Il sorpasso

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!!!)

In the hot Roman summer law student Roberto casually runs into Bruno a strange but amusing man who is heading in his fancy sports car to a nearby beach to meet with friends. Bruno insists and Roberto decides to join him for the day. "Il Sorpasso" is about the relationship -of just that day- between two such a characters. Bruno thinks of nothing but enjoying life and is self confident, sort of a person that refuses to admit the pass of time (he's already in his forties and hasn't settled at all yet); Roberto, much younger, is a classic guy, sort of shy and obedient of his family's wishes about his future. At first Roberto doesn't approve of Bruno's idea of fun by insulting and humiliating people, but as they go together he turns into a sort of rebellion against his all planned and predictable life and shows a bit of admiration for the older man who doesn't go along with social premises.

Shot in beautiful Italy in the sort of "pop" early sixties, "Il Sorpasso" is a wonderful film which deals with true life and true characters. Dino Risi carries the film perfectly and shows us a great variation of common real life characters that one way or another get involved with Bruno and Roberto. The movie appears clearly as a comedy -and a real amusing one too- but at the very end it turns into drama and makes you think a lot. Classical 60's Italian music fits perfect.

Gassman is outstanding as the intelligent and sort of mean Bruno (I can't think of any other actor that could have played the role so perfectly) and Trintignant does a very good job too as the insecure and strcture minded Roberto.

A great movie worth seeing. You'll sure enjoy it.

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.

Although to all intents and purposes this film from Dino Risi is a brilliant example of Commedia all' Italiana it remains a 'Road' movie in all but name. The Road in this case is the Via Aurelia that runs from Rome to Tuscany and the title refers to the aggressive overtaking indulged in by the free spirited Bruno behind the wheel of his Lancia Aurelia Sport. His passenger here is the shy, mild mannered law student Roberto.

This film really struck a chord with Italian audiences and despite negative reviews it was word of mouth that made it such a spectacular success. Sixty years on it still packs a punch and has had an immeasurable influence on later directors.

This marvellously constructed piece gets better as it goes on and like Risi's previous masterwork 'La Vita Difficile', gives us a beautifully observed picture of the Italy of the new prosperity known as 'Il Boom'. Bruno and Roberto look as if they might have been inspired by Dean and Sal in Jack Kerouac's seminal 'On the Road'. Just a theory of course.

There are some finely drawn performances throughout but its strength of course lies in the relationship between the unlikely buddies Bruno of Vittorio Gassman and Roberto of Jean-Louis Trintignant. To see two such exceptional actors playing off each other is an absolute joy. Gassman has the showiest part and his magnificent performance is further testament to his excellent working relationship with this director. Trintignant brings his customary air of mystery to the role and is no less effective. Good writing makes good actors even better and the script by Risi and Ettore Scola is superlative, by turns introspective and hilarious. It is a work full of paradoxes and ironies, climaxing in the cruellest irony of all.

Surprisingly the bleak ending did not affect its popularity. "It's a bit cruel," said Risi, "but that's Life. A beautiful vacation that ends in tragedy."

Bruno (Gassman) is bored beyond his considerable wits revving about in sports car around a deserted suburb of Rome when he comes across law student Roberto (Trintignant), a nerd if ever there was one, and promptly decides to bring Roberto out of his shell.

Clearly, Bruno is moved by good intentions but they are far surpassed by his selfishness. Life really centers around Bruno and what he wants. He invites Roberto for a spin and to a meal at a smart restaurant, but poor Roberto has to foot the bill, and from that moment on you realize that Roberto has been ensnared in the spider's web of Bruno's charm-laden selfishness.

Bruno is a dedicated womanizer, to the point of trying to pick up his own daughter, who he has not recognized, and who has to remind him of her status - but he is certainly not embarrassed by that, or by any of his many self-centered blunders, and disrespect for anything legal, speed restrictions and traffic cops included.

And so the trip in the sports car becomes a road trip, taking Roberto ever further away from the safety of his studies paid by his parents, and into a revolving society that merges post-war Italy with the 1960s, all to glorious soundtrack that includes songs like "Guarda come dondolo" and "Cuando Cuando Cuando," among others.

Photography is effective and economic, never getting in the way of the development of the story.

The acting is uniformly outstanding, even minor characters grab one's interest. Gassman is brilliant as he gate-crashes parties and breezes in and out of everyone's life. Trintignant is the reserved counterweight, mesmerized and sapped of will by Gassman's magical personality and sleight of hand. In between, one has a glimpse of Italy's fast-changing society and inevitable shortcomings.

Direction is superb. The great Dino Risi was certainly at his best in this celebration of life, a timeless masterpiece that not even the B&W photography or the 1960s time capsule can hold down.

Enjoy the wonderful ride - but keep your eyes peeled and learn from it!