Rating: 
Summary: unfair criticism
Review: The men in this movie are not cardboard cut-outs. Crooked Fingers is probably the most complicated character in the film, and Antonia's lover is shown as a caring and kind man who was the intially the only one to stand up for DeeDee. Yes, he's not delved into to a great degree, because the film isn't about him. There ARE men in the family, every women except for the lesbian character has a significant male companion. Just because these men aren't constantly shown protecting and providing for the women doesn't mean they don't exist or aren't important. In fact, towards the end the red-haired man is shown as the main parent to the little girl. If women are treated as props in films, it is never significant enough to note in a review; however, because this movie focuses on women instead of men, at least half the reviews are by people who think this movie implied men are unimportant. Indeed, there are hundereds of films where women don't even appear on screen at all. Why is it only a fair criticism when leveled at movies about females? And how does this movie show that men are unnecessary? And Antonia doesn't kill herself, she just knows it's time to die. She's old, in her seventies or eighties at that point. How is that selfish? If anybody was selfish about their life and death decisions it was Crooked Fingers. And having a child without a man is not selfish as long as you have caring people to raise it. That is a moral judgement call on your part; you must believe only heterosexual couples should raise children.
Rating: 
Summary: A mixed bag
Review: This film did indeed have some good points to it. It is definitely a celebration of life, but this celebration sometimes takes such a contrived form at times that it left me with a feeling of ambivilance. Although the movie covers a family over 4 generations, one is left sometimes with the feeling of being suspended in time. Other than the characters aging, one is left with no sense of the world around these characters ever changing. The post-war Europe is no more distinguishable than the Europe 30-40 years later. Also, the celebration of family seems diminished by the fact that the men in the family, or the absence thereof, seems to be of no more consequence to the family than whether or not they can grow a palm tree in the front yard. The men seemed to be little more than cardboard cutouts at time. That they might have some input in the rearing of the younger generations seems to be an issue not even to be considered, which struck me as odd. Apologists for this movie will point out the countless movies where women are either absent totally or are nothing more than props. That is a fair enough point, in and of itself. However, are the makers of this movie trying to even the score or make a good movie? Also, the outright selfishness that Antonia (with her decision to die) and her daughter (the decision to get pregnant) display made me wonder just how much of these womens' lives should be celebrated. If they are that self-absorbed, one wonders what they have really learned from life. I didn't hate this movie, but I felt that it could have been so much better. Movies that put an agenda above coherent story-telling do so at their own peril.
Rating:
Summary: A celebration of life and bloodline
Review: As ANTONIA'S LINE begins, we watch an elderly Antonia (Willeke van Ammelrooy) awaken in the morning and decide that, before the day is out, she'll gather her family around her bed, and die. Is she desperately ill? Not apparently. But she's lived life to the full, and now it's time to exit. She rises to begin her last day like any other, gazes out the window, and her life flashbacks for the audience. Shortly after the end of World War II, single-mother Antonia returns to the small, Dutch village of her birth with her teenage daughter, Danielle (Els Dottermans). They arrive just in time to attend the death of Antonia's own widowed mother. Afterwards, mother and daughter take over the family farm, and begin to assimilate into village life. Generation follows generation. Antonia founds a matriarchy, and heads an extended family of neighbors, who periodically gather around her outdoor table for a home-cooked meal to celebrate existence. ANTONIA'S LINE is an earthy, mostly gentle, and occasionally eccentric salute to life - alternately humorous, sad, happy, tragic, dramatic, and poignant. It wouldn't have worked had the setting been urban. And there's a plethora of interesting characters. The Mad Madonna, a woman who howls at the full moon from her second-floor town apartment, and the man downstairs, a Protestant, who's prevented from declaring his adoration for her because she's a Catholic. Deedee, the mentally challenged and sexually abused daughter of a local family who seeks refuge with Antonia, and Loony Lips, the village idiot that loves her. The nihilist Crooked Finger (Mil Seghers), who never goes outside his dwelling, but is Therese's brilliant philosopher-tutor. Boer Bas (Jan Declair), the lonely widower farmer who craves Antonia's companionship. Viewers born and raised in the U.S. may find the film's eminently practical treatment of sex, sin, crime, punishment, and religion startling. This is, after all, a Dutch production. Antonia barely bats an eye when Danielle tells her that she wants a child, but not the man that goes with it. Off the two go to the Big City to find a suitable stud muffin, who ultimately plants the seed during an afternoon's hotel tryst while an imperturbable Antonia waits outside. Meanwhile, the village knows all, takes care of its own, and keeps to itself. It's Antonia around whom everybody else revolves in this pastoral soap opera. Van Ammelrooy is delightful, and the Make-Up Department does a superb job "aging" Antonia from her 30s to 80s. Dottermans has a slightly off-kilter visage that helps to make her Danielle immensely sympathetic. All performances are flawless. My only objection to the plot was the starting point, which was that Antonia found it appropriate and timely to die for no good reason that was explainable. She was in apparent good health, and anchored the support network on whom so many depended. Her leaving almost seemed selfish. However, that said, it's a good trick if you can manage it. The ultimate Quit when you're ahead.
