During World War II, in the quiet town of Sicily by the sea in Italy, the beauty and charm of Marlena, a beautiful young woman with dark wavy curly hair, intoxicated all the men in the town and made all the women jealous. Like a goddess, she didn't say a word, just walked through the streets step by step, and it became the most enchanting scenery. This landscape conquered all the men of Sicily, including the 13-year-old teenager Velitus, who was in the midst of his sexual initiation. The boy Villitus rides his bicycle around the town with some older teenagers, following Marlena all the time. Her beautiful curls pouring down her back, the fashionable short skirt wrapped around her body, and the stockings and high heels full of lust and temptation all made the growing boy quickly fall into the whirlpool of hormones. He skipped school to wait for her at Marlena's window, got up at night when he couldn't sleep to see her, listened to her records, wrote her countless letters that he couldn't send, and threw them into the sea. Countless times fantasizing about conquering her in the movie, all the erotic fantasies of the teenager are piled up with a smile from Marlena.
However, the war completely changed the life of the goddess, pushing her into the dark abyss. Officially, it was announced that her husband on the front line had died on the battlefield, and the goddess who was high above suddenly turned into a beautiful helpless widow. All the women tried to slander her, all the men tried to take possession of her, and rumors began to spread about her in every corner of the town. The young Villitus watched as his beloved goddess fell step by step into a deadly vortex. Due to the difficulties of life and the persecution of reality, Marlena is gradually compromising and sinking. She became a veritable scourge, her father disowned her as a result, and she was even taken to court. In order to survive, Marlena succumbs to men's desires and begins to sell her beauty and body. Everyone thought she was despicable and self-depraved, but only the young Villitus witnessed her deep love for her husband. For her sake, the boy prayed to the angel in the church: "Please protect her for a few years before I am able to take care of her." Later, he witnessed his goddess being insulted by a lewd lawyer, so he angrily broke the outstretched arm of the angel in the church.
Marlena sank step by step and became a lowly prostitute. When the war ended, the American GIs marched into Sicily, and Marlena was dragged into the square and beaten by women who were mad with jealousy, while the men who had once been intoxicated with her stood by, and the cowardly teenager Velitus burst into tears. Marlena was forced to leave Sicily on a crowded train. But not long after, her husband Li Nuo actually came back, and he was still alive! He searched everywhere for his wife, but was met with all kinds of discrimination and humiliation from people. By this time, Velitus had grown into the adult he had always longed for, and he followed Lino and wrote him a letter informing Marlena of her affection for her husband. Years later, Lino and Marlena returned to the small town of Sicily together, silently and calmly navigating through the whispering crowd. At the market, the women whispered that Marlena was no longer young and pretty, and for the first time, Marlena opened her mouth to say "good morning" - even to the women who had cruelly hurt her. The "good morning" began, and everyone began to be friendly as if nothing had happened. At the end of the film, Vilito helps Marlena pick up the oranges scattered on the ground and listens to her say thank you. Then they turned around, and Velito, who was riding a bicycle, kept looking back at his lover's back, and said the most touching line: "As the years go by, I have loved many women later, and when I hold them tightly in my arms, they will ask me if I will remember her." I think I would, but only I know I won't forget that the woman who never asked me was Marlena. "
This is the Italian drama film "The Beautiful Legend of Sicily", released in 2000, directed by: Giuseppe Tornatore Starring: Monica Bellucci Giuseppe Surfaro
