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Big Night [VHS] [1997]
 
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Big Night [VHS] [1997]

VHS ~ Isabella Rossellini
4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)

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8 used from £1.74

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Product details

  • Actors: Isabella Rossellini, Tony Shalhoub, Stanley Tucci, Marc Anthony, Caroline Aaron
  • Format: Dolby, PAL, Surround Sound
  • Language English, Italian
  • Classification: 15
  • Studio: 4 Front Video
  • VHS Release Date: 1 Jul 2002
  • Run Time: 105 minutes
  • Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
  • ASIN: B00004CVG3
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 10,637 in Video (See Bestsellers in Video)

Product Description

Amazon.co.uk Review
Critics tripped all over their big feet to praise Big Night and in doing so performed a grave disservice to this fine little film. They fooled audiences into believing it was a "super movie" instead of a home movie buoyed by friends and family. Consequently, many viewers were disappointed. Big Night is an intimate look at the immigrant struggle to attain the American Dream, set in New Jersey in the 1950s. Its disproportionate success gave co-directors Stanley Tucci and Campbell Scott, who also star in the picture, the green light to follow up with a smug, unsuccessful second venture called The Imposters. Tucci wrote Big Night with his cousin Joseph Tropiano and they based the story on the experience of growing up in a large, proud Italian family. The brothers in Big Night--chef Primo (Tony Shalhoub) and businessman Secondo (Tucci)--have come to New Jersey to open a bistro named The Paradise that serves the finest in traditional, authentic Italian cuisine. Their every move is foiled by rival restaurant Pascal's, which serves mile-high servings of spaghetti and meatballs and flasks of bad Chianti at exorbitant prices. Primo is disgusted by the fact that Americans want cheap pasta instead of risotto, so Secondo hatches a plan to boost business: rumour has it bandleader Louis Prima is travelling through and will dine at The Paradise that very night. Secondo gambles to bring the finest dinner ever cooked--at the risk of losing his shirt and being reduced to exile to the old country with his tail between his legs. Big Night is a film that will easily invite comparisons to other "food" fare like Babette's Feast and Eat Drink Man Woman but, though Tucci insists his story is "about the struggle between art and commerce and the risk of staying true to yourself", the media refused to let it stay a small, comparative work. The movie, and the buzza round it, became a parable for the essence of the film itself: art vs. commerce. --Paula Nechak

Synopsis
In the 1950s two Italian brothers have come to New Jersey in search of the American dream. Primo is an artist in the kitchen while Seconda is working hard to save his restaurant - when he's not entertaining his girlfriend or his secret lover. Their only chance is to risk everything for one big night.

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What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

Big Night [DVD] [1996]
54% buy
Big Night [DVD] [1996] 5.0 out of 5 stars (2)
£2.98
Big Night [VHS] [1997]
22% buy the item featured on this page:
Big Night [VHS] [1997] 4.5 out of 5 stars (6)
Dinner Rush [DVD] [2002]
12% buy
Dinner Rush [DVD] [2002] 4.6 out of 5 stars (5)
£4.47
Big Night
7% buy
Big Night 4.0 out of 5 stars (1)

 

Customer Reviews

6 Reviews
5 star:
 (5)
4 star:    (0)
3 star:    (0)
2 star:
 (1)
1 star:    (0)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.5 out of 5 stars (6 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Subtle and refined; if you want a blockbuster, stay away., 9 Jul 2004
By A Customer
Having read other reviews of this film I feel compelled to inform anyone who plans to watch or buy this film that it was made to be a small, subtle yet passionate examination of people's hopes, dreams and values.

Big Night is not a sensational Hollywood blockbuster, so if your expectations are such, please either adjust them or avoid the film altogether. If on the other hand you appreciate subtlety, good food, cultural differences and the universal struggle amongst family members, sit back and enjoy.
The scenes in Italian are warm and very funny, portraying a difficult sibling relationship rooted in fundamental differences of life choices.
Watch with an open mind and a stocked kitchen, because it will make you salivate!

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9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars An observational masterpiece, 23 Jul 2002
By L. Hennessy "slowly losing weight" (Twickenham) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
This is a great film; actor Stanley Tucci not only wrote and starred in this, but he directed it too, and with a real sense of old-fashioned panache - the actors are all given the freedom to act through the use of central shots that include whole rooms rather than the rather tiring modern technique of rapid cuts from one shot to another; you feel as if you are almost in the restaurant kitchen with the characters as they cook.
It's the story of a family-run restaurant facing hard times; and the food scenes almost exude the aromas of good Italian cooking - if you like watching actors do their stuff, and quietly-stated honest stories, then this is a film for you.

One that both guys and girls will love.

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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Unforgettable..., 27 Jan 2006
By nicjaytee (London) - See all my reviews
(TOP 100 REVIEWER)   
Good films are unforgettable… and here’s one. On the surface it’s a quirky little story about two Italian brothers running a restaurant in New Jersey in the 1950’s. One is ridiculously passionate about cooking superb food while the other tries to make his brother’s passion commercially viable despite the fact that customers don’t want what he cooks. Both are up against their more successful Italian neighbour who gives the customers exactly what they want. Not much then… but it’s what goes on beneath this deceptively simple tale that makes it so good.

The tense, sincere and often very funny interactions between the two brothers are so believable that they make you really want them to succeed with the “Big Night” on which the future of their restaurant and their relationship depends. Against this background, the preparation of the dishes themselves becomes an all-consuming event, infused with the drama and expectation of a chef in full flight cooking, of necessity, the meal of his life. And, the subtle plot with its inevitable denouement is understated and, as a result, extremely effective.

Brilliantly acted, charming and, in the end, quite moving, “Big Night” is a superbly reflective exploration into the dreams & hopes of two immigrants in an alien world where their values don’t apply and where this threatens to destroy the most important relationship they have. Over-hyped on its release and now increasingly forgotten it’s an unmissable gem of a film.

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars FAMILY AT IT'S BEST
AFTER SEEING THIS FILM, FOR THE FIRST TIME I FELT I WANTED TO SHARE THIS FILM WITH EVERYONE. ANYONE WHO HAS GROWN UP AWAY FROM THEIR HOME COUNTRY, TRYING TO MAKE IT BIG WHILE... Read more
Published on 5 Sep 2004 by christinekp1

2.0 out of 5 stars A bland meal
I've seen BIG NIGHT described as "one of the great food movies". Let me clarify something here. The adjective "great" modifies "food", but not "movies". Read more
Published on 25 Feb 2004 by Joseph Haschka

5.0 out of 5 stars Highly recommended
Especially recommended for food lovers - a subtle comedy about the life and love of two Italian brothers running a restaurant, with some quietly brilliant and understated scenes... Read more
Published on 20 Sep 2000

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