2024 Cannes Marathon: Miracle in Milan

 

(Co-Winner of the Palme d’Or with Miss Julie and Othello at the 1951 Cannes Film Festival)

Based on the novel Toto il Buono by Cesare Zavattini, Miracolo a Milano (Miracle in Milan) is the story of a group of vagabonds who create a shantytown for themselves where they make a major discovery in the hopes they can keep it away from rich land developers. Directed by Vittorio de Sica and screenplay by de Sica and Zavattini with additional contributions from Suso Cecchi d’Amico, Mario Chiari, and Adolfo Franci, the film is a mixture of Italian neorealism and fantasy as it plays into a group of people who want to create a home as they also encounter miracles that would enrich their lives. Starring Francesco Golisano, Emma Gramatica, Paolo Stoppa, Guglielmo Barnabo, Brunella Bovo, Anna Carena, and Alba Arnova. Miracolo a Milano is an extraordinarily rich and enchanting film by Vittorio de Sica.

The film revolves around a young man who was found by an old woman as a baby as he would eventually be raised in an orphanage and live in a shantytown with a group of vagabonds as they make some discoveries that would help them. It is a film that mixes elements of fantasy and reality where the latter takes hold as it takes place in a shantytown near downtown Milan where this young man provides a sense of hope for these poor people living on the outskirts of the city. The film’s screenplay by Vittorio de Sica and Cesare Zavattini is straightforward in its narrative as it begins with this old lady Lolotta (Emma Gramatica) finding a baby in her garden as she would name him Toto and raise him through childhood until the age of eleven as he is sent to an orphanage following her death. Upon becoming a man, Toto (Francesco Golisano) deals with his surroundings yet remains upbeat over his new phase in his life where he meets a vagabond who takes his small suitcase but is shocked by Toto’s kindness as they share a shanty outside of the city.

Toto would help create and expand the shantytown that would include people who were once rich including a young woman named Edvige (Brunella Bovo) whom Toto falls for. During a party, a maypole strikes the ground where oil is sprouting out of the ground as it changes the fortunes of the people in the shantytown though one of them in Rappi (Paolo Stoppa) informs the land developer Mobbi (Guglielmo Barnabo) about the oil near his land. While Toto does manage to charm Mobbi in an earlier meeting, he is unable to stop Mobbi from trying to get rid of all the people in the shantytown where a series of strange events happen.

The direction of de Sica is entrancing for the way he blends elements of neorealism with fantasy to explore the needs that a person should have no matter how much or how little they have. Shot on location near the Lambrate railway station in Milan, de Sica does maintain a sense of space into how big the shantytown area is as well as how it is disconnected from the main part of the city. While there are a lot of wide shots that de Sica create to display the scope of the shantytown as well as areas near Milan. The film emphasizes more close-ups and medium shots to play into the number of people in a frame as well as some of the emotional aspects the characters embark on. Notably as de Sica maintains a realism in using actual locations as well as non-professional actors in how they would interact with their surroundings or the miracles they encounter.

The direction also plays into these social politics as it relates to land developers trying to get rid of the people in the shantytowns though Toto would charm Mobbi in how a bonfire can lift spirits or at a later meeting where they all drink tea in Mobbi’s office unaware of his motives. Once Mobbi decides to act, the elements of surrealism and fantasy arrive where these odd things happen that would baffle the police as it is all told through humor. Even as Toto would be granted something from his late mother as it would play into the things that the vagabonds would want though there is a moment in which an African (Jerome Johnson) makes a wish to be with a white woman (Flora Cambi) who also makes a wish as it is this terrible moment of blackface. Despite that one bad scene, de Sica does highlight a young man who is filled with goodness though what he wants are quite simple scenes as its ending is about all these people going into a place where there are no social classes or possessions as it is an element of fantasy. Yet, de Sica brings in a sense of hope as it is told in a grand style at the city square where the city’s Cathedral stands. Overall, de Sica crafts a majestic and whimsical film about a young man who brings joy to a group of people in a shantytown where miracles happen.

Cinematographer Aldo Graziati does brilliant work with the film’s black-and-white photography with its usage of light and shadows for some scenes at night along with bits of natural and artificial lighting for some of the daytime exterior scenes along with some special effects camera work by Vaclav Vich and Enzo Barboni for some of the film’s unique visual effect scenes as it is a highlight of the film. Editor Eraldo Da Roma does excellent work with the editing as it has some unique rhythmic cuts to play for some of the film’s whimsical visual effects scenes as well as some straightforward cuts to play into the drama and humor. Art director Guido Fiorini does amazing work with the look of the shantytowns with the small shacks that are built as well as the interior of Mobbi’s office. Costume designer Mario Chiari does fantastic work with the costumes as a lot of is ragged and such apart from some of the finer clothing that a character wished for since she used to be an aristocrat.

The sound work of Bruno Brunacci, with additional work for the film’s restoration by Antonio Catalano, is superb for some of the sound effects that occur in the film along with the usage of natural sound to capture the sense of joy within the crowd. The film’s music by Alessandro Cicognini is wonderful for its orchestral-based score filled with flourishing string arrangements and playful woodwind pieces as it is a highlight of the film.

