The Flavor of Corn explained

The Flavor of Corn
Native Name:Il sapore del grano
Director:Gianni Da Campo
Producer:Chantal Lenoble-Bergamo
Enzo Porcelli
Starring:Lorenzo Lena
Marco Mestriner
Music:Franco Piersanti
Cinematography:Emilio Bestetti
Studio:Antea Films & RAI
Distributor:SACIS (Italy)
Award Films (U.S.)
Runtime:93 minutes
Country:Italy
Language:Italian

The Flavor of Corn (Italian: '''Il sapore del grano'''; also known in English as The Taste of Wheat) is a 1986 Italian coming-of-age film. Written and directed by Gianni Da Campo, the film stars Lorenzo Lena and Marco Mestriner and follows the story of a relationship between a professor and his 12-year-old student.[1] [2] [3]

Plot

Lorenzo is a young man, who has been appointed as a school teacher in a small Italian village. One of his pupils, 12-year-old boy named Duilio, has romantic feelings toward Lorenzo. Lorenzo visits Duilio's home, meets with his family and they become good friends.Lorenzo then meets a woman with whom he falls in love. Lorenzo's relationship with the woman is unfulfilling and they break up.During this time, Lorenzo grows closer to Duilio and they begin a secret romantic relationship. Many things change after Duilio’s stepmother begins to distrust Lorenzo. They begin to meet very rarely and Duilio starts to behave desperately to see Lorenzo. Lorenzo reflects on the nature of their relationship and decides to leave the village and Duilio.

Cast

Reception

The Seattle Times lauded the film for being "unflinchingly honest" and the San Francisco Bay Area Reporter described the story as "fascinating", adding that the film "approaches its forbidden topic with an even hand and a warm heart."[4] In September 2012, a "special event" screening of the film was arranged as part of a 1980s retrospective at the 17th Milano Film Festival, which touted the film as a "hidden jewel" that managed to avoid the familiar tropes and clichés employed by other films of the genre.[5]

Accolades

Year Organization Award Recipient(s) Result
1986Festival del cinema neorealistico
(Neorealist Film Festival)
Kim Arcalli PlaqueGianni Da Campo
(Director)
Pietro Bianchi Plaque Chantal Bergamo & Enzo Porcelli
(Producers)

Home media

Since its original release in 1986, the film has been subtitled in various languages and distributed internationally on VHS and DVD in numerous countries, including Italy (released as Il sapore del grano),[6] [7] China (translated as The Taste of Wheat),[8] Germany (released as Die Qual der Liebe),[9] and the United States (released as The Flavor of Corn).[4] In 1994, Award Films International released the film in North America in the VHS format with English subtitles.[4] As of 2013, no evidence of an official North American DVD release has been found. However, in November 2011, Ripley's Home Video released the film in Italy in the Region 2 DVD format, which includes the option to watch with English subtitles.[7]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Sapore del Grano (1986). https://archive.today/20120710142017/http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/121057/Sapore-del-Grano/overview. dead. July 10, 2012. Movies & TV Dept.. The New York Times. May 4, 2013.
  2. Web site: Il sapore del grano (Italian). August 5, 2008. May 4, 2013. CulturaGay.it.
  3. Web site: Schüler liebt Lehrer (German). December 17, 2010. May 4, 2013. Queer.de.
  4. 1994. The Flavor of Corn. VHS. Award Films International . Los Angeles. 1-884193-02-1.
  5. Web site: Il sapore del grano (Italian). June 25, 2012. May 4, 2013. FestivalMixMilano.com. August 23, 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20120823074539/http://www.festivalmixmilano.com/2012/il-sapore-del-grano/. dead.
  6. Web site: Il sapore del grano. September 1986. May 4, 2013. (VHS). FilmScoop.it.
  7. Web site: Il Sapore Del Grano. November 16, 2011. May 4, 2013. (DVD). Amazon.it.
  8. Web site: The Taste of Wheat. September 7, 2011. May 4, 2013. (DVD). MoviePosterDB.
  9. Web site: Die Qual der Liebe. December 20, 2010. May 4, 2013. (DVD). Amazon.de.