroin addict.

There is only one thing Michel can do: save Viva from herself. He checks her into rehab, and after her treatment Michel leaves his wife and the pair move in together. But they’re not even settled into their happily ever after (“September morn…we danced until the night became a brand new day…”) before Viva’s sleazy ex-boyfriend/dealer pays a visit, sending Viva and the movie into a rapid downward spiral.

The Hawk and the Dove is written and directed by Fabrizio Lori, and while he does fine in both of those roles, the movie never really rises above being just OK. Everything seems just a little forced, especially when the drama is cranked up to 11 for the depressing finale. It’s yet another movie that’s aimed for a female audience yet filmed for the male gaze (and definitely not male gays). Wendel’s body is showcased prominently in almost every scene she’s in. Even when she’s clothed her breasts are barely covered. Which, hey, I get it, she’s beautiful. She was also only 15 when she made this movie, and a body double wasn’t used for the nude scenes. I know, I know—it was a different time and Europeans aren’t as stodgy as Americans when it comes to nudity. Still, unless you’re Josh Duggar or Jared Fogle, it’s hard not to feel a little icky watching a nude 15-year-old astride a costar 25 years her senior.

The movie’s also not helped by its English dubbing, which undermines all the actors involved (Wendel has a big dramatic breakdown scene that’s rendered laughable by the voice actor’s let’s-get-this-over-with line reading). I know it’s pointless to bitch about the dubbing since practically all Italian movies at this time were dubbed, but at least when dubbed in Italian the performances sound more authentic.

The Hawk and the Dove is a mildly interesting melodrama, but one you’re likely to forget a day or two after seeing it. Neil Diamond’s “September Morn,” however, will be stuck in your head for-fucking-ever!