The film’s marvelous ensemble cast feature some notable small roles from Jerome Johnson as an African vagabond who is in love with a white woman, Flora Cambi as a maid for an aristocratic woman who is in love with the black man, Gianni Branduani as the 11-year old Toto, Angelo Prilo as a police commander, Checco Rissone as the second-in-command, Arturo Bragaglia and Erminio Spalla as a couple of vagabonds that are close friends of Toto, Virgilio Riento as a police sergeant who comes to the shantytown late in the film where he gets his own wish, and Alba Arnova as a ballerina statue who comes to life. Anna Carena is terrific as an aristocratic woman in Signora Altezzosa as a woman who was once rich as she deals with living in a shantytown while hoping to go back to her old world and wear the finest gowns out there. Guglielmo Barnabo is fantastic as Mobbi as a land developer who wants to buy the land where the shantytown is where is charmed by Toto only to scheme his way into buying the land while he becomes baffled by the miracles that is happening on the land.

Brunella Bovo is excellent as Edvige as a young woman from a poor family who falls for Toto as someone who would also ground Toto once he becomes this figure of hope in the film’s third act it is this radiant performance from Bovo. Emma Gramatica is brilliant in her small role as Lolotta as the woman who found the baby Toto as well as raise him while later appearing in the film’s third function as an angel. Paolo Stoppa is amazing as Rappi as a scheming vagabond who wants to be part of the rich society where he would sell out the vagabonds only to later realize that materialism is fleeting. Finally, there’s Francesco Golisano in an incredible performance as Toto as this young and upbeat man who is full of life and joy that often sees the best in people as well as trying to get those who are down to see the little things that make people happy.

Miracolo a Milano is a phenomenal film from Vittorio de Sica. Featuring a great ensemble cast, gorgeous visuals, a story of hope and miracle in a dreary world, and a charming musical score. The film is a delightful mixture of fantasy and neorealism set in a world outside of the city as it plays into the ideas of how simple things can make the poorest feel rich. In the end, Miracolo a Milano is a sensational 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 - 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 - Marriage Italian Style - (Un monde nouveau) - (After the Fox) - (Woman Times Seven) – The Witches-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 2024

The Witches (1967 film)

 

Produced by Dino De Laurentiis, Le streghe (The Witches) is an anthology film consisting of five comic stories relating to witches all starring Silvana Mangano as it mixes horror and comedy. The anthology film features the work of five different filmmakers with a different cast as it plays into the world of witches who all disguises themselves as different kinds of women. The result is a witty though messy anthology film from producer Dino De Laurentiis.

The Witch Burned Alive

Directed by Luchino Visconti. Written by Giuseppe Patroni Griffi and Cesare Zavattini. Edited by Mario Serandrei. Music by Piero Piccioni. Starring Annie Girardot, Francisco Rabal, Massimo Girroti, Marilu Toto, Nora Ricci, and introducing Helmut Berger.

The film revolves around an actress who stops at the home of a friend in the Austrian mountains as a party is being held yet is pursued by men at the party with women being jealous of her. It is a short that plays into an actress taking a break from work to see a friend whom she realizes is in a crumbling marriage as she wants to spend time with her but there’s a party at the home as she gets drunk and things don’t go well. It is a film that has some humor and some dramatic tension though there are moments where things drag as Luchino Visconti doesn’t do much to make the sexual tension more prominent as it relates to its protagonist Gloria. Notably as Gloria’s beauty is also the source of tension among the women at the home with Gloria’s best friend Valeria (Annie Girardot) defending her while lamenting her own issues with her husband Paolo (Francisco Rabal). Girardot is the standout in the segment as it also include some fine supporting work from Nora Ricci as Gloria’s secretary and Helmut Berger in his debut film appearance as a hotel page who brings things to Valeria’s home.

Civic Spirit

Directed by Mauro Bolognini. Written by Agenore Incrocci, Furio Scarpelli, and Bernardino Zapponi. Edited by Nino Baragli. Music by Piero Piccioni. Starring Alberto Sordi.

The segment revolves around a man who is injured in an auto accident as a woman offers to take him to the hospital only to drive somewhere else to her own destination. It is one of the shorter segments of the film as it is more of a comedy in which Alberto Sordi plays this man who is severely injured and is losing a lot of blood with Mangano as this woman who is in a hurry as she is driving ferociously through Rome. Featuring some amazing editing by Nino Baragli, the film is a comical short that has Mangano being this woman that is more concerned about going to a building than helping this man as it a hilarious segment by Mauro Bolognini.

The Earth Seen from the Moon

Written and directed by Pier Paolo Pasolini. Edited by Nino Baragli. Music by Ennio Morricone. Starring Toto, Ninetto Davoli, Laura Betti, Luigi Leoni, and Mario Cipriani.

A man and his son both travel around the streets of Rome to find a woman for the man so he can create a new family as they chose this mysterious deaf-mute woman. It is a short that is comical but also stylish with Toto playing the father and Ninetto Davoli as his red-haired son wearing a New York City sports team sweater as Pasolini brings this sense of absurdity into the film. Notably as there’s a key scene at the Coliseum involving the mute woman known as Absurdity who takes part in a scheme of theirs. Featuring some great art direction and Baragli’s offbeat editing as well as Morricone’s wondrous music score that stands out from the rest of the music score in the film. This short is easily the best one in the film.

