Ecce bombo

From start to finish, the most boring film imaginable. You keep waiting for something to happen, but nothing ever does. Michele leads a very boring life, he is the kind of person I would never wish to make the acquaintance of. The film is a typical product of a certain left-wing so-called culture rampant in Italy in the Seventies, of which Nanni Moretti is a leading exponent. One thing puzzles me: why does Moretti so often cast himself as a person named Michele? Take a look at the list of his films! There must be a Michele in his past who left a lasting impression on him, After all, there is no lack of male first names in Italian; why not Mario, Alberto or even Dante?

Using a fragmentary technique, Nanni Moretti represents the crisis of the Italian young generation of 1977, through a series of short scenes. Young guys have conflicts with their parents, monotonous relationships with their friends and complicated love affairs with women. The do not believe in '68 ideals anymore and do not find other inspiration and passions, so what they do, is simply living. But Moretti's very sarcastic and cruel style easily leads to laugh, to smile, to think. The dialogs are very funny and the characters are so hilarious. Moretti filmed his first movie in 16mm. This movie costed 180 millions of Italian Liras (about 90,000 Dollars) but it earned 2 billions of Liras (about 1 million Dollars). Not bad, if you think that it was the first movie of a not-known director. In conclusion, a great cult-movie.

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Far from being the celebrated star of today, Nanni Moretti just represents himself at 23, and his life with his parents, sister and friends. The location is Rome, its town, but most of the scenes are taken in simple apartments, where he and his friends like to meet to discuss about themselves, in a sort of auto therapy group. Moretti manages to combine the scenes and the music - mostly Italian singers and authors - and most of the characters are his real friends. He succeeds in giving a true description of the social life of the time, without missing to give his touch of caustic remarks. On this respect, the scenes between Michele and his girlfriends are quite brilliant in their portrayal of the nervous inadequacy of our "anti-hero"...

Completely pointless film. At best, too regional for the rest of the world to understand. Nothing becomes clear, the director's intentions, whatever they may be (if any) don't come out. And worst of all: it pretends to be intelligent. What amazes me most is that this being his first film, Moretti was allowed to make a second one. Don't waste your time with this totally obscure film, life is too short!

Let me start by stating that this is a superbly intelligent and funny film which enlists among it protagonists the medium by occasionally 'pointing' to its delivery technique/style. A sharp social commentary picture, delivered with humour and satire; a synthesis of some of Italy's trends and moods at the end of the 1970s; the voice of one of its embedded protagonist who observes and reflects on cultural issues and society in general and how they affect his generation (e.g. cigarette corporations ads and movies). The language barrier can be dealt with in fact it was very well received and appreciated by the European viewership and nominated for the Palm d'Or, the highest honour at the Cannes Film Festival. As for the role of the 'reader': the viewer, whatever his or her origins and background, could reflect on the history of his or her country, its economic developments/corporate influence, its educational policies, its social fears and/or generational angst, its mid-late nineteenth century dilemmas. Subsequently, the latter can be compared to those of other countries, in this case to Italy's and how they are depicted in Moretti's rendition in ECCE BOMBO. The findings can be enlightening and have much to say about the dynamics of the relationship between the individual and his or her community in their own country, the social milieu he or she inhabits and how they affect each other. This 1978 classic of world cinema is definitely an entertaining and astute 'study' of society which the medium of the cinema affords.