Io la conoscevo bene

This film is an elongated character study. The first hour drags, and I almost stopped watching. It picks up speed after that, but don't expect something uplifting.

Country girl moves to the "big city" to live an independent life and to pursue ambitions of succeeding in the entertainment industry. The IMDb summary already clues you in to the outcome. Ultimately, this movie relies upon the way it transpires; sadly, the ending offers more confusion than insight.

Don't be fooled by the reviews: it's not a masterpiece. Sorry, but it's not. It is definitely, however, and excellent example of what it means to flesh out a leading character. If it were made today, it would be a textbook example of the hidden manifestations of mental health issues.

A great capsule of life in Italy in the early 60s. There are shades of la Dolce Vita since every scene takes place in summer and features incredible clothing, but our point of view here is radically different: it is that of a vulnerable young woman instead of a successful jaded male intellectual like in the Fellini movie. The vita is not so dolce for the girl played by the innocent-looking Stefania Sandrelli (who was apparently only 19 when she starred in that film, but what maturity she displays as an actress already.) A peasant girl from the sticks, we meet her right away in Rome where she aspires to glamour, stardom, fame etc. But because she does not know anyone, and is both naive and not very bright to boot, she takes many wrong turns and indulges all the wrong people. This film is very entertaining, because we are in Rome in 1964, it feels and looks like a hot summer all along, and the dresses worn by Sandrelli are unbelievably glamorous. But it is a ferocious social satire, and it is tender neither to our silly heroine nor to the sharks who exploit her and many others. The black&white photography is gorgeous on the eyes. Nino Manfredi and Ugo Tognazzi do each a memorable turn among the victim/exploiters that populates this Roman shark tank. Sandrelli is so good (and so beautiful) that she manages to make her character attaching in spite of her flaws.

If life is a circus if you're Fellini, that's all well and good. There was only one Fellini, and he's dead. For most of us, life is a struggle. For a young woman trying to make her way, it's filled with rude men and the fear of rape if you hear a stranger's foot steps at night.

Don't get me wrong. I love Fellini, but Antonio Petrangeli offers a different view of la dolce vita here. Stefania Sandrelli tries to make a go of it in a cynical and greedy world.

This movie is very well know in Italy and certainly not a "hidden" masterpiece. Stefania Sandrelli gives a star-making performance as Adriana, the silly country girl who tries to navigate waters much too deep and dangerous for her intellectual level.

Adriana is rather ignorant and shallow, but pretty, outgoing and sensual and tries to climb the ladder of success "helped" by several men. Along the way, she has lots of flirts with despicable guys, among which one with Dario. The two spend a weekend at the beach and then Dario leaves her with the bill to pay, for which Adriana must use a bracelet Dario gave her.

This episode underlines not only Adriana's naivety, but also her lack of self-respect. After having been informed by the police that Dario is a gigolo and a thief and the bracelet he gave her stolen, she laughs and takes his defence.

The despicable male characters include famous actor Roberto and "talent scout" Cianfanna. It's most depressing to see the level of moral bankruptcy shared by all the show-biz characters. Only a boxer and a mechanic lack the cynicism of those working in the entertainment industry.

Adriana herself is just a pretty face with an empty head, devoid of self-awareness and pursuing a vague idea of 'success". She listens non-stop to silly pop music, loves dancing and doesn't mind having casual sex, but cannot even make a career out of prostitution, lacking the necessary cunning.

Unrooted from her country background, without any stable relations, without even the awareness of her loneliness, Adriana is just one of the million youngsters pursuing a sterile rebellion without a cause, which eventually will lead to her demise.

"Io La Conoscevo Bene" or "I Knew Her Well" in English translation is a somewhat different film from the rest made by Antonio Pietrangeli and one of his last before his premature death. The theme of loneliness and alienation is not new in cinema,but Pietrangeli takes it from a different angle: his heroine,the naive countryside girl Adriana,who dreams of a career as a star in Rome, is not an escapist or introvert;on the contrary, she tries her best to socialize and befriend people , but the results are most disappointing and frustrating - people just ignore her, use her, make fun of her,exploit her body and her good intentions.Nobody is taking her seriously.Is it our cruel modern world's trademark?Seems to be true.INDIFFERENCE also kills. The magnificent cast of the greatest of Italian stars , each of them playing very small episodes,give distinctive CHARACTERS, blood and flesh ,to their protagonists,though their screen life lasts no more than five minutes each. The soundtrack by Piero Piccioni,like the sound of a torn string in the middle of a tune, suggests a young life broken before it has blossomed. Stefania Sandrelli, still a TEENAGER(!!) ,performs in an amazingly mature and confident way.Though she had some experience of working with great directors before (Pietro Germi), her psychological portrayal of a silly girl mesmerized by the glitter of the big city is very deep and convincing. Of course, this film was the labour of love of Antonio Pitrangeli, a very experienced director, but somewhat underrated ( nobody would put him on a pedestal alongside Fellini or Visconti).This film, undoubtedly,would make film critics and the audience reconsider the hierarchy of the Italian cinema Olympus dwellers.