Une journée particulière

'Una Giornata Particolare' is a movie that has a title that sounds so familiar I thought I had seen it more than once. Now that I finally I have seen it, I am very glad. This is one of the better Italian movies I know, with one of the most wonderful performances by Marcello Mastroianni, who stars in other masterpieces such as 'La Dolce Vita' and '8 1/2', both from the great Federico Fellini. Directed by Ettore Scola, this is a movie that takes the time to introduce the characters and slowly develops a story on a special day, the day Adolf Hitler visited Rome.

Marcello Mastroianni plays Gabriele, the neighbor of Antonietta (Sophia Loren). She is a member of Mussolini's party, pretty fanatic in her thoughts, and he is a member no more. The reason for that I will not reveal. On the day every person from their building, including her husband and children, is out to see Hitler, they are still in the building. Antonietta's bird escapes and flies to Gabriele's apartment, and this is how the two meet. Right before Antonietta went to Gabriele he thought of killing himself, again for reasons I will not reveal. How the story develops from here I will not reveal, but it is what happens between the two that makes this such a special day, not the fact that Hitler is in Rome.

Like I said, Mastroianni has a wonderful performance. You see he is a man who desperately wants someone around him, although at first we don't know why. May be he likes Antonietta, may be he is in love with her, may be there are other reasons. Antonietta feels what we feel. What does this man want from her? She likes the attention anyway. We see how she does her hair to look attractive for the man. Loren plays the scenes very good as well. We understand her questions, although we can't be sure what her intentions are. The moments where we find out both their secrets, if that is what you can call it, is a great moment. How the story develops from there is even more interesting, but I don't want to spoil it for you. This is a movie you should see. Great performances and a beautiful cinematography, and the message it gives us still stands today.

This film literally took my breath away ! Both Mastroianni and Loren are fantastic actors, who can express a whole range of human feelings in just a look or a silence. This film is an unbelievable contrast : simplicity and sobriety in form but ultimate sophistication in content and in the actors' performance. I have never seen a film which raises so many questions at the same time : war, family, tolerance, women's condition, fanaticism, homosexuality, etc. Furthermore, it is a wonderful love story between two people who are actually too good for the world they live in. And last but not least, the contrast between the scruffy apartments and the beauty and elegance of Mastroianni and Loren is incredible. Mr. Scola achieved a masterpiece without make up, special effects or wonderful sceneries. When you have seen the film, you will understand that the special day was not for Mussolini and Hitler, who all the sudden seem very unimportant compared to what happened to the two characters. The day I have seen this film was definitely a special day for me as well, unforgettable ! It is just the most human film I have ever seen, a wonder of refinement.

This film has great acting, great photography and a very strong story line that really makes you think about who you are, how you define yourself, how you fit in, whether you accept to play a role or break free... There already are excellent comments dealing with these aspects. I want to comment on the formal setting of the film. Basically, it's two people on a roof. There is unity of place and time, with 2 protagonists, and the radio acting as the choir. Many directors have turned Greek tragedies into film, many directors have filmed contemporary stories as if they were a Greek tragedy, but no director, in my opinion, has succeeded as admirably as Ettore Scola in approaching the purity and force of the great Greek tragedies both in story line and formal setting. A masterpiece.

I just saw this film for the second time today, and for the first time in the movies (it was a release of a new print).

I found it even more beautiful than the first time, if that is possible. The most striking thing about it, from a cinematic point of view, is that everything is so simple. Two people: a tired housewife and a homosexual unemployed radio-announcer. Two actors: Loren and Mastroianni. One empty building. A fascist parade going on outside. And with just this elements Scola constructs a beautiful and touching masterpiece.

Today, you can see films with far more technical resources, wonderful locations, enormous casts and complex storylines - yet they rarely if ever achieve the level of beauty of something like this. Does beauty lie in simplicity? Or is it Scola who makes it seem so easy? I wonder. Other films by Scola (`Brutti, Sporchi, Cattivi', `Il Viaggio del Capitan Fracassa', etc.) are also very good, but this is the best one.

By the way, I once saw Mr. Ettore Scola in person (he came to Brazil for a conference) and he seemed to be a very kind and sympathetic soul, just as one would expect.

I too was quite astonished to see how few people had voted on this film, and just HAD to write something about it, although my comments are quite similar to those written already.

I like many things about the film. The superb acting between Mastroianni & Loren. The way the film is narrated: Humanity and love slowly developing between these two outsiders, and contrasted to the simultaneously & continuously ongoing inhumane marching pace of the fascist radio announcer (who happens to be a colleague of Mastroianni's part)and the adherents "going to and coming from the show". To me this is a very fine film about what it is to be human. Maybe some of you would argue that the anti-fascist "message" is too clearly delivered, but to me this didn't destroy the film in any way. My vote is 10/10.