The Sicilian Belle

Directed by Franco Rossi. Written by Agenore Incrocci, Furio Scarpelli, and Bernardino Zapponi. Editor Giorgio Serralonga. Music by Piero Piccioni. Starring Pietro Tordi.

A woman has been humiliated by a man prompting her father (Piero Tordi) to find out who he is as he would massacre the entire family. It is the weakest short of the film series as it doesn’t really much of a story as it is a more dramatic story that has some dark humor but it doesn’t really give Mangano much to work with.

An Evening Like the Others

Directed by Vittorio De Sica. Written by Cesare Zavattini, Fabio Carpi, and Enzo Muzii. Editor Adriana Novelli. Music by Piero Piccioni. Starring Clint Eastwood, Valentino Macchi, and Pietro Torrisi.

The final short of the series revolves around a housewife imagining herself as a woman being swept off her feet by her husband yet the reality is that her husband is content and prefers to work and sleep though he wants to do things for her. Even as the fantasy has him becoming desperate for her attention as it plays into some comical moments but also lavish scenes of her wanting to be the center of attention towards all men with the husband unable to get her attention. It is a film that has a lot of humor though Clint Eastwood’s performance as Charlie is odd considering that isn’t known much for comedy as he’s a bit miscast though there is a brief moment of him playing a cowboy while his scenes set in reality as the husband has him playing it straight where he does manage to hold his own with Mangano.

As a film overall, it is a messy one with Pasolini’s segment being the best of the bunch while the segments by De Sica and Bolognini are strong with the latter being the shortest. Visconti’s segment is a bit dull in parts though it does feature some unique visuals with Rossi’s being the weakest as it wants to be funny but it never hits. All of the segments were shot by cinematographer Giuseppe Rotunno whose photography does add a lot of vibrancy to the film with some low-key work for Visconti and De Sica’s segments to more wondrous colors in Pasolini’s segments. Art directors Mario Garbuglia and Piero Poletto, with set decorators Emilio D’Andria and Cesare Rovatti, do amazing work with the sets with the design of the gravestones for the Pasolini segment being the highlight of the film. Costume designer Piero Tosi does excellent work with the many dresses that Mangano wears in her different characters including the layers of gowns she would wear for De Sica’s segment.

Makeup artist Goffredo Rocchetti does nice work with some of the makeup with the look of green hair and heightened makeup in Pasolini’s segment being the standout. Special optical effects work by Joseph Nathanson is good for the scene in De Sica’s segment in a stadium as it plays into Mangano’s character as the object of desire. The sound work of Vittorio Trentino is terrific in playing up the locations as well as some sound effects in the film. Much of the film’s music by Piero Piccioni as it has its moment in its playful music along with some low-key pieces for the dramatic work yet it is Morricone’s score for the Pasolini segment that is the real standout of the music.

Le streghe is a stellar though flawed anthology film. While it features great performances from Silvana Mangano along with some nice technical work along with standout segments from Mauro Bolognini and Vittorio de Sica as well as a great short from Pier Paolo Pasolini. It is a film where there are things to watch though there are bits that don’t make it work. In the end, Le streghe is a good film from producer Dino De Laurentiis.

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 - (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) - (A Place for Lovers) - (Sunflowers (1970 film)) – The Garden of the Finzi-Continis - (Lo chiameremo Andrea) - (A Brief Vacation) - (The Voyage)

Pier Paolo Pasolini Films: (Accattone) – (La Rabbia) - Mamma Roma - (The Gospel According to St. Matthew) - (Location Hunting in Palestine) – (Love Meetings) – (The Hawks and the Sparrows) – (Oedipus Rex) – Teorema - (Porcile) – (Medea (1969 film)) – (Appunti per un film sull’India) – (Notes Towards an African Orestes) – The Decameron - The Canterbury Story - Arabian Nights - Salo or the 120 Days of Sodom

Luchino Visconti Films: (Obsessione) – (Giorni di gloria) – (La Terra Firma) – (Bellissima) – (Appunti su un fatto di cronaca) – (We, the Women) – Senso – White Nights (1957 film) - Rocco and His Brothers - (Boccaccio ’70-Il lavoro) – The Leopard - Sandra – (The Stranger (1967 film)) – The Damned - Death in Venice - (Alla ricerca di Tadzio) – (Ludwig) – (Conversation Piece) – The Innocent (1976 film)

© thevoid99 2023

The Garden of the Finzi-Continis

 

Based on the novel by Giorgio Bassani, Il giardino dei Finzi Contini (The Garden of the Finzi-Continis) is the story of an upper-class Jewish family living in Ferrera, Italy during the time of Fascist Italy as they deal with the growing political turmoil of the times. Directed by Vittorio De Sica and screenplay by Vittorio Bonicelli and Ugo Pirro with un-credited contributions by de Sica, Franco Brusati, Alain Katz, Tullio Pinelli, Cesare Zavattini, and Valerio Zurlini, the film is an exploration of a family whose lives are changed by Fascism as they find themselves lost with the young family members trying to find joy. Starring Lino Capolicchio, Dominique Sanda, Helmut Berger, Romolo Valli, and Fabio Testi. Il giardino dei Finzi Contini is a ravishing and somber film from Vittorio De Sica.