Rating: 
Summary: Exasperating
Review: "Antonia's Line" is one of those movies that's in love with its own quirkiness. This isn't always necessarily bad. Quirky films can be quite delightful when done well. However, in this case, the quirkiness comes at the expense of plot and logic. My sense is that this film's director intended Antonia and her line of female descendants to represent strong, fearless heroines imbued with the fighting feminist spirit. I get this sense because most of the men in this film are brutes, buffoons or a combination of the two, and the women kick butt, make love to each other and tell all of the men off at regular intervals. This film is insulting to anyone who truly values feminist sensibilities in our movie culture. As so often happens, the makers of this movie equate "strong" with callous and emotionally distant. It's hard to care about Antonia and her relations because they all come across as either vacuous or heinous. Antonia's daughter casually chooses a complete stranger to impregnate her because she wants a child but doesn't want to have to deal with the father. Did she ever think that maybe the child would want a father. Is selfishness like this supposed to impress me with its strength of character? The script meanders from one incident to the next, characters you barely learn anything about appear and drop out of the movie listlessly, and the pacing of the whole thing is limpid. The film is only about 110 minutes long but feels much longer. I'm tired of the trend of thinking that propagates the belief that in order to be considered strong, women must prove that they can live entirely without men. That's such a juvenile attitude and serves no purpose. Callousness is callousenss whether displayed by a man or a woman, and there's nothing weak about letting leaving yourself vulnerable to the complex relationships that spring between men and women. Of all the life lessons Antonia supposedly passes down to her ancestors, this is the one she forgot to include. Grade: D+
Rating:
Summary: Very Intriguing
Review: This German film takes you to a village where you learn about the life and line of one woman and her brood. It is a very charming film that was very interesting to watch. The only thing I did not like about it was the constant theme of rape that arose. I found that to be upsetting, even though, in the end the bad guy was done in, it didn't matter, it was still upsetting. Other than that, this is a good movie. Not as pleasant as French films, but still good nonetheless.
Rating: 
Summary: Beautiful, beautiful
Review: They spoke like characters out of a book. It was lovely. It made me feel good as a woman to watch as well. I wish it were more known, I think it has a lot to offer as far as opening eyes to the way cultures (all of them) see women.
Chocolat and Amelie were wonderful as well.
Rating:
Summary: Splendid
Review: I am kind of iffy about foreign films that are subtitled because you have to pay an extra sensitive amount of attention to the movie. But this film I couldn't revert my eyes away from the screen for one second. Watching the movie in it's undubbed natural language enhanced it. This movie is about four generations of families and their lives. It is very very well made. It has humor, drama, and action all in one movie. Everything flows together nicely. And the storyline is perfect. You grow to love Antonia's family. This is probably the best foreign movie I have seen.
Rating:
Summary: See Amelie instead
Review: A fairly tired film with a predictable European sensibility (e.g., easy targets like male chauvinism and the clerical hypocrisy). The film is assembled with a kitchen-sink mentality; a character is raped, another discovers she's a lesbian, etc. All serve as plot devices to advance how progressive the protagonist is in dealing with these issues. Rent Amelie instead!
Rating:
Summary: A woman's picture that we guys can also enjoy
Review: Well, there aren't really much of any men one would want to identify with. Maybe Farmer Baz, he's okay. Anyway, yes, I think this can be considered more of a woman's picture. Certainly the strongest characters in it are Antonia and her descendents. Whatever, this is enjoyable. It is a rather quirky film with lots of odd characters. And it does switch back and forth between comedy and suddenly serious things like rape, murder, suicide. But it's done so skillfully, that it sweeps a person along with it. At least, that's my experience with this film. The plot didn't sound real exciting, about a woman and her grown daughter returning to a Dutch village to take over a farm. But the characters and the various incidents keep the viewer interested as a theme develops, the strength of an indomitable woman which is passed down the line to daughter, granddaughter, and great granddaughter. This is definitely a film for today's woman but has plenty for us guys to learn also.
Rating:
Summary: DVD Version
Review: Whilst the film itself is great, its let down by the quality of this DVD release. Its not anamorphic, and even for non-anamorphic the transfer is only fair. Ontop the this, the subtitles are built-in to the image, it doesnt use the DVD's built in subtitles feature. I was a bit disapointed compared to the fantastic job that was done releasing Babettes Feast on DVD.
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