(Played in Competition for the Palme d’Or at the 1977 Cannes Film Festival)
Directed by Ettore Scola and written by Scola and Ruggero Maccari with contributions by Maurizio Costanzo, Una giornata particolare (A Special Day) is the story of a woman and her neighbor who choose to stay home on the day Adolf Hitler arrives to Rome to meet Benito Mussolini during the era of Fascist-Italy in 1938. The film is an exploration of a period in time where a woman who is married to a Fascist-loyalist bonds with a neighbor who isn’t fond of Fascism nor Nazism as they would also see the persecution of both camps towards homosexuals and others during this period of Fascism. Starring Sophia Loren, Marcello Mastroianni, Francoise Berd, and John Vernon. Una giornata particolare is a majestic and rich film from Ettore Scola.
It’s May 8, 1938 as Germany’s leader Adolf Hitler has arrived to Rome to meet with Italy’s leader Benito Mussolini in a landmark meeting that would solidify their alliance as many Italians go to the parade in Rome to greet the two men. The few who don’t attend the parade is a housewife and a journalist who lives across the same apartment building as they meet by accident and cope with their lives. It’s a film that is about these two people as it’s set entirely in this apartment building where they hear everything about the parade from the radio and what’s going on outside. The film’s screenplay by Ettore Scola and Ruggero Maccari takes place in the course of an entire day from Antonietta (Sophia Loren) helping her husband Emanuele (John Vernon) preparing for this day as he and their children would attend the parade to celebrate their leader and Hitler to the end of the parade as she would stay home to clean up their apartment and make dinner.
When her pet myna bird escapes and lands on the window still of her neighbor from across the building, Antonietta would go to the neighbor in a journalist named Gabriele (Marcello Mastroianni) who would help Antonietta as he also stays in his apartment due to his lack of interest in attending the parade. Yet, there’s a bigger reason why he’s not attending the parade which he doesn’t divulge as it relates to his job and who he is where he and Antonietta befriend one another during the course of the day. Even as they have different views on Mussolini and Fascism as it’s something Gabriele admittedly isn’t fond of as it relates to his situation. He’s also vilified by the building’s caretaker (Francoise Berd) who thinks that Gabriele is a subversive figure who has gotten into a lot of trouble. While Gabriele opens up about his situation and repression, Antonietta would unveil revelations about herself and her life.
Scola’s direction opens with real-life newsreel footage of Hitler’s arrival to Rome in May of 1938 as he is greeted by Mussolini as if they’re old friends. Then it shifts to the main story as Scola would use some intricate and sprawling crane shots to get a scope of the apartment building inside the exterior of the main lobby as it’s shot in a largely sepia-like photography style where the only glimpses of colors are in a few objects including the flags for Fascist Italy and Nazi Germany. Scola would also create some unique long from this wide crane shot into a close-up of Antonietta’s apartment as she is getting her children ready while her husband does some exercise to get ready for the day. The usage of close-ups and medium shots add to some of the theatricality and intimacy into the scenes with Antonietta and Gabriele as they’re talking throughout the film while the one sequence where they’re outside on top of the apartment rooftop to get the former’s laundry is presented in a wide shot.
Scola’s usage of long-takes in the conversations between Antoinetta and Gabriele has him establishing not just their immediate awkwardness early on but also how they would get on during the course of the day. The camera would often move at times to get a look into the space of their respective apartments as well as what it looked like in the hallways and staircases. There is also this air of sexual tension yet it is Gabriele that is resisting as he knows someone who is gay that has been taken away as it play into the concept of masculinity from the point of view of Fascism. There is also a sense of repression in Antoinetta’s role as a housewife as it all revolves around the lack of power women have in their place in Fascism other than just be supportive. Its ending is about the state of the world and what Antoinetta would have to face though there is a little bit of freedom she would have in this world of Fascism. Overall, Scola crafts a mesmerizing and haunting film about two neighbors staying home during a celebratory parade for Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini.