Set in the small town of Ferrera, Italy from 1938 to 1943, the film is an exploration of the life of an upper-class Jewish family who live nearby the home of a richer Jewish family known as the Finzi-Continis whose lavish garden is an idyllic landscape that becomes an escape during the growth of Fascism in Italy. The film is an exploration of the lives of these two upper-class Jewish families as one of them is in love with the daughter of the richer family ever since they were children as they deal with the growing world around them with this lavish garden being a place of wonder. The film’s screenplay by Vittorio Bonicelli and Ugo Pirro does feature bits of flashback as it relates to its two young leads in Giorgio (Lino Capolicchio) and Micol Finzi-Contini (Dominique Sanda) who knew each other as kids with the latter’s family home being this haven where they can play tennis and have fun at this lavish garden that includes Micol’s younger brother Alberto (Helmut Berger) and their friend Giampiero Malnate (Fabio Testi).

The first act is about the life of the Finzi-Continis and the garden that is their escape with the second act being about Giorgio’s pursuit of Micol as she rejects him believing he’s not good enough for her. Even as the second act also play into this chaos with Italy becoming a more Fascist state with Giorgio’s father Beniamino (Romolo Valli) trying to keep the family together as he sends his younger son Ernesto (Raffaele Curri) to France to study. It also play into the world that is crumbling where Giorgio had already been expelled from the tennis club and later a library where he is unable to study because he is Jewish while interracial marriages are also banned. The film explore Giorgio’s own encounter with the real world while Micol has isolated herself in the family home not wanting to deal with the real world with Alberto becoming ill. The third act does play into Italy entering World War II as life for Jews become more difficult with Giorgio pleading with Micol to be with him while also coming to terms that life will never be the same as the garden itself is a shell of its former self.

Vittorio De Sica’s direction is definitely full of gorgeous imagery and a sense of realism as it is shot largely on location in Ferrera with some of it in Venice with the garden shot at the park of Villa Ada near Rome. De Sica’s usage of the wide and medium shots do help play into the many locations in the film but also the world that is the garden at the Finzi-Contini estate where many of the young people play tennis and involve themselves with many activities as a way to escape from this growing threat of war that is to come. Even as De Sica would maintain this air of intimacy in the direction with the medium shots and close-ups inside the homes of Giorgio’s family and the Finzi-Continis where it showed a world where Giorgio’s family do perform certain Jewish traditions while the latter maintain this presentation of being posh and not overtly Jewish to raise concerns with the authorities.

De Sica also play into this sense of beauty that is the Finzi-Contini estate from the road way outside their home where Giorgio would ride his bike on as well as where he would park his bike and climb over its wall. The garden is the centerpiece of this estate filled with trees including a few palm trees and other things as it is a place where everyone can escape from the real world yet as the film progresses. The garden becomes less idyllic despite the beauty it presents itself but without many people there. It doesn’t feel the same as the third act has an air of coldness that looms along with a sense of danger in the fact that anyone who is Jewish, communist, or not wanting to be a part of this world of Fascist Italy is fucked. De Sica’s ending is ambiguous as it relates to the fate of characters but it also presents a world that is lost and could never return with those also filled with regret of the future they could’ve had. Overall, De Sica crafts an intoxicating yet harrowing film about two upper-class Jewish families dealing with the growing changes in Fascist Italy.

Cinematographer Ennio Guarnieri does amazing work with the film’s cinematography with its usage of soft lighting for a few interior scenes along with some natural and lush lighting for the scenes at the garden during the spring and summer as well as low-key lighting for the scenes at night and in the winter time. Editor Adriana Novelli does excellent work with the editing with some stylish jump-cuts for some of the bike ride scenes through the forest as well as a few montages including some of the flashbacks as it play into Giorgio and Micol’s time as teenagers. Production/costume designer Giancarlo Bartolini Salimbeni and set decorator Franco D’Andria does brilliant work with the look of the homes of Giorgio’s family with its modest furniture that is a sharp contrast to the more spacious interiors at the Finzi-Contini estate with its large library where Giorgio is allowed to study while the costumes are also exquisite in the posh dresses that Micol wears that is another sharp contrast to the modest suits that Giorgio wears.

Hair stylist Anna Cristofani and makeup artist Giulio Natalucci do fantastic work with the different hairstyles that Micol would wear throughout the film as it went from stylish to eventually becoming less so as the film progresses. The special effects work of Ettore Catalucci is terrific for some of the minimal shots that play into Alberto’s own sickly state as well as imagery to help make the film feel dreamlike. The sound work of Max Galinsky and Massimo Loffredi, with additional work for its restoration by Stefano Di Fiore, is superb for the sound as it help play into the atmosphere of the locations including the town with the speech over the declaration of war from Italy being a key moment. The film’s music by Manuel De Sica, with additional contributions by Bill Conti, is incredible for its lush and somber orchestral-piano score that play into the drama and romantic tension that looms throughout the film as well as themes that are upbeat that play into happier moments as it is a highlight of the film.

The film’s wonderful ensemble cast feature some notable small roles from Giampaolo Duregon as a friend of the Finzi-Contis in Bruno, Marcella Gentile as Giorgio’s young sister Fanny, Raffaele Curi as Giorgio’s younger brother Ernesto who goes to France to study, Barbara Pilavin as Giorgio’s mother, Ettore Gere as the majordomo Perotti, Inna Alexeievna as Alberto and Micol’s grandmother, Katina Morisani as Alberto and Mico’s mother, Cinzia Bruno as the young Micol, Alessandro D’Alatri as the young Giorgio, and Camillo Cesarei as Ermanno Finzi-Conti as the patriarch of the Finzi-Contini who allowed Giorgio to study in his library as he always liked Giorgio feeling he is a good match for Micol and a good friend to Alberto.

