La última nieve de primavera

Reading these comments takes me back to when i saw this film as a young child. I only saw a small section of it, one of those evenings when i should have been in bed but had crept down the stairs and saw watching it through the ajar lounge door without anyone knowing. It didn't take long for me to be in floods tears and was duly discovered. The scene being the one where the child is taken on the fairground ride, moved me like i don't think i have ever been moved by a film since. That scene and the memory of that brief portion of the film i saw stayed with me for many years. I can safely say no other film has touched me that way nor probably ever will. Strange because i have never forgotten what the film was called and don't think i will ever get those such moving images out of my head. Im now on a hunt to buy this film again but i don't think my emotions will take another viewing some 25 years later! Cinema has now moved on from the heart wrenching tales of family based tragedy but this will always be a classic for me and one that every person should watch once in their life, if for nothing other than to keep Kleenex in business

One of a trend of "tearjerkers" made in Italy in the '70s starring child (at the time) actor Renato Cestie' (see also "The tree with pink leaves", "The balloons vendor", "White horses of summer", the latter sadly featuring the great Jean Seberg at the very end of her career. The plot in the films is always about "sick/misunderstood/neglected child in an awful adult world" - this specific one is about a terminally ill child brought up by a selfish and career minded father. I got really traumatized when I saw it as a child and to me it represents a true example of manipulative and exploitative film- making. I suppose it would be now considered a cult film in its own genre, as it somewhat verges on the kitsch...

I watched this film about 20 years along with another Italian release 'Last Feelings'. Both films are extremely powerful tearjerkers and were released together in the UK. They affected me so much that I think about them to this day and have recently been trying to track down copies of them - this seems to be impossible, but i still remember them quite vividly. I dare you to watch this film without shedding a tear. Especially the fairground scene at the end. Heartbreaking.

A quite fine film about the relationship berween an adolescent son and his father, a workaholic lawyer: besid The father has a new girlfriend, Veronica who intends to find her place in the life of Roberto and his son Luca.Little by little the son manages to spend more time with his father. And with the illness, Roberto will spend all his time to spend with his son in his last moments of life. It's important that this film has been made in 1973 and the subject is well treated without an excessive dramatism.The performance of Bekim Fehmiu (Roberto) , Renato Cestiè (Luca) and Agostina Bella are very good.

I agree with calico_demon. I saw this film on it's cinema release in the UK, and still rate it as one of the most moving films I have ever seen. I am not ashamed to admit having had to reach for the tissues.

Although the film follows a well-tried formula, the young star of this movie, Renato Cestie, gives a convincing performance as Luca. A lonely boy, who's father is too busy with his own affairs to notice that his son is dying - until it is almost too late. Renato turned in an equally moving performance as Giocomino, in the movie "Il Venditore di palloncini".(Known in the UK as "Last Moments").

OK, the plot was very similar. You either love this sort of film, or you hate it. I enjoyed both films immensely, and was pleased I bought copies when they were eventually released on video. And, even if they are on the now defunct Betamax format, I'll go on enjoying them, while ever my Betamax machine holds out.