"A Heart Elsewhere" is a misnomer. The title should either have been "Heartless" or "A Head Elsewhere". For the film's lead female character, Angela, is anything but a romantic, and its lead male character, Nello, is nothing but a romantic fool.
"A Heart Elsewhere" doesn't even successfully capture the look, mood and flavour of the period (the early 1900s). Maybe it's the sharpness of the photography, or the newness of the costumes. It all seems too modern, too Central Casting, for my taste.
I must admit I had fun deciphering the Latin quotations from such authors as Lucretius, Ovid, Virgil and Catullus. My classical education stood me in good stead.
"A Heart Elsewhere" prepares us for a novel situation, the possibility that Nello may be a homosexual. However, it disappointingly settles for making him an overly sentimental, inexperienced and inept, and hopelessly heterosexual romantic bumbler.
Oh well. At least my Latin (and my Italian) got a good workout. Too bad my heart was not as deeply engaged as my head.
"A Heart Elsewhere" doesn't even successfully capture the look, mood and flavour of the period (the early 1900s). Maybe it's the sharpness of the photography, or the newness of the costumes. It all seems too modern, too Central Casting, for my taste.
I must admit I had fun deciphering the Latin quotations from such authors as Lucretius, Ovid, Virgil and Catullus. My classical education stood me in good stead.
"A Heart Elsewhere" prepares us for a novel situation, the possibility that Nello may be a homosexual. However, it disappointingly settles for making him an overly sentimental, inexperienced and inept, and hopelessly heterosexual romantic bumbler.
Oh well. At least my Latin (and my Italian) got a good workout. Too bad my heart was not as deeply engaged as my head.