Romolo Valli is excellent as Giorgio’s father as a businessman who is proud of his Jewish heritage but would hide during the growth of Fascism as he is concerned for Giorgio as it relates to Micol as well as what will happen to the family knowing something is going wrong. Fabio Testi is brilliant as Giampiero Malnate as a family friend of the Finzi-Contis who is also a communist that isn’t fond of Fascism while he would later lament over the state of the Finzi-Conti with being isolated as he would be called up to military service as he and Giorgio also deal the world around them. Helmut Berger is amazing as Micol’s younger brother Alberto as a young man who idolized Malnate and love Giorgio as a friend as he also deals with illness while becoming aware of some of the drama involving Micol and Giorgio.

Lino Capolicchio is incredible as Giorgio as a young man from an upper-class Jewish family who is in love with Micol and wants to spend the rest of his life with her as he also deals with the changes around him as he’s kicked out of clubs and university because he’s Jewish as he also laments over everything as well as this paradise that is the Finzi-Conti garden that becomes less idyllic. Finally, there’s Dominique Sanda in a phenomenal performance as Micol Finzi-Conti as a young woman who is a childhood friend of Giorgio as someone who is trying to distance herself from the real world while isolating herself as a way to shield from that reality including Giorgio feeling that he’s not good enough for her. Even as she deals with the reality that she and her family eventually have to face as well as what she could’ve had.

Il giardino dei Finzi Contini is a magnificent film from Vittorio De Sica. Featuring a great ensemble cast, ravishing visuals, its themes of isolation and longing during a tumultuous time in Italy’s history, and a rich music score by Manuel De Sica. It is a film that explore life in Fascist Italy just before and during World War II as well as its effects on two upper-class Jewish families where one deal with what is happening while another is trying to not see the truth. In the end, Il giardino dei Finzi Contini is an outstanding 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 - 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)) - (Lo chiameremo Andrea) - (A Brief Vacation) - (The Voyage)

© thevoid99 2022

Marriage Italian Style

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

2017 Cannes Marathon: Umberto D.

(Played in Competition for the Palme d’Or at the 1952 Cannes Film Festival)

Directed by Vittorio de Sica and screenplay by de Sica and Cesare Zavattini from a story by Zavattini, Umberto D. is the story of an elderly man who is trying to keep his rented room as he faces eviction as he struggles to find people who would help him. The film is a look into the life of a man dealing with the post-war boom of Italy where modernism has took over. Starring Carlo Battisti, Maria Pia Casilio, Lina Gennari, Memmo Carotenuto, and Napoleone as the dog Flike. Umberto D. is a touching and rapturous film from Vittorio de Sica.

Set entirely in Rome during the post-war years, the film revolves an elderly man who learns he’s being kicked out of his apartment room by his landlord as he struggles to get help after learning about the state of his pension. With his dog Flike at his side, Umberto Domenico Ferrari (Carlo Battisti) copes with the little money he has as well as struggling to deal with the promises of the post-war as he’s unable to get work despite working with the government for 30 years. The film’s screenplay by Vittorio de Sica and Cesare Zavattini doesn’t just explore the journey that Umberto takes in as he copes with this post-war miracle in Rome but the downsides as men like him are being left out with no raise for their pension as the opening scene has these old men protest over this issue. For Umberto, he has very few people who can sympathy with his plight such as the young maid (Maria Pia Casilo) who likes his company and his dog as she comes to him for advice as she is pregnant.

Adding to Umberto’s plight is his failing health as he only has half of the money to pay the rent but the landlady (Lina Gennari) wants the entire amount or nothing at all. Especially as she has plans of her own in what she wants to do with her apartment building as she would let Flike wander off with no regard when Umberto had to go to the hospital for an illness. Flike would be found as it only add to the troubles Umberto faces as it is clear that men of his age are dealing with a future that is bleak or nonexistent at its worst.

The direction of de Sica is just intoxicating for not just the look of post-war Rome in this state of economic growth that some are getting something out of with others not getting much or nothing at all. Shot on location in Rome, de Sica would use some unique wide shots to capture the city coming alive but also with something that is unsettling as it relates to people living outside of the city or those who haven’t reaped the benefits of this economic boom. There’s an intimacy to de Sica’s direction in the way he films Umberto in his plight where there’s some close-ups but it’s in the medium shots and wide shots that says a lot. Especially in the former in his encounter with people as well as the dog Flike who is a major character in the film as he is one of the few reasons that Umberto is living. The film also has de Sica take a great look into the plight of the older generation who had been through war and everything as they are often wearing suits and a hat trying to look presentable but it’s not enough. Even as Umberto has to endure the indignity of having his room be used as a brothel for anyone his landlord would rent the room to. It all plays to a man being pushed to the edge as he is aware that his time is running out. Yet, de Sica does endure that no matter how bad things are for Umberto. There is some form of dignity that the character can hold on to. Overall, de Sica creates an enthralling yet heartfelt film about a man dealing with a new world he’s not a part of.

