otto@whuxle.UUCP (George V.E. Otto) (06/25/84)
I just saw *The Pope of Greenwich Village* this evening. This is a taught, humorous look (a slice of life?) at a couple of down and out members of the italian community in New York, mostly located in Little Italy and Greenwich Village. (Did you know that there is an extended italian community within the Village, complete with Social Clubs for Members Only?) The feel of this film is entirely right, as nearly as I can determine. The dreams and aspirations, as well as the ways of achieving them, are the main subjects of this film. But thoughout, there are wonderful touches that communicate an extended understanding of the people who live here. The characterizations are good, and that really adds to the feeling that the audience is exploring a world not ordinarily open to them. If there is one flaw to this film I would say that it suffers the same problem as most slice of life films, that nothing is really resolved and that at the end everything is about the same as at the beginning. But the journey along the way, and the evident audience involvement with the principal characters, makes the story one worth seeing. George Otto AT&T Bell Labs, Whippany ------------------------