Une journée particulière

First of all for this movie I just have one word: 'wow'. This is probably, one of the best movies that touched me, from it's story to it's performances, so wonderfully played by Sophia Loren and Marcello Mastroianni. I was very impressed with this last one, because he really brought depth to the character, as it was a very hard role. Still, the two of them formed a pair, that surprised me, from the beginning until the end, showing in the way, a friendship filled with love, that develops during the entire day, settled in the movie. The story takes some time to roll, as the introduction of the characters is long, but finally we are compensated with a wonderful tale about love and humanity. If you have the chance, see it, because it's a movie that will stay in your mind for many time. Simply amazing - 9/10.

While Marcello Mastroianni and Sophia Loren may rate among the most visually appealing couples in cinematic history, the sad and profound beauty that they create here is far, far deeper than that of superficial appearance alone. Mastroianni is outstanding as Gabriele, a completely alienated and repressed gay man at the height of fascism's grip on Italian society during World War II. Loren plays Antonietta, an equally stifled housewife and mother of six who has been humiliated by her unfaithful and disrespectful husband. They live directly across from each other in a large apartment building in Rome, and they meet by chance when all of their neighbors suddenly vanish in order to attend political rallies all over the city on Hitler's first visit to the Italian capital.

Even as a tired, frumpy housewife who had been drained of life itself, Sophia radiates a quiet, subdued beauty that could only flow from her and no one else. Even the routine, mundane task of clearing off a kitchen table is captivating when Sophia Loren is doing it. What makes "A Special Day" so "special" is not only Sophia but Marcello in his Oscar nominated role and the superb direction by Ettore Scola.

As the very intense, human relationship between two lost souls continues to develop through the "special day", the mechanized, military marches of Nazi Germany and the deafening roar of the adoring mobs in response to Hitler's public appearance assault the ears from the building caretaker's radio, providing a stark contrast of two opposing but powerful forces in the world, love and hate. As I listened to the steady, harsh brutality of the German marches and the enthusiastic reaction by the Italian multitude, I was even more perplexed by the alliance of these two nations, Germany and Italy, with cultural roots that seemed as far apart from one another as any two on the face of the earth. The unlikelihood of Gabriele's and Antonietta's unique friendship paled in comparison to the oddity of a pact between the likes of Italy and Germany, an alliance that was an indisputable fact of history, as difficult as that may be to believe.

Although the film ends tragically, the beauty and strength of Gabriele's and Antonietta's complex relationship triumphs in its own, extraordinary way. Even in the darkness and the gloom, I was somehow left with a glimmer of hope for the pathetic, pitiful human race. I don't know exactly why.

This film literally took my breath away ! Both Mastroianni and Loren are fantastic actors, who can express a whole range of human feelings in just a look or a silence. This film is an unbelievable contrast : simplicity and sobriety in form but ultimate sophistication in content and in the actors' performance. I have never seen a film which raises so many questions at the same time : war, family, tolerance, women's condition, fanaticism, homosexuality, etc. Furthermore, it is a wonderful love story between two people who are actually too good for the world they live in. And last but not least, the contrast between the scruffy apartments and the beauty and elegance of Mastroianni and Loren is incredible. Mr. Scola achieved a masterpiece without make up, special effects or wonderful sceneries. When you have seen the film, you will understand that the special day was not for Mussolini and Hitler, who all the sudden seem very unimportant compared to what happened to the two characters. The day I have seen this film was definitely a special day for me as well, unforgettable ! It is just the most human film I have ever seen, a wonder of refinement.

This film has great acting, great photography and a very strong story line that really makes you think about who you are, how you define yourself, how you fit in, whether you accept to play a role or break free... There already are excellent comments dealing with these aspects. I want to comment on the formal setting of the film. Basically, it's two people on a roof. There is unity of place and time, with 2 protagonists, and the radio acting as the choir. Many directors have turned Greek tragedies into film, many directors have filmed contemporary stories as if they were a Greek tragedy, but no director, in my opinion, has succeeded as admirably as Ettore Scola in approaching the purity and force of the great Greek tragedies both in story line and formal setting. A masterpiece.

I just saw this film for the second time today, and for the first time in the movies (it was a release of a new print).

I found it even more beautiful than the first time, if that is possible. The most striking thing about it, from a cinematic point of view, is that everything is so simple. Two people: a tired housewife and a homosexual unemployed radio-announcer. Two actors: Loren and Mastroianni. One empty building. A fascist parade going on outside. And with just this elements Scola constructs a beautiful and touching masterpiece.

Today, you can see films with far more technical resources, wonderful locations, enormous casts and complex storylines - yet they rarely if ever achieve the level of beauty of something like this. Does beauty lie in simplicity? Or is it Scola who makes it seem so easy? I wonder. Other films by Scola (`Brutti, Sporchi, Cattivi', `Il Viaggio del Capitan Fracassa', etc.) are also very good, but this is the best one.

By the way, I once saw Mr. Ettore Scola in person (he came to Brazil for a conference) and he seemed to be a very kind and sympathetic soul, just as one would expect.