Amore mio aiutami

I remember when this movie came out but, for some reason, I didn't go see it.

It was shown yesterday on Italian tv as an homage to Monica Vitti, who died aged 90 a few days ago - although she had literally disappeared 20 years ago, when Alzheimer got hold of this beautiful actress.

What can one say about this movie, other than I enjoyed watching Vitti, hearing her unique voice and cherishing her acting skills.

Sadly, the movie is now hard to watch due to a scene which, imo, should be edited out: the beating up on the beach. Was that supposed to be funny back in 1969? I felt sick to my stomach and, after that, one could only feel nothing but disgust for Sordi/husband, so the second half of the movie is irreparably affected by the knowledge that her husband punched her in the face.

A couple's life is turned upside down by their wife's infatuation with a younger man. The husband tries to appear detached but the effect will be counterproductive and in the end he decides to divorce to allow his wife to be happy. This movie is a drama without salvation in which marriage is a cage from which one cannot escape without suffering.

A few months ago this film became a cult, especially for the beating scene, which Monica Vitti receives from Alberto Sordi on the beach. Why does this scene happen so violent, but also comical? First of all, there is a breakdown of inhibitions in both characters. Giovanni is unable to contain his anger towards his wife, while in his job he is described as a cynical and diabolical lawyer. Raffaella is a complex character, unable to manage her own anxieties, and is dominated by her mother. Their marriage union is based on a social consensus, which is immediately broken after a few minutes of the movie. At the end of the 1960s in Italy the issue of divorce was considered a taboo, or a too sensitive topic. The clash between the two protagonists is based above all on the fact that the woman does not find her role as mother / housewife. There is a complete break, but no alternative is offered. This is why I think this movie deserve a great revaluation from many aspects, and we need to contextualize certain situations, instead of criticizing only the layers of the story.

The story may be a bit exaggerated but well played by these two giants who are Monica Vitti and Alberto Sordi. Monica Vitti is undoubtedly the best choice for the role of Raffaella Macchiavelli, no other actress would have been right. Sordi, who is also the director and author of the script, shines as always. In fact, anything with Vitti and Sordi in distribution is worthy of seeing, their simple presence guarantees absolute success.

An average couple with a son is obsessed to be in vogue with their times cutting the bridges with the old-style relationships. Unfortunately, the wife falls truly in love with a friend, and after this the husband realizes not to be ready for such a "free" menage.

"Amore mio aiutami" is a comedy, yes, but it's rather a grotesque-comedy kind of movie. Monica Vitti is an extraordinary actress, but who knows her also knows she's got one of the worst voices in history. Sometimes she's dubbed but in this she maintains her original voice: hoarse, plaintive and boring, conferring an hilarious, additional accentuation to the whole film.

Thought it lasts two hours, it never annoys with empty scenes or holes in the script, and it's also impossible to summarize even the best scenes because it's a permanent mix between situation comedy and jealousy drama.

Even the meaning hidden in the film about the techniques to keep a wife need to be got in a comic way, consider it's a satire too, with its funny lining and its sagacious content.