A Walk in the Clouds (1995)

Good movie, but best of all time? Hardly . . .

Best movie ever!

A waste of 90 minutes of my life

The thing I enjoyed most about the film is the fact that it doesn't shy away from being a super-sized-cliche;

I recently watched this movie when it was aired on TV, without any expectation out of it. Later, I realized that it was a masterpiece. The movie had no nudity and violence, but love. Keanu Reeves, has lived the character of Paul Sutton. The calm and caring attitude of Paul made me think as if Keanu has carried out of his real life. There was no cinematic acting by any of the actors. It felt me that I was entering a real family which values the family tradition and was cherished by the vineyard. The cinematography was excellent especially vineyard scenes and the festival. This movie is recommended for people who like movies which make us appreciate the real love.

There are a few scenes in this love story which will bring out a few chuckles, but all in all this is a film about family, love, and joy. Keanu Reeves portrays the orphan Paul Sutton, a man who has fought to be acknowledged all his life and has returned a decorated war hero and a young man in search of himself. He has had a lot of time to think about who he is and what he wants to be. He and Debra Messing portray an often ignored segment of the American post war population, the ones who got married on the spur of the moment and were separated for four years during the war. They grew apart, and hardly know one another. So when Paul meets Victoria, he is pursuing a path unknown, a path beyond the dreams he made in his mind while separated from Betty. Aitana Sanchez-Gijon portrays the woman "in trouble", which at that time being pregnant out of wedlock was nearly cause for public stoning, and especially in a strict Roman Catholic family. Her performance, along with the stellar performances of Anthony Quinn as Victoria's grandfather and Giancarlo Giannini as Victoria's father, make this romance a stunning piece of true romance. Every scene, every nuance of the film presses you deeper and deeper into the feelings of the characters, and the scenery and photography are incredibly breathtaking. Rated PG-13 for sexual themes and war scenes, this is a film for Date Night with your significant other. Collectible, absolutely, if for no other reason than to have evidence of Keanu's occasional good sense in accepting a role.

What a beautiful movie! What grand and lush style and color, what emotion and care and breath taking scenery.. This has to be one of the most beautiful films of all time.A walk in the clouds is not something you'd except in the modern film industry, no this film is out side of what we see now of days this film is not a sexual charged romance film like 9 1/2 weeks or Night's In rodanthe. No this film follows the old fashioned way romance use to be like back in the 40's and 50's it is an a film with values that lie deep in the story and plot and if yo look deep enough you will see that there more to this film than meets the eye.Keanu Reeves turns in a very believable and very skilled performance as a lost G.I. trying to find his place in the world, he plays the honorable and very kind Paul with such decency and grace that you can not love his performance.A walk in the clouds is just what the title says. It's a walk amongst the most beautiful and cherished things in life love, honor, friendship and most important family. This movie is a true joy and wonder to watch unfold on the screen, Once it's over you'll want to watch it again and again it's just that good! Alfonso Arau directs this beautiful and visually stunning period romance to perfection, and he does with such style and grace that everything seems to fit in. Those that said this movie was terrible or even a mediocre romance weren't watching this movie closely. You need to pretend that your Paul Sutton and that your helping this girl out of her troubles, if you do that, if you immerse yourself in the films grandeur and beauty then you are truly watching A Walk in the Clouds and you are truly seeing a movie that is wroth the time and the money to rent or even buy for your collection.All in all A Walk in the Clouds is a film that you just can't miss or ignore, it's perfect any day entertainment for anyone with a heart for romance.

This film is a magical fairytale of love, struggle, and romance, directed by the brilliant Mexican director Alfonso Arau ('Like Water for Chocolate'). Keanu Reeves has never been better at being a 'good guy', here tormented by his origins as an orphan, betrayed by a frivolous young wife, returning from War with a head full of hopes only to meet with the apparent collapse of all of his prospects. But Fate intervenes, and he meets the amazingly, delicately beautiful Aitana Sanchez-Gijon. She is the half-Spanish, half-Italian actress who two years later was so brilliant in 'The Chambermaid of the Titanic' (see my review). She has all the freshness of a rose which has just opened in the morning dew. This is what Penelope Cruz was like before she went to Hollywood. The story concerns her family, the Aragons. Her mother is played radiantly by the Mexican actress Angelica Aragon, and her intense and domineering father by the Italian actor Giancarlo Giannini. One of the finest performances in the film is by Anthony Quinn. He was rarely better than this. It is little known that he was born in Mexico, half Irish, half Mexican. Since his middle name was Oaxaca, his mother must have been a Zapotec Indian. Here he is utterly in his element, since the story is of an ancient Spanish family with a vineyard in the Napa Valley of California. Whether such people still exist anymore, I doubt. But this is a fantasy, very similar to the wonderful series of three novels by Bret Harte, commencing with 'A Waif of the Plains'. Certainly these days, as Hispanics become more and more important in America, more films like this should be made exploring the early Spanish settler traditions. Much was made of this sort of thing in Hitchcock's 'Vertigo', but the lead was not followed up by subsequent mainstream directors. This film is a poignant story of how the lost and lonely orphan Keanu Reeves finds true love and acceptance at last in the bosom of a family and in the arms of one of the most delectable gals imaginable. But he only achieves this by being noble, generous, kind, unbelievably tolerant and patient, and by being tested in every conceivable way. Reeves could not possibly have played this character so well unless he had a lot of these qualities himself. The film is a wonderful achievement, the period costumes and sets are perfect, the buildings are authentic Spanish survivals from various places in the Napa Valley, apparently, the atmosphere is pure magic, the vicissitudes are harrowing, but love and devotion and goodness conquer all. This is actually a romantic film from an adult perspective which children can safely see, and that's saying something these days. No grunting in corners, as the emphasis is on love, - remember love? It used to exist. Maybe it will come back one day. We need more films like this to encourage us. We also need more Aitana Sanchez-Gijons, if we can remember and pronounce their names, that is. Etana was Sumerian for 'eagle'. I wonder if there is any connection with Aitana, as she has the same noble quality. This film is an eagle, it soars, it truly soars.