Il sorpasso

This is simply one of the greatest films of all time. Yes, up there with "Modern Times" and "Los Olvidados," but for entirely different reasons. It is a convincing celebration of life that I have never experienced in any other movie. Gassman will move you to tears and laughter in a beautiful performance. The plot? An attempt to introduce a nerd to the world of chromatic living and accelerated emotion. Do the consequences matter? Yes? No? You'll love it anyway. If you can't get an English version, it doesn't matter. Listen to the original Italian and marvel at the significance of the depth and the architecture that penetrates the screen.

IL SORPASSO is referred to by many comments as a comedy. There are a few amusing moments, but this is far from a comedy. The word "sorpasso" connotes overtaking, or passing, as in a vehicle passing another on the road. Bruno (Vittorio Gassman) is a man who lives--or thinks he lives--life to the fullest. He's headstrong, opportunistic, manipulating and selfish. He's also charming, and has the narcissistic ability to make other do what he wants. When he encounters Roberto (Jean-Louis Trintignant) he sees someone who needs to be awakened to the carefree joys of life. It sounds good at first, as the men speed down highways and through small towns, passing every other car, hell-bent to go nowhere. No plans, something that Bruno impressed on Roberto: it's the way to live your life. Throughout, we hear Roberto's thoughts in voice-over--should he go along with this impulsive person, or insist on going back home to his quiet life as a law student? At a couple of points, Roberto does intend to leave on his own, but circumstances and Bruno's persuasive nature pull him back into the older man's sports car. It's all fun to watch, until they reach Castiglioncello, where Bruno "knows some people''. The people turn out to be his ex-wife and his daughter. The former wife (Luciana Angiolillo) knows Bruno all too well and sees through his raving and protestations. Daughter Lilli (Catherine Spaak) is still under her father's spell. His antics still entertain her and perhaps she has sought a responsible version of him in her much older suitor, whom she plans to marry. In this setting, Roberto finally sees Bruno for what he is--and he insists on returning to Rome. But as they begin the journey home, Roberto comes to a realization: he has just had the two best days of his life and he tells this to Bruno. The film is in high gear at this point. NO SPOILERS -- Both actors are brilliant, even with French Trintignant dubbed by an Italian voice actor, and they compliment each other perfectly. We see a lot of Italy: Rome, the countryside and the coast, as well as numerous ordinary citizens. A strong, often beautiful film.

Actually it was a Lancia Aurelia B24 sport....It was one of the three main characters in this movie, so please let there be no misunderstanding about this marvelous car. The car represents the somewhat broken state Bruno is in when Roberto meets him. The paintwork is patched-up and the body is dented, but the the engine, character and spirit are still in top condition! Please also note that all the in-car shots were made on the road and not in the studio. This movie depicts how Italy in the beginning of the sixties was recuperating from the poverty resulting from war and fascism.

(Great movie!!!)

Kurosawa said a truly great movie should be enjoyable. That's certainly the case with "Il Sorpasso". You can watch it as a comical road movie. Or you can watch it as a snapshot of Italy's economic boom and carefree euphoria of the 1960s. Or you can watch it as a coming of age film. Or you can watch it as a profound philosophical commentary on living in the moment. One way or another, just watch it.

"Bruno" (Vittorio Gassman in his first comic role) is a smooth talking, fun-loving, overgrown adolescent who lives his life hour by hour. By chance he encounters "Roberto" (Jean-Louis Trintignant) who is a shy, sheltered introvert. Somehow Bruno shanghais his reluctant young passenger into a cross country road trip. The rest is anybody's guess.

Many have credited this film as kick starting the road movie genre. "Easy Rider" which came out in 1969 was directly influenced by this film, as are films as recent as "Sideways" (2004). Strangely enough, in the 70 years since "Il Sorpasso" I don't think any road movie nailed one particular defining quality as well as director Dino Risi did here. Although this film is very episodic, with characters fleeting in and out like in all road movies, Risi and the camera take extra care to give importance to even the most trivial characters. People who don't even say a word but whose presence imply entire stories unto themselves.

This also adds a tremendous amount of interest and intrigue to this otherwise breezy presentation. The 2 German girls from the beginning... will they show up again? What about the waitress "Dark Eyes" who gave Roberto such a meaningful, lingering stare? Or Aunt Lidia, whom the camera graces through a window as they're driving off and she mournfully puts her hair back up in a bun... what's her story? The film is packed full of moments like that, and we realize that this movie isn't just about our 2 main characters and a handful of others, but it's about everyone whom the camera catches.

You'll notice this almost immediately. The film begins in a completely deserted Rome where the 2 protagonists meet, and from there almost every person they meet is significant, all the way up to its memorable conclusion. Guaranteed you won't forget this film.

When Bruno hits the road in his Lancia Aurelia B24 sport with the nerdish Roberto, it's a whirlwind ride for the audience as well, with your emotions riding high throughout. Gassman's "Bruno" is as perfect a portrait as one can imagine of the Italian who just floats through life, never taking things or others very seriously, always finding shortcuts and discovering truths that others disparage or fear. He's the classic embodiment of the Italian "furbo" (wise guy), who thinks he knows how to "play" the world and all the people in it. One of the greatest cinematic explorations of the stuff of contemporary life you'll ever see and the possibilities (all too limited) of overcoming the alienation inherent in it.