La notte brava

'La note brava' is a tale of prostitutes and thieves in Rome, loosely based on Pier Paolo Pasolini's famous 1955 novel 'Ragazzi di vita'. Premiered in 1959 director Mauro Bolognini's feature film is a rambling, episodic, unevenly paced crime drama about one money-grubbing day and night in the lives of assorted prostitutes and thieves, which begins with two prostitutes fighting, and ends with the cause being thrown off a bridge at the symbolic end. As this is Italian what we witness during the course of the story is spontaneity, rambling, raw emotion, and a little humour and violence, featuring characters you may look on with some amusement. Featuring a good cast, this is a film whose overriding themes are of economic desperation, betrayal, and both the corruption and limits of money.

"La notte brava" is a daring film for its time, as it deals —according to the permissiveness of the time in European film industries— with prostitution, pimping, black market, homosexuality, pedophilia, bourgeois decadence. It is also an impressive showcase of young talent in Italian and French cinemas, and of the beautiful faces of almost the entire cast, with special emphasis on Lualdi, Milian, Martinelli, Terzieff, Ferrero, Brialy and Schiaffino. Its scripwriter Pasolini would later "correct" this glamorous surface in his own films, populated by people from the streets of Rome and other cities, people's faces, the faces Pasolini speaks of in his work; and being more explicit when dealing with the subjects that are touched in this fine production.

This is an amazingly erotic film, and Pasolini who had a lot to do with this film including the screenplay included a lot of homoeroticism in this film. Why are we always praising the looks of the women and not the men ? In France they knew a thing or two by calling this film ' Les Garcons ' ( The Boys ) and with the help of Brialy and Terzieff plus others it truly lives up to the French title. Not noted on the Internet Movie Database is the English title ' Night Heat ' and it had an X certificate on release in the UK. Why does this matter pointing out the attraction of the male ? In films that cry out for it there has to be some pointing out of it, unwelcome though that may be to the heterosexual male and all the same sex haters who are out there. Pasolini was homosexual and there are incidents in the film that show quite clearly the happy eye of one male looking at another. I also have stopped giving spoilers but please viewers watch the male chemistry for once. It is not always just the women, beautiful though some of them are.

I watched "Bad Girls Don't Cry" in French class over on my exchange college trip to Japan and boy, was it one hell of a crime drama!

It deals with some supressed girls from poor families, whom steal, lie, cheat and vandalize Rome, during the 1930's Great Deppresion. Plus, these Femme-Fatales are pretty cute as well as being great actresses for their time.

Paousolini, Bolognini, yuo did it again ^_^

"La Notte Brava" (aka: The Big Night, although it means more something like actually 'The Brave' or 'The Wild Night') is an excellent film, that may be not very well known out of Europe, but it's still considered one of great director Mauro Bolognini's greatest efforts, and a film that generally stands successfully the test of time: Its script is exceptionally cohesive, sad and melancholic, daring and extremely sexually charged, and it comes from a short novel by unforgettable poet, writer and director Pier Paolo Pasolini who wrote the powerful screenplay with irony and passion, along with the French,and,at that time (1959) more experienced, Brost. It's almost impossible to believe this was produced and presented in 1959! It is so wildly modern, and the biting dialog, alienated, yet always seducing and ultimately even romantic atmosphere and situations (happening just during one Roman night facing the economic boom) are always brilliantly intriguing and breathlessly following up one another with great momentum. This is an astonishing ensemble piece, with refined cinematography by Armando Nannuzzi, exquisite costumes and looks by Marcel Escoffier who keeps away from fashion and stays on the character's development following the director's strict structure, sets by Carlo Egidi, and jazzy score by the awesome Piero Piccioni. The cast is so powerful, they all shine, even Mylene Demongeot in a 5 minutes segment manages to remind of Marilyn Monroe who could have also made that character as brilliantly sexy and mysteriously unnerving. The best and most attractive is Laurent Terzieff, Elsa Martinelli and Antonella Lualdi are so modern and gorgeous, while, if Brialy is at times a bit mannered, all others give unforgettable performances. Watch for a young and handsome Tomas Milian as the wealthy rebel without a cause hosting a "Dolce Vita" alike party over this wild night of brave and sad learnings. Great movie.