Sorry, this movie sucks

Plenty to Like, Plenty to Dislike

If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

It's a feast for the eyes. But what really makes this dramedy work is the acting.

A Gothic tale ,which shows a strong RL Stevenson influence ,which should not be missed if ,by chance ,you had the opportunity to watch it;in Risi's huge filmography ,it is one of his most overlooked (and underrated) works;whereas "Il Sorpasso" is known and praised around the world,quite rightly so,"Anima Persa" remains a sleeper .Let's forget the bland young couple ,the weakest side of the movie.Risi put the weight of his movie on Gassman and Deneuve and they carried it brilliantly.Deneuve seems cast against type in this part of a still attractive but jaded faded woman;her last sequence has got something of Bunuel's "Tristana" .But the stand out is Gasman -who shone in "il Sorpasso" fifteen years before- in a thankless part ,who achieves the incredible feat of having us believe the unbelievable ;such is the talent of the man!Set in a baroque decadent palace in Venice,where the couple seems mummified ,in an atmosphere which sometimes recalls Roman Polanski's "Le Locataire" released the same year.Risi's movie triumphantly renews the hackneyed subjects of the split personality ,of the mysterious closed door leading to the forbidden room ,and of the fall of the House Usher.

i had heard about this flick,as a giallo & i liked the previous collaboration of Risi/Gassman in "Profumo Di Donna", so i was curious to watch this "anima persa". even though this movie is't a gaillo at all,(it doesn't have typical giallo's elements), but it could be classified as a decent horror film. it's impossible for the viewer to forget a major thing : Gassman' penetrating eyes! (what a good actor he is) & he definitely steals the movie. it could be predictable after the half,that what's going on , but this movie is entertaining to watch.

Tino is an art student.He arrives to Venice to paint and live with his aunt and uncle in their old-school antiquarian mansion.Not very long after his arrival he hears strange sounds coming from a room upstairs.Somebody is living in the attic.A lunatic brother of Tino's uncle,who is kept locked in the forbidden room and is not allowed to leave.Very subtle and quiet mystery drama set in beautiful Venice.The performances of Vittorio Gassman and Catherine Deneuve are excellent.The final twist is utterly surprising and incredibly sad.If you are a fan of "Don't Look Now" or "La Residenica" you can't miss "Anima Persa".It's a tightly written and extremely memorable film with lots of atmosphere and some perverse psycho-sexual overtones.8 out of 10.

This Italian-French co-production could easily be thrown into the Italian giallo genre of the time, but it is really a pretty unique film that differs from other films in that genre in several major respects. First off, it is much more of a big-budget, arty affair with big-name actors like Vittorio Gassman and Catherine Deneuve, and a director who had just come off a big international art-house success with "Profuma di Donna" (the original Italian version of "Scent of a Woman" which also featured Gassman). It's also much more obscure than most giallo and was never clumsily dubbed into English. Mostly though it has a plot that actually makes sense and it develops slowly and subtly--quite a contrast from the hysterical tone and overwrought style of most gialli.A naive young man studying art in Venice comes to stay with distant relatives, an elderly uncle (Gassman) and a somewhat younger aunt (Deneuve). In "Jane Eyre" fashion he discovers that his uncle is apparently keeping his insane brother in a secret room in an attic. His curiosity is piqued and he begins to investigate with his new artist model/girlfriend (Alcinee Alvina), and quickly discovers that all is not as it seems with his mysterious relatives.You have to have a little patience with this film (especially if you're expecting a typical giallo). The atmosphere builds up slowly, but ultimately quite effectively. There is no graphic violence at all and no sex (aside from a memorable nude scene from the gorgeous Alvina). The final revelations at the end though are as perverse and disturbing as anything you'll find in any other giallo, with intimations of child abuse, incest, and the dual nature of man. Without giving too much away, this movie ends up being one of the best, most faithful adaptations of a certain classic story by R.L. Stevenson that I've seen. It's very hard to find, but find it.