Quelle heure est-il?

Massimo Troisi is known abroad mostly for "Il Postino" and in Italy is remembered especially for his first comedy films but also the ones who appreciate him have never seen this movie and that's a shame 'cause here we see one of the best Troisi's performances where we can enjoy his talent as a dramatic actor not "just a comedian" (expression used by some, but we cinephiles know that real comedians are the best actors ever, just to name another Neapolitan like Troisi: Totò). For the third time Massimo doesn't work as a writer or director as in all his previous films - the first was in "Hotel Colonial" by Cinzia Th. Torrini then "Splendor" always by Ettore Scola (there will be another last one from this "trilogy" Scola-Troisi, "Captain Fracassa's Journey"). Then there is Marcello Mastroianni, just one of the greatest Italian actors of all time. This film an intimist trip of something never too much analyzed in the world of the seventh art: the father-son relationship. Here, as in the real world, upside down sometimes, quarrels and conflicts of two generations, everyone can identify itself in the two figures, one or the other during the viewing. Marcello and Massimo seem so natural like a real father and son. They received together "Volpi Cup for Best Actor" and Troisi also a "Pasinetti Award for Best Actor" at Venice Film Festival. No need for other actors, just a few, the right frame of this wonderful portrait. Grazie Ettore Scola.

More than a film, this movie is a sort of long theatrical dialogue. The two protagonists practically monopolize all the scenes and there are very few supporting actors. Mastroianni and Troisi positively impressed me. Certainly, they were two great actors, but together they represented an unknown. And yet the movie works. Perhaps because they were so distant from each other, they also well represented the distance that can exist between father and son. The movie is all about this: a long (non) dialogue between them, about life, death, family, and human relationships in general. In short, a beautiful movie, to which I want to give a very high rating. I have included it among those that I have appreciated the most. I also want to give credit to the director Ettore Scola, because the risk of "monotony" was very high. And yet, I was not bored at all.

'Che ora è', Ettore Scola's 1989 film, is an admirable demonstration of the fact that great films can often be simple and that sophisticated effects or complex plots are not always necessary to reach the hearts of viewers. All one needs is a script that tells a story or describes a true situation in words that work well on screen and the right actors to transform the images into living episodes that move or convey meaningful messages. Sounds simple, right? But how many directors have the talent, luck and audacity to make such movies? Ettore Scola is certainly one of them and if 'Che ora è' is a rarely mentioned and perhaps lesser known entry in his filmography, it is time, I think, for a re-evaluation.

The film tells the story of a day in the lives of a father and his son who meet after many years of distance - perhaps not so much geographically, but emotionally. Marcello, the father, is a very wealthy lawyer who has no problem making expensive presents such as an apartment in the center of Rome or a luxury car. Michele, the son, is in the military and doesn't really seem to know what he wants to do with his life. The father comes from Rome to the harbor town of Civitavecchia where his son is serving to spend a day with him and try to get to know him better, to guide him and help him in the way he believes is best. The two men are very different, however. Gradually, we understand that it is not just a generation gap and a difference in communication styles. Marcello had been a busy and absent father. The attempt to reconnect with his son is belated, accompanied by exaggerated gifts, inappropriate advice, intrusive pressure. There is a lot of talk, but verbal communication does not work well. The opening that occurs at a certain point is occasioned by shared memories and the watch inherited from Marcello's father, Michele's grandfather, which is for the latter a more precious gift than all the other treasures offered by his father. The two may get to know each other a little better, but their worlds remain different. As normal, after all.

I have already said that there is a lot of talking in the film, and perhaps some viewers will be bothered by this aspect. I think that for the screenwriters the verbosity (excessive even for an Italian film) was intentional. In this way they emphasized better than anywhere else that in communication words do not always help and sometimes even harm - they mask and distort. The moments of closeness are non-verbal, and perhaps it would have been good if there were a little more of them. The interpretation of the two actors is masterful. For Marcello Mastroianni this is one of the most impressive roles of the (too early) end of a formidable career. Massimo Troisi is an excellent partner and the two of them are believable and moving. I think many of the men who saw this film recognized themselves in the characters of the father and the son, maybe in both. I dare say that 'Che ora è' (no question mark, THIS is the original title!) is one of the most moving films about father-son relationships ever made.

Mastroianni and Troisi show in this movie what it means to be a honest actor. They act in the Italy of the late 80s. The feelings of modernity mix with the memories of the past. Mastroianni is a father who doesn't know his son for who he truly is. This makes him suffer, nonetheless Scola sends the message that it is never to late to sort out some sort of compromise between a father and son who love each other. Troisi on his part represents a character who lives life without all the fuss buