VividSimon Simply Perfect

Murphy Howard I enjoyed watching this film and would recommend other to give it a try , (as I am) but this movie, although enjoyable to watch due to the better than average acting fails to add anything new to its storyline that is all too familiar to these types of movies.

Casey Duggan It’s sentimental, ridiculously long and only occasionally funny

Kien Navarro Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

keith-267 I never tire of seeing this film with its repeated line, "There is no wine" from Bombolini. Anthony Quinn shows his comedy character acting skills as he acts in scenes with wife, daughter and the town council. He acts the hero when is is "interrogated" by the tough guys. The only time I find fault is when he throws himself to the ground and acts the imbecile - not part of Bombolini as a character I think.It must be said, however, that Hardy Kruger as the German commanding officer of the troops who come to occupy the town and steal its wine, is the perfect choice. Eventually he leaves town after the population have foiled his efforts to take the precious wine stocks. He turns to them in defeat, "What kind of people are you?" During the process of transporting the wine via a chain of citizens to the cave the camera shows many local faces that are utterly convincing. They are lived in, hard worn, determined faces of people who will not be beaten.For anyone seeking to visit Santa Vittoria when in Italy - don't expect to see street scenes that you remember. They used another nearby town, whose name escapes me, for the location. However, I understand the extras were all local people.

denscul This film has a great director, writer, and has a cast of excellent stars, including Anthony Quinn. Everybody knows him as Zorba the Greek, but hardly anyone recalls Quinn as Bombolini. Quinn goes from hen pecked town drunk to the man who saves the town from the Nazi's hunt for the town's treasure, Italien Vermouth. This is a WWII movie that shows a town getting rid of one Italian dictator, only to be faced with Hitler's gang. Quinn's character is deliciously funny. The simple man faces the professional and orderly German army and bests them using his wit instead of guns. Hardy Kruger, playing the perfect German officer, expresses bewilderment when faced with idea that such a slob could win the battle for the Vermouth.

Mark Pizzey This was the last film I saw with Anthony Quinn before his recent death, his performance is similar to that of his most famous role, Zorba the Greek, but not quite as good. He is often over the top playing the dirty town drunk finding himself elected Mayor but you gradually find yourself loving him as his character bounces off the excellently cast Hardy Kruger as the leader of a German platoon who settle in the small Italian town of Santa Vittoria during World War II. As the film centres upon the hiding of one million bottles of wine from the Germans there is great mix of tense drama and comedy with a reliable supporting cast including a very young Giancarlo Giannini, more recently seen as the Italian detective in Hannibal. Enjoyable Sunday afternoon entertainment.

Ben Calmes Overblown and cartoonish "Secret..." is less a light comedy with earthy characters, as it's usually billed, than it is a loud and long drama for some left-wing theater company. Despite the renown of some of the actors (primarily Anthony Quinn and Anna Magnani) this movie suffers from over-acted cliche Italian characters and a central story line that offensively glosses over German atrocities in Italy during World War II.The action centers in the idealized Italian min-city state of Santa Vittoria--run by a drunk Mayor and peopled with stoic peasants--and the necessity to hide all the bottles of the local vino from the encroaching Nazis. There is very little substantive plot otherwise and what little there is is not worth waiting throw the over-dramatized pacing and staging. This is a real dud. Miss it or be warned!