Cinematographer Pasqualino De Santis does incredible work with the film’s sepia-drenched cinematography as it gives the film a look and feel that breathes an element of nostalgia but also repression in the way it looks while the few colors that are shown are on objects including the flags. Editor Raimondo Crociani does excellent work with the editing as it is largely straightforward to play into the drama without devolving too much into style. Production designer Luciano Ricceri does brilliant work with the look of the interiors of the apartment from the rooms that Antoinetta and Gabriele live to the staircase and hallways. Costume designer Enrico Sabbatini does fantastic work with the costumes as it play into the Fascist uniforms that many of the people wear with the exception of Antoinetta’s ragged dress and the suit that Gabriele wears. Sound mixer Franco Bassi does terrific work with the sound to capture the sound of the parade from afar as well as the sound of planes flying over the building. The film’s music by Armando Trovajoli is amazing for its bombastic and triumphant film score that is played on location as source music for the parade while the soundtrack also features elements of rumba and somber music that play into the drama.
The film’s wonderful cast feature a couple of notable small roles from John Vernon as Antoinetta’s husband Emanuele who is a fierce loyalist to the Fascist party with Marcello Prando providing dubbing on Vernon and Francoise Berd as the apartment building’s caretaker who isn’t fond of Gabriele believing him to be subversive and full of trouble. The performances of Sophia Loren and Marcello Mastroianni are phenomenal in their respective roles as Antoinetta and Gabriele. Loren provides a repressed sensuality to her performance as a woman that is just trying to maintain the household as well as having to do all of the things expected as a housewife. Mastroianni is also restrained in his performance while displaying bits of charm when he tries to teach Antoinetta how to dance the rumba. Yet, Loren and Mastroianni display a chemistry that is just intoxicating in the way they get to know each other as well as deal with their own sense of anguish as it’s a master class in acting from two of Italy’s finest.
Una giornata particolare is a tremendous film from Ettore Scola that features spectacular performances from Sophia Loren and Marcello Mastroianni. Along with its gorgeous cinematography, intimate setting, and themes of repression and longing, it’s a film that explore two people dealing with what is happening outside of their apartment as well as being aware of a world that is in chaos with neither of them having a say in this oppressive world. In the end, Una giornata particolare is a sensational film from Ettore Scola.
© thevoid99 2018
Based on the play Filumena Marturano by Eduardo De Filippo, Matrimonio all’italiana (Marriage Italian Style) is the story of a man who meets a country woman in Naples during World War II as his frequent visits to this woman lead to some major revelations about his relationship and the fact that she gave birth to three sons as he might be the father of one of them. Directed by Vittorio de Sica and screenplay by Renato Castellani, Tonino Guerra, Leo Benvenuti, and Piero De Bernardi, the film is a romantic comedy of sorts that play into a man’s relationship with this woman who would become a prostitute as he deals with the situation he’s in. Starring Marcello Mastroianni, Sophia Loren, Aldo Puglisi, Tecla Scarano, and Marilu’ Tolo. Matrimonio all’italiana is a lively and evocative film from Vittorio de Sica.
The film follows a man who learns that his former flame is dying just as he’s about to get married to a younger woman as he reflects on how he met her and his relationship with her. The film explores this relationship that lasted for more than 20 years during from the final years of Fascist Italy in World War II to the 1960s where they run a bakery though the relationship has had its ups and downs. The film’s screenplay opens with Filumena Marturano passed out as she is being carried to her apartment where the possibility of her dying is looming forcing her maid Lucia (Enza Maggi) and the loyal servant Alfredo (Aldo Puglisi) to call on the apartment’s landlord and Filumena’s on-again, off-again lover Don Domenico Soriano (Marcello Mastroianni) to help out. Much of the first act is about how Don Soriano met Filumena at a brothel when she was just a seventeen-year old prostitute during a bombing raid in Naples and then meet her again two years later where they start a relationship.
It’s a relationship where Don Soriano would give Filumena a place to live as well as work and run his bakery while he’s often out of the country doing business and later having affairs with young cashiers. The second act is about Filumena and her life when Don Soriano is out of town as it’s told from her perspective as well as a major revelation in her life as she had given birth to three different sons in different periods of time. Don Soriano wouldn’t know about her three sons until the third act where Don Soriano is dealing with a scheme Filumena and her servants supposedly had concocted but it would also come with complications about her three sons.