Cinematographer Aldo Graziati does brilliant work with the film’s black-and-white cinematography as it captures the beautiful exteriors in the day along with some unique lighting schemes for the interior scenes as well as the scenes set at night. Editor Eraldo Da Roma does excellent work with the film’s editing as it is quite straightforward as it play into the dramatic elements of the film without emphasizing on style. Production designer Virgilio Marchi and set decorator Ferdinando Ruffo do fantastic work with the look of the apartment building that Umberto live in as well as the room he lives in as it would later be ruined for the landlord’s interior remodling. The sound work of Ennio Sensi is terrific as it is very straightforward to play into the sound of the trolleys heard from inside the house as well as the buses. The film’s music by Alessandro Cicognini is amazing as it has this somber yet enchanting orchestral score that plays into the plight that Umberto endures as it is a highlight of the film.

The film’s superb cast include a superb performance from Memmo Carotenuto as a man that Umberto meets at the hospital as well as a wonderfully slimy performance from Lina Gennari as the cruel landlord who wants to remodel her home for her own selfish reasons. Maria Pia Casilio is radiant as the young maid Maria who deals with her own plight as has an unwedded pregnancy as she turns to Umberto for help as well as be one of the few that helps him. The dog Napoleone is just incredible as Flike as this loyal companion that provides Umberto with a reason to care no matter how bad things are. Finally, there’s Carlo Battisti in a phenomenal performance as the titular character as this retired government worker that is dealing with the emergence of the modern world as he has trouble fitting in the world as he is being evicted as he also deals with the indifference he faces from modern society as it’s a powerful and touching performance from Battisti.

Umberto D. is a tremendous film from Vittorio de Sica. Featuring a great cast, a remarkable screenplay, gorgeous visuals, a hypnotic score, and a universal premise that is engaging. The film is definitely visceral in terms of what the character endures as the film is also a worthy introduction for anyone that wants to understand what Italian neorealism is. In the end, Umberto D. is a magnificent 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 - (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 - 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 2017

The Earrings of Madame de...

Based on the novel by Louise Leveque de Vilmorin, The Earrings of Madame de… is the story of a countess who sells her earrings to pay off some debts only to cause some trouble in her lavish yet empty lifestyle. Directed by Max Ophuls and screenplay by Ophuls, Marcel Archad, and Annette Wadement, the film is an exploration of the life of a woman as her lavish lifestyle starts to crumble as she also begins to question her own marriage. Starring Danielle Darrieux, Charles Boyer, and Vittorio de Sica. The Earrings of Madame de… is a rich and evocative film from Max Ophuls.

Set in late 19th Century France, the film revolves around a pair of very expensive earrings where a countess tries to sell them off to pay some debts only to set off a chain of events that would trouble her once lavish lifestyle as well as what she wants in her own life. All of which would involve her dealing with a loveless marriage to a general as she falls for an Italian baron who would buy those earrings as it would add more trouble into a very complicated love triangle. It’s a film that plays into the ideas of a woman coping with the life she had as well as the earrings itself as they would be the cause of all sorts of trouble. The film’s screenplay explores the journey that these earrings would take as it would create a lot of these consequences that occur in the film. Especially in the life its countess whose first name is Louise (Danielle Darrieux) who lived a life of great wealth but it’s a shallow one that has her unaware of how loveless her marriage to Andre (Charles Boyer) is. Especially when Andre has a mistress who would take those earrings and later sell them playing to those chain of events.

It would then play into study of these three characters that would include the baron Donati (Vittorio de Sica) who is in the middle of this turmoil as he is just a good man that is in love with Louise. He would buy the earrings and later reveal the cracks in this marriage between Louise and Andre that is starting to show for these two. Especially as Louise would have her own realizations about her life and lifestyle where her affair with Donati would be more fulfilling but also an anguished affair because she is married as Andre is someone that has a lot of pull and can do some very terrifying things. Even as the affair is eventually discovered by Andre where his reaction is very unique for the fact that he kind of knew something was happening. All of which would lead to those earrings once again which is this interesting MacGuffin that really drives the story and the fate of these characters.

Max Ophuls’ direction is very exquisite in not just his approach to compositions but in also how to use the earrings as something more than just a plot device. Especially as there’s so much attention towards these earrings as they would be shifted from one character to another and then back to a character that previously owned these earrings. There’s a sense of precision and movement in Ophuls’ direction where his use of medium shots, close-ups, and tracking shots are truly hypnotic. Most notably a sequence where Donati and Louise would dance as the camera would swirl around to showcase the evolution of their relationship as they’re in different costumes as it is told with such style. 

Ophuls also creates these intense moments in the drama for the scenes where Louise and Donati are in the same room but they feel like they’re in different worlds due to the presence of Andre. Ophuls maintains an intimacy that can be very discomforting due to Andre’s presence as well as some wide shots as it relates to how detached he is from Louise. It would lead to this climax that is filled with a lot of ambiguities but also in how much damage these earrings have caused for these three people. Overall, Ophuls creates a very intoxicating and captivating film about a woman who sets off a chain of events that would lead to the unraveling of the lifestyle that she was once a part of.

