Marcello Mastroianni: I Remember, Yes, I Remember

By RICHARD CORLISS

In this autobiographical monologue, filmed by his longtime lover, filmdom's most thoughtful charmer seduces the viewer as effortlessly as he did his screen partners. The actor, who died in 1996 at 72, recalls his career with eloquence, irony and a gentle wonder. To hear him utter, with a child's reverence, the names Gary Cooper and Clark Gable is to hear a cordial peal of thunder from one Olympic peak to another. "I like people; I love life," he says. "Perhaps that is why life has loved me in return." At three hours-plus, this is the Shoah of movie-star chats. But it is worth every second if the viewer brings an imaginary glass of Chianti to this enthralling, poignant feast.

--By Richard Corliss