anniversary dinner with candlelight
by Douglas Messerli
Nino Mancusco (director) Il Palazzo /
2013 [2.40 minutes] [commercial advertisement]
In this John Saint-Denis candle ad, the
first of two in 2013, Paolo (Peter Calandra) rushes home to his palazzo in the
hills of Montgenevre, just over the French border; his phone dead, the car stopping
and staring as he attempts to navigate road construction, he arrives a little
late for his lover’s and his anniversary dinner. Flowers in hand, he discovers
his lover missing.
But as he goes to light up a calming John
Saint-Denis candle on the mantel of the fireplace, he discovers a note
addressed to “P.” Calming himself, lighting up another such candle, he sits and
opens the note to discover that his lover has gone out to fetch some wine,
promising to be right back.
Slowly stripping himself of his sweaty shirt from his work at the
American offices in Torino, he lights up a few more of the Saint-Denis flames,
showers, and waits as his lover enters, facing him in the buff, the firelight
behind him. Who could deny this beauty anything?
The “M” who signed the note is evidently the beautiful French boy Marc,
more of whom we encounter in the second ad when they have moved to The Paris
Flat, a far more profound advertisement.
Whatever Paolo does for the US company, we know he must be quite
handsomely paid. And he has the good taste to fill his rooms with John Saint-Denis
candles.
Los Angeles, January 13, 2026
Reprinted from My Queer Cinema blog (January 2026).
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