Cinematographer Christian Matras does brilliant work with the film‘s black-and-white photography to play into the elegance of the film‘s interior and exterior settings with its unique approach to lighting as well as setting moods for those lights. Editor Borys Lewin does excellent work with the editing with its stylish use of dissolves and rhythmic cuts as well as dance sequence with its montage-editing approach. Set designer Jean d’Eaubonne does fantastic work with the set pieces from the home that Andre and Louise lived in to the other places as it showcased its sense of extravagance and elegance.

Costume designers Georges Annenkov and Rosine Delamare do amazing work with the costumes from the look of the dresses that Louise wore to the suits and uniforms the men wear. The sound work of Antoine Petitjean is terrific for its approach to sparse sounds as well the way things are heard for dramatic effect. The film’s music by Oscar Straus and Georges van Parys is wonderful for its lush orchestral score that plays to the period of the times with its usage of piano-based music and operatic pieces as it plays to the romantic and dramatic tone of the film.

The film’s phenomenal cast include notable small performances from Lia Di Leo as Andre’s mistress Lola, Mirielle Perrey as Louise’s caretaker, Jean Galland as an associate of Andre, and Jean Debucourt as the jeweler Monsieur Remy. Vittorio de Sica is incredible as Baron Fabrizio Donati as this man who is an old friend of Andre as he falls for Louise as he also deals with the secrecy of their affair and Andre’s cruelty. Charles Boyer is marvelous as General Andre as this man who likes to keep things secret including his own extramarital affairs while he learns that his wife is lying as he tries to regain control of everything he has. Finally, there’s Danielle Darrieux in a radiant performance as Countess Louise as this woman whose life unravels all by the act of selling her earrings to settle some debts as Darrieux maintains a sense of elegance in her character despite the trials and tribulations she would have as it’s an iconic performance from Darrieux.

The Earrings of Madame de… is an astoundingly enchanting film from Max Ophuls. Armed with a great cast and a compelling premise, it’s a film that is definitely rich in its images but also in the way it explores a world that is changing as well as attitudes and behaviors. In the end, The Earrings of Madame de… is an exquisitely sensational film from Max Ophuls.

Max Ophuls Films: (The Bartered Bride) - (The Merry Heirs) - (Liebelei) - (A Love Story (1933 film)) - (Everybody’s Woman) - (The Tender Enemy) - (The Trouble with Money) - (Yoshiwara) - (The Novel of Werther) - (Sarajevo (1940 film)) - (The Exile) - (Letter from an Unknown Woman) - (Caught (1949 film)) - (The Reckless Moment) - La Ronde (1950 film) - Le Plaisir - Lola Montes - (The Lovers of Montparnasse)


© thevoid99 2015

Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow

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

Two Women (1960 film)

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

Bicycle Thieves

Originally Written and Posted at Epinions.com on 1/5/10.

Following the fallout of World War II, Italy was in a dire, economic condition as the poor and working class struggled to find work. For a new group of filmmakers, a new wave of Italian cinema would emerge known as neorealism. One of its leading figures of this new wave was Vittorio De Sica, who was an actor that was prominent in the 1920s and 1930s. In the early 1940s, De Sica went into the world of directing as by 1946, he made a film called Sciuscia (Shoeshine) that was one of the first of the new wave of Italian neorealism. In 1948, De Sica made a film that would not only broke the new movement internationally but also raise the attention for Italian cinema itself in a harrowing tale about a poor man searching the city of Rome for a lost bicycle. The film is known in various names like Ladri di biciclette in its Italian name which in English, it's known as Bicycle Thieves but is known mostly as The Bicycle Thief.

Directed by Vittorio De Sica, Ladri di biciclette tells the story of a poor man finding a job where he has to ride a bicycle. When his bicycle is stolen, he and his son search all over the city of Rome to find the bicycle as they endure the struggles of the poor, working class. Based on a novel by Luigi Bartolini with an adapted screenplay by Cesare Zavattini with contributions by De Sica, Aldofo Franci, Suso Cecchi D'Amico, Gerardo Guerrieri, and Oreste Biancoli. The film is considered one of the greatest stories about harsh conditions in post-war Italy. Starring Lamberto Maggiorani, Enzo Staiola, Lianella Carell, and Vittorio Antonucci. Ladri di biciclette is a harrowing yet heartbreaking film by Vittorio De Sica.

Antonio Ricci (Lamberto Maggiorani) is finally given a job to hang posters all across the city. While the good news is that Ricci has work to help raise money for his starving family. The bad news is that the job requirement means he has to have a bicycle and the he has is broken. His wife Maria (Lianella Carell) decides to pawn their bed sheets in order to pay for a new bicycle as the job pays a good enough amount of money to pay for himself, Maria, and their two children. For Maria, the good news is a sign from a spiritual fortune teller (Elena Altieri) whom she feels she owe thanks to though Antonio doesn't believe in the woman's tales. After getting a uniform and instructions on what to do, Antonio is ready to work as it seems like good things are coming.

Then just as he was putting up a poster on the wall, his bike is suddenly stolen in the middle of Rome as he comes home defeated and unable to find his bicycle. Turning to a friend named Baiocco (Gino Saltamerenda) who decides to help Antonio find the bike since the police won't help him. Along with Antonio's young son Bruno (Enzo Staiola), they go to a place where bike parts are sold as there was no success. After a rough and rainy day with no success, Antonio and Bruno continued their search the next day where they find the thief meeting an old man (Giulio Chiari) as they tried to go after the thief. Later, they go after the old man where they follow him to a church service as he gives them false leads that Antonio doesn't believe.