Vittorio de Sica’s direction has elements of style but it maintains a tone that mixes light-hearted humor with elements of melodrama. Shot on location in Naples, the film does play into this world that mixes the idea of the working class and rural locations that Filumena is a part of to the more upper class world that Don Soriano is from as he wears expensive shoes and stylish suits. While de Sica would use some wide shots to capture some of the locations as well as some shots in the apartment for the big crowd scenes. Much of what de Sica would do is maintain a sense of intimacy in his approach to close-ups and medium shots in the way he would develop the relationship between Don Soriano and Filumena such as a scene during their relationship early in the film where Filumena thinks about a bright future but Don Soriano is too concerned with being successful. The approach to humor is offbeat as it help play into this supposed scheme that Filumena might be playing at in what she wants to do to Don Soriano but it also serves a purpose for the film’s melodrama.
The film’s melodrama is key into the second act as it relates to the introduction of Filumena’s three sons as children including a scene where two boys who don’t know each other come into the bakery where they eat pastries unaware that their mother is watching them with such fondness. It also play into moments where she really has no idea about the way the law works in what she is trying to do due to her rural background as it lead to Don Soriano trying to use his background and power to get what he wants. The film’s third act isn’t just about these revelations over what Don Soriano would discover but also forces him to deal with his actions where de Sica restrains the melodrama to mix both comedy and drama including these moments with Filumena’s sons where it has these subtle moments of humor. Overall, de Sica crafts a rapturous yet witty film about a turbulent relationship between a businessman and a prostitute in Naples.
Cinematographer Roberto Gerardi does brilliant work with the film’s cinematography with its natural and colorful approach to some of the daytime exteriors in some of the film’s gorgeous locations as well as the usage of stylish lighting for the scenes at night as well as some of the film’s interior scenes. Editor Adriana Novelli does excellent work with the editing as it has elements of rhythmic cuts to play into the drama as well as much of the film’s humor. Production designer Carlo Egidi and set decorator Dario Micheli do amazing work with the look of the apartment that Filumena lives in as well as the bakery that she works at which is run by Don Soriano.
Costume designer Piero Tosi does fantastic work with the costumes from the look of the suits that Don Soriano wear to the stylish dresses and lingerie that Filumena wears. The sound work of Ennio Sensi is superb for capturing some of the chaotic sounds in some of the location as it relate to large crowds as well as some of the film’s quieter moments. The film’s music by Armando Trovajoli is wonderful for its lush and somber orchestral score that play into the melodrama as well as parts of the film’s humor.
The film’s marvelous cast feature some notable small roles from Enza Maggi as Filumena’s loyal maid Lucia, Tecla Scarano as a prostitute/friend of Filumena in Rosalia, and Aldo Puglisi as the loyal servant Alfredo. In the roles of Filumena’s three sons, Vito Moricone as Riccardo, Generoso Cortini as Michele, and Gianni Ridolfi as Umberto are superb in their roles as three young men who each have something to offer as they all display traits that would confuse Don Soriano. Marilu’ Tolo is wonderful as Diana as Don Soriano’s fiancée who has no clue on what is going on as she also suspects about Don Soriano’s sudden odd behavior late in the film.
Finally, there’s the duo of Marcello Mastroianni and Sophia Loren in phenomenal performances in their respective roles as Don Domenico Soriano and Filumena Marturano. Mastroianni has this air of charm that he exudes throughout the film while his comedic timing is a joy to watch in the way he reacts to things where all of the cool factor that he’s known for is thrown out of the window. Loren has this air of grace that is prevalent throughout the film while also being playful in the way she displays her sex appeal as someone that wants to have a simple life but also what is best for her sons. Mastroianni and Loren do provide this great sense of rapport and comedic timing with each other as they are a major highlight of the film.
Matrimonio all’italiana is a sensational film from Vittorio De Sica that features incredible performances from Marcello Mastroianni and Sophia Loren. Along with its gorgeous visuals, sumptuous score, and the mixture of comedy and melodrama, it’s a film that is an offbeat film that offers so much but also has a lot of heart and characters that are a joy to watch. In the end, Matrimonio all’italiana is a spectacular film from Vittorio De Sica.
Vittorio De Sica Films: (Rose scarlatte) - (Maddalena, zero in condotta) - (Teresa Venerdi) - (Un garibaldino al convento) - (The Children Are Watching Us) - (La porta del cielo) - (Shoeshine) - (Heart and Soul (1948 film)) - Bicycle Thieves - Miracle in Milan – Umberto D. - (It Happened in the Park) - (Terminal Station) - (The Gold of Naples) - (The Roof) - (Anna of Brooklyn) - Two Women (1960 film) - (The Last Judgment) - (Boccaccio ‘70) - (The Condemned of Altona) - (Il Boom) - Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow - (Un monde nouveau) - (After the Fox) - (Woman Times Seven) - The Witches (1967 film)- An Evening Like the Others - (A Place for Lovers) - (Sunflowers (1970 film)) - The Garden of the Finzi-Continis - (Lo chiameremo Andrea) - (A Brief Vacation) - (The Voyage)
© thevoid99 2018
Directed by Vittorio De Sica, Leri, oggi, domani (Yesterday, Today, & Tomorrow) is a trilogy of stories involving three couples in three different parts of Italy where a woman uses her sexuality to get her husband/beau to do whatever she wants. The three stories display different ideas of love in three different places of the country as it’s told in a humorous fashion as the three couples are played by Marcello Mastroianni and Sophia Loren. Leri, oggi, domani is an extraordinary film from Vittorio De Sica.
The film is about three different stories in three different locations that all revolve around a woman who would use her sexuality to get what she wants as it would often cause trouble for her husband/beau in these stories. The first of which is entitled Adelina de Naples which is written by Eduardo de Filippo and Isabella Quarantotti that has a woman who finds a loophole by getting pregnant so she can avoid going to jail for selling cigarettes in the black market which eventually takes its toll on her marriage. The second story entitled Anna of Milan from writers Cesare Zavattini and Billa Billa Zanuso plays into a day in Milan where a wealthy of wife of an industrialist drives around her Rolls Royce with her lover as they deal with what is important. The third and final story entitled Mara of Rome that is based on a story by Alberto Moravia and screenplay by Cesare Zavattini revolves around a prostitute’s relationship with one of her clients as she tries to help out an elderly neighbor’s grandson who is thinking about giving up his priesthood studies.
The scripts all play to themes of a woman trying to get her man to do what he wants where the first story has the husband Carmine trying to save his wife as he is unemployed yet having sex with Adelina eventually tires him. In the second story, it is a short but comical story that plays into a man trying to get this rich wife of an industrialist to have a relationship but she is a woman that is very vain and selfish. The third and final story plays around the life of a prostitute who has very high-priced clients including a son of an industrialist who is eager to marry this woman but she isn’t sure as she has other problems to deal with. All of which have similarities about the way women use their sexuality where it can be an advantage or a curse.
Vittorio De Sica’s direction is very intoxicating in the way he tells these three different stories where it does play into the different parts of Italy not just socially but also culturally. In Adelina, it is all set in Naples where it’s the longest section of the three stories as De Sica aims for some realism in its locations where it’s shot largely in these stair-like streets where it is quite cramped but also full of life. De Sica’s approach to the widescreen format to capture the location is among the highlights of the section while some of it is quite comical in the way Adelina deals with her plight and Carmine trying to help her as it would overwhelm him. The Anna segment is the shortest of the three where it begins with a long running shot of Anna driving her Rolls Royce from her perspective as she drives manically to reach her love Renzo.
It’s the funniest of the three shorts but also very compelling for the way it plays into Anna’s own vanity. The third and final segment in Mara has De Sica be more intimate in not just his compositions but also in the way he presents Rome by avoiding many of its landmarks. Instead, it’s a more somber piece where De Sica plays into a prostitute trying to help a family while dealing with a client who is in love with her as it culminates a striptease for the client. All of which plays into something is purely Italian in how men and women conduct their lives. Overall, De Sica crafts a very sensational yet captivating film about women who uses their sex appeal to get men to do whatever they want.
Cinematographer Giuseppe Rotunno does amazing work with the film‘s cinematography to capture not just the beauty of the different locations but also bring in some unique lighting for the Adelina and Mara segments in some of its nighttime scenes. Editor Adriana Novelli does excellent work with the editing by bringing in a very straightforward approach to the editing with some jump-cuts and dissolves in a few scenes for all three segments. Art director Ezio Frigerio and set decorator Ezio Altieri do fantastic work with the set pieces from the home that Adelina and Carmine live in with their children to the apartment that Mara lives in on top of the building where her next door neighbor is an elderly couple and their grandson.
