"Ernesto"
1983
Directed by Salvatore Samperi

"Genuinely erotic and lushly mounted!  Impeccably crafted with wit and not a little wisdom, Ernesto is the most complex rendition of homosexuality yet to reach the screen." - Richard Goldstein, Village Voice.   Set in the Italian port of Trieste in 1911, Ernesto is the coming-of-age chronicle of 17 year-old Ernesto, a handsome office clerk who dreams of becoming a violinist.  An unexpected tryst with a sensitive dock worker opens the youth to feelings he has previously been afraid to confront.  Several months later, Ernesto's chance encounter with Ilio, a striking 15 year-old violin student, blossoms into a love affair.  Their delicate relationship is further complicated, however, by the amorous advances of Ilios's twin sister. Directed by Salvatore Semperi, this multi-million dollar Spanish-Italian co-production is considered by international critics among the most significant gay-themed motion pictures ever made.   Michele Placido's compassionate, understated performance as the tormented dock worker won him the Best Actor Award at the 1979 Berlin Film Festival.  "Lush, intensely romantic!" - San Francisco Chronicle.  "Ernesto is a movie to hold your breath through!" - Christopher Street.  With Martin Halm, Michele Placido and Virna Lisi.  Italian with English subtitles, color.  98 minutes.