With Antonio frustrated and unknowingly taking it out on Bruno, Antonio tries to regain Bruno's forgiveness by taking him out on a restaurant so they can eat and have some joy left. Realizing how important the bicycle is, Bruno's suggestions lead to Antonio to turn to the spiritual fortune teller for help. Instead, the teller's words didn't help matters until Antonio finally caught a face of the thief (Vittorio Antonucci) as he follows him to his town. Antonio confronts the young thief into telling the truth where the thief is surrounded by neighbors and a mother as a policeman tries to resolve the matter. What would happen would test Antonio's desire for survival as well as the respect of his son.

The film is about a man desperate to find his bicycle so he can keep his job and make sure his family suffers. Yet, the film is much more than that in terms of its simple plot device. It's really about a man being tested into what he's going through as he struggles to find the bicycle with the help of his young boy. For the boy, it is a grim reality of what his father is trying to do and why. Part of the film's story is about a father-son relationship in their search as the boy tries to help his father. Yet, he becomes troubled by his father's sudden helplessness in this desperation to find and confront the thief. Even as he knows his father is telling the truth where he can't help to watch his father suffer.

The story of the film is definitely a journey that revels into what Italians are going through in the post-war world where Italians are struggling to find work. Capturing all of this is Vittorio De Sica and his engaging yet observant direction. From the long shots of locales and sections that are going on in the city to the intimate moments between father and son. De Sica's camera is always capturing what is happening along with the people that Antonio and Bruno encounters. Even as the camera is following them, De Sica also gets into the middle of chaos along with the different class worlds that Antonio and Bruno deal with at a restaurant where a rich family is eating fine food while they're eating bread with melted mozzarella cheese.

Even the film's climatic moment in the third and final act shows an intense dramatic moment of how desperate Antonio is into maintaining the survival of his family. What would happen lead to what would be one of the most heartbreaking and devastating moments ever capture on film. De Sica doesn't gloss things over as he reveals all that is happening with such harrowing realism. The result is truly a masterwork of cinema as Vittorio De Sica captures a moment in time that is still relevant more than sixty years when it was released.

Cinematographer Carlo Montuori does brilliant work with the film's black-and-white photography to contrast the different worlds of Rome. From the brighter, larger look of the city in its rich locations to the grayer look of the more devastated places in the rain and at the shops outside of the buildings. Even the shading the sunlight add an atmosphere to the film as Montuori's work is definitely superb. Editor Eraldo De Rama does a splendid job with the film's straightforward editing along with the use of fade-outs and transition wipes to move the film quite smoothly from sequence to sequence. Even in some amazing rhythmic cuts to unveil some of the dramatic tension that is unfolding throughout the film.

Production designer Antonio Traverso does excellent work in the recreation of shops and booths that the characters surround by along with the places that Antonio and Bruno encounters that would reveal the wonders of the world. Music composer Alessandro Cicognini creates a haunting yet melancholic score filled with orchestral flourishes and arrangements to convey the devastation and desperation of what the characters are going through as it truly a magnificent score.

The cast which is mostly filled with unknown actors which is truly effective for the case of realistic performances. Notable small yet memorable supporting roles such as Elena Altieri as a mystical fortune teller who tests Antonio's faith, Giulio Chiari as an old man who has an encounter with the thief, and Gino Saltamerenda as Baiocco, Antonio's friend who helps him find the bike through merchants. Lianella Carell is excellent as Antonio's wife Maria who helps Antonio fund his way into getting a bike in her hopes for a better life. Vittorio Antonucci is very good as the young thief who claims to not have stolen the bike as he reveals some of the ugliness of humanity in such desperate times.

Enzo Staiola is superb as Bruno, a young boy whose life changes drastically as he sees his father struggle while realizing the harsh realism that is the real world. Finally, there's Lamberto Maggiorani in a magnificent role as Antonio Ricci. A man being put to the test as he loses his bicycle and means to survive while going through one humiliating ordeal after another. It is truly a haunting yet despairing performance from a man capturing what a man has to do for survival and how he's pushed to the edge of desperation.

When it was released in 1948, the film drew massive international attention. The film was released in the U.S. a year later to massive acclaim where it won a honorary Oscar just before the creation of the Best Foreign-Language film category. In the years since as De Sica's career grow as well as the brief period of Italian neorealism. The film would become massively acclaimed as one of the finest films ever made as polls would often have the film in the top ten as it is beloved by critics and filmmakers. The film was also a source of inspiration for Tim Burton's 1985 feature-film debut Pee Wee's Big Adventure along with being a plot device in Robert Altman's 1992 comeback film The Player.

Ladri di biciclette is a haunting yet heartbreaking film from Vittorio De Sica. Anyone interested in what neo-realist cinema is should no doubt see this as the best place to start. Even as a new wave of American films are going into the world of neo-realism from directors like Ramin Bahrani and Kelly Reichardt. The film is also more resonant with today's troubled economy as it is a harsh reflection of man's desperation to provide for his family. In the end, Ladri di biciclette is a film that really defines the idea of what pure cinema is and how it can relate itself to how the world works.

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)) - 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 - 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 2011