The costumes of Piero Tosi is terrific for its sense of style from the ragged dresses of Adelina as well as the stylish clothes of Mara plus the Christian Dior dress that Anna wears. The sound work of Ennio Sensi is superb for some of the chaotic yet layered sound for some of the scenes involving the crowd in the Adelina segment with more intimate sound work in the other two segments. The film’s music by Armando Trovajoli is brilliant where it features different themes that are quite playful and somber as it features some orchestral pieces and ballads that are featured in the Adelina segment while the Anna segment features mostly jazz and the Mara segment consists of more somber orchestral pieces.
The film’s cast features some notable small roles from composer Armando Trovajoli as a man Anna and Renzo meet on the road, Agostino Salvietti as an attorney for Adeline and Carmine, Tecla Scarano as the attorney’s sister, Tina Pica and Gennaro Di Gregorio as Mara’s elderly neighbors, Aldo Giuffre as a friend of Carmine who tries to sleep with Adeline out of desperation, and Gianni Ridolfi as the neighbors grandson who falls for Mara as he wants to renounce his vows to be with her. Finally, there’s the duo of Sophia Loren and Marcello Mastroianni in incredible performances as the three couples in the film. Loren brings a smoldering sexuality to her trio of roles while making them very different as Adelina is a woman trying to not to go to jail which shows Loren at her most dramatic. In the role of Anna, Loren brings a very intoxicating yet vain approach to her character while she brings a great complexity as Mara as a woman with a big heart despite her profession.
Mastroianni brings a lot of humor and humility in his trio of roles where he displays an earnestness in the role of Carmine. In the role of Renzo, he plays someone who is confused but also troubled by Anna’s decisions while he showcases a more comical and neurotic approach in the role of Augusto in his attempt to sleep with Mara. There is a chemistry between Loren and Mastroianni that is just insatiable to watch where they know how to play off each other and have fun doing it.
Leri, oggi, domani is a phenomenal film from Vittorio De Sica that features great performances from Sophia Loren and Marcello Mastroianni. The film isn’t just a humorous look into the world of women making men do whatever they want but also as a compelling portrait of Italy. In the end, Leri, oggi, domani is a spectacular film from Vittorio De Sica.
Vittorio De Sica Films: (Rose scarlatte) - (Maddalena, zero in condotta) - (Teresa Venerdi) - (Un garibaldino al convento) - (The Children Are Watching Us) - (La porta del cielo) - (Shoeshine) - (Heart and Soul (1948 film)) - Bicycle Thieves - Miracle in Milan - Umberto D. - (It Happened in the Park) - (Terminal Station) - (The Gold of Naples) - (The Roof) - (Anna of Brooklyn) - Two Women (1960 film) - (The Last Judgment) - (Boccaccio ‘70) - (The Condemned of Altona) - (Il Boom) - Marriage Italian-Style - (Un monde nouveau) - (After the Fox) - (Woman Times Seven) - The Witches (1967 film)- An Evening Like the Others - (A Place for Lovers) - (Sunflowers (1970 film)) - The Garden of the Finzi-Continis - (Lo chiameremo Andrea) - (A Brief Vacation) - (The Voyage)
© thevoid99 2014
Based on the novel by Albert Moravia, La ciociara (Two Women) is the story of a woman trying to protect her daughter from the horrors of war during World War II. Directed by Vittorio De Sica and screenplay by De Sica and Cesare Zavattini, the film explores war from the perspective of a woman and her young daughter as it is a story of motherhood as well as a coming of age story for her daughter. Starring Sophia Loren, Jean-Paul Belmondo, Eleonora Brown, and Carlo Ninchi. La ciociara is an astonishing yet terrifying film from Vittorio De Sica.
Set in World War II during the rule of Benito Mussolini, the film explores a woman and her 12-year old daughter trying to hide from the horrors of war by traveling from Rome to the Northern Italian mountains. It’s a film that showcases what women go through in war as they endure many of its horrors where a widow tries to shield her daughter from these moments where the two become part of a group of refugees seeking shelters in the mountains where they befriend a former professor with Communist ideals. During this time in the mountains, Cesira (Sophia Loren) deals with the struggles to protect her daughter Rosetta (Eleonora Brown) from the horrors of war as planes often fly by. Hunger also becomes a key factor into their struggle as they get help from Michele (Jean-Paul Belmondo) who is an intellect with Communist ideals as he becomes this father figure for Rosetta.
The film’s screenplay does have this unique structure where the first act is set in Rome as well as Cesira and Rosetta walking towards the mountains when their train is forced to be stopped. The second act is set in the mountains and in nearby villages while the third is about Cesira and Rosetta trying to return to Rome when the Americans arrive to liberate Italy. It all plays to Cesira and Rosetta in their encounter with war as they would meet different soldiers in their journey as well as watch an old man gunned down by a plane. There’s also moments in the story where Cesira is intrigued by Michele despite the fact that he’s younger than her as it does lead to elements of romance. Yet, it’s a cautious one as Michele knows what is at stake where even though the Allies would win. The war isn’t over as the Germans become the new enemy and there’s an uncertainty into whether they could trust the Allies.
Vittorio De Sica’s direction is very mesmerizing for not just the way he explores the horrors of war but also in the dramatic moments in how Cesira tries to do what is right for her daughter and to protect her. The direction showcases some very chilling images that displays what kind of woman Cesira is where she has good intentions but does things that aren’t very noble. Still, she is determined to protect her daughter as De Sica would create some intoxicating close-ups to play into her struggle as well as some medium and wide shots to showcase the world they’re in as well as the horrors of war. There’s also some very dark scenes that includes an encounter with Moroccan soldiers that is one of the film’s most unforgettable and disturbing moments. Though De Sica knows what he does, he knows what not to show as it is about the dramatic impact and terror that happens. It all plays into what women go through in war and how it can affect them in the most horrific way. Overall, De Sica crafts a very harrowing yet powerful film about a woman protecting her daughter from the horrors of war.
Cinematographer Gabor Pogany does excellent work with the film‘s black-and-white photography to capture the gorgeous landscape of the Italian mountains as well as some intriguing interior lighting schemes to play into the sense of dread that occurs during the time of war. Editor Adriana Novelli does amazing work with the editing to create some unique rhythms to play into the drama as well as that sense of suspense for any scene involving planes. Production designer Gastone Medin and set decorator/costume designer Elio Costanzi do brilliant work with the set pieces from the look of the shack where Cesira and Rosetta would live in while Costanzi‘s costumes have this air of realism to play into a world that is very chaotic. Special sound effects by Philippe Arthuys does nice work with the sound work to play into that sense of terror that occurs in war. The film’s music by Armando Trovajoli is fantastic for its somber orchestral piece to play into the drama as it showcases the sense of despair that Cesira would go through.
The film’s wonderful cast includes some notable small performances from Raf Vallone as a family friend of Cesira, Franco Balducci as a German soldier hiding in a haystack, Antonella Della Porta as a troubled mother Cesira and Michele encounter, and Carlo Ninchi as Michele’s father who tries to keep things peaceful despite his own political differences with his son. Eleonora Brown is amazing as Rosetta as an innocent, religious young girl who deals with her surroundings as well as the terror of war that would have a major impact on her. Jean-Paul Belmondo is excellent as Michele as an intellect who helps Cesira in getting food and supplies while expressing his own disdain towards Mussolini and the idea of war. Finally, there’s Sophia Loren in an incredible performance as Cesira as this woman determined to protect her daughter at any cost as she would use her sex appeal to get what she wants but also is a woman that understands right from wrong as it’s really one of Loren’s finest performances.
La ciociara is a tremendously visceral yet evocative film from Vittorio De Sica that features a magnificent performance from Sophia Loren. The film isn’t just a unique yet compelling portrait about what people go through in war but also in some of its horrors and the many questions people ask about these atrocities. In the end, La ciociara is a phenomenal film from Vittorio De Sica.
Vittorio De Sica Films: (Rose scarlatte) - (Maddalena, zero in condotta) - (Teresa Venerdi) - (Un garibaldino al convento) - (The Children Are Watching Us) - (La porta del cielo) - (Shoeshine) - (Heart and Soul (1948 film)) - Bicycle Thieves - Miracle in Milan - Umberto D. - (It Happened in the Park) - (Terminal Station) - (The Gold of Naples) - (The Roof) - (Anna of Brooklyn) - (The Last Judgment) - (Boccaccio ‘70) - (The Condemned of Altona) - (Il Boom) - Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow - Marriage Italian-Style - (Un monde nouveau) - (After the Fox) - (Woman Times Seven) - The Witches (1967 film)- An Evening Like the Others - (A Place for Lovers) - (Sunflowers (1970 film)) - The Garden of the Finzi-Continis - (Lo chiameremo Andrea) - (A Brief Vacation) - (The Voyage)
© thevoid99 2014
Directed by Robert Altman and written by Altman and Barbara Shulgasser, Prêt-a-Porter is the story about a group of very different people who attend Fashion Week in Paris as some are reporting the events while some are just attending to see what is out there. The film is an exploration into the world of fashion that involves many people in the course of a week. Starring Marcello Mastroianni, Sophia Loren, Julia Roberts, Tim Robbins, Kim Basinger, Lili Taylor, Jean-Pierre Cassel, Chiara Mastroianni, Linda Hunt, Sally Kellerman, Stephen Rea, Anouk Aimee, Tracey Ullman, Rossy de Palma, Forest Whitaker, Rupert Everett, Lyle Lovett, and Lauren Bacall. Pret-a-Porter is a witty yet chaotic comedy from Robert Altman.
The film is about many different groups of people attending Fashion Week in Paris where a lot is happening while a prestigious fashion president had died believing that he had been murder. In the course of the film, a lot happens as a fashion TV reporter covers the events that is happening while lots of affairs between fashion designers are happening. Two American journalists are forced to share the same hotel room while covering what is happening and a fashion designer is dealing with possible bankruptcy. Fashion magazine editors spar with each other to go get a prestigious photographer while a woman goes on a shopping spree around the city. All in the course of an entire week as it leads to a climatic fashion show where a designer presents the ultimate show in grand style.
The screenplay by Robert Altman and Barbara Shulgasser doesn’t really have any kind of singular plot as it’s all about the chaos of Fashion Week. Notably as there’s journalists trying to cover the event and make sense of it as it involves a New York Times photographer (Lili Taylor) and a fashion TV reporter named Kitty Porter (Kim Basinger). Yet, there’s also this story about this French fashion president in Olivier de la Fontaine (Jean-Pierre Cassel) who meets a mysterious man named Sergei (Marcello Mastroianni) where something happens leading to de la Fontaine’s death as his wife Isabella (Sophia Loren) seems relieved though is lover in fashion designer Simone Lowenthal (Anouk Aimee) is saddened as she is dealing with losing her business where her son Jack (Rupert Everett) does something that will save her business but with some reservations. Things get crazier as two different American journalists in Anne Eisenhower (Julia Roberts) and Joe Flynn (Tim Robbins) are forced to share a hotel to cover what’s been happening.
Altman’s direction is definitely engaging for the way he explores the world of fashion and what goes on in Fashion Week. Taking on a style similar to cinema verite, Altman captures all of the craziness that occurs while going inside into what goes in the world of fashion as shows are being prepared and such. Notably as the film features cameos from celebrities, models, and fashion designers as they’re part of this crazy yet fascinating world. The direction is also intimate and straightforward for scenes inside the hotel rooms and offices where many people work out as well as some moments in the fashion runway. It is still about the show and the world that is happening which also includes Sergei trying to contact Isabella as they’re revealed to be former lovers. Their scenes together is essentially an ode to their appearance in Vittorio de Sica’s 1963 film Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow. While it’s a film that can be described as a rambling mess due to the many storylines that happens. It is still a very enjoyable and very exhilarating film from Robert Altman.
Cinematographers Jean Lepine and Pierre Mignot do excellent work with the look of Paris during Fashion Week with its many landmarks as well as the scenes inside the fashion shows and some of the film‘s interior settings. Editors Geraldine Peroni and Suzy Elmiger do wonderful work with the editing to capture the sense of chaos that occurs in the world of fashion as well as more straightforward moments in the intimate scenes. Production Stephen Altman, with set decorator Francoise Dupertuis and art director William Abello, does nice work with the looks of the hotels and the runway shows that occur including the very street-based show one of the designers at a metro.
Costume designer Catherine Leterrier does terrific work with the non-designer clothes some of the characters wear to maintain their lack of style while most of the characters wear clothes that display their unique personalities. Sound editor Skip Lievsay does superb work with the sound to capture the atmosphere of the runway shows to the chaos in some of the parties. The film’s music by Michel Legrand is delightful for its playful piano pieces and other cuts to play out the humor. Music supervisor Allan F. Nichols creates a fantastic soundtrack that features music from Massive Attack, Bjork, U2, Ini Kamoze, Salt-N-Pepa, the Rolling Stones, M People, Janet Jackson, the Cranberries, Pizzicato Five, Robert Palmer, Grace Jones, and many others to capture the spirit of the fashion world.
Finally, there’s the film’s amazing ensemble cast as it features cameo appearances from Bjork, Harry Belafonte, Cher, and David Copperfield along with supermodels like Claudia Schiffer, Helena Christensen, Naomi Campbell, Linda Evangelista, Carla Bruni, and Christy Turlington, and fashion designers like Jean-Paul Gaultier, Sonia Rykiel, Issey Miyake, Christian Lacroix, and Gianfranco Ferre for Christian Dior as themselves. In small but notable roles, there’s Alexandra Vandernoot as a TV reporter, Jean Rochefort and Michel Blanc as police investigators, Teri Garr as an obsessed shopper, Danny Aiello as the shopper’s husband, Rossy de Palma as Simone’s assistant Pilar, Chiara Mastroianni as Kitty Porter’s aide Sophie Choiset, Ute Lemper as the pregnant model Albertine, Kasia Figura as the dim-witted assistant of magazine editor Sissy, and Jean-Pierre Cassel as the Fashion Week president Olivier de la Fontaine.
Sally Kellerman, Linda Hunt, and Tracey Ullman are great in their respective rules as the dueling magazine editors Sissy Wannamaker, Regina Krumm, and Nina Scant who all try to nab Stephen Rea’s very devious photographer Milo O’Brannigan who would provide a prank of his own all three where Rea is very funny. Lauren Bacall is wonderful as the colorblind fashionista Slim Chrysler while Lyle Lovett is terrific as the cowboy boots designer Clint Lammereaux. Julia Roberts and Tim Robbins are excellent as the dueling journalists Anne Eisenhower and Joe Flynn where they eventually fall for each other as they share a hotel room together. Lili Taylor is superb as the NY Times photojournalist Fiona Ulrich while Kim Basinger is hilarious as the somewhat dim fashion TV reporter Kitty Porter. Forest Whitaker and Richard E. Grant are fantastic in their respective roles as fashion designers in the street-wise Cy Bianco and the snobbish Cort Romney.
Rupert Everett is pretty good as the slimy Jack Lowenthal who does something without his mother’s consent while Anouk Aimee is phenomenal as the respected fashion designer Simone Lowenthal who deals with Olivier’s death as well as the prospect of losing her business. Finally, there’s Marcello Mastroianni and Sophia Loren in marvelous performances in their respective roles as Sergio/Sergei and Isabella where they play former lovers who finally meet after many years where Mastroianni brings a lot of humor with Loren bringing an element of class to her role as well as a sexiness that is still captivating.
Pret-a-Porter is an excellent film from Robert Altman. Featuring a wild ensemble cast full of actors, models, fashion designers, and all sorts of people. It’s a film that captures the craziness that is Fashion Week while taking time to inject humor into that world. While the film is a bit of a mess, it is still enjoyable for the way Altman explores a world that is fascinating. In the end, Pret-a-Porter is a remarkable film from Robert Altman.
Robert Altman Films: (The Delinquents) - (The James Dean Story) - Countdown (1968 film) - (That Cold Day in the Park) - M.A.S.H. - Brewster McCloud - McCabe & Mrs. Miller - (Images) - The Long Goodbye - Thieves Like Us - California Split - Nashville - Buffalo Bill and the Indians, or Sitting Bull’s History Lesson - 3 Women - (A Wedding) - (Quintet) - (A Perfect Couple (HealtH) - Popeye - (Come Back to the Five and Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean) - (Streamers) - (Secret Honor) - (O.C. and Stiggs) - Fool for Love - (Beyond Therapy) - (Aria-Les Boreades) - (Tanner ‘88) - (Vincent & Theo) - The Player - Short Cuts - (Kansas City) - (The Gingerbread Man) - Cookie’s Fortune - Dr. T & the Women - Gosford Park - The Company (2003 film) - (Tanner on Tanner) - A Prairie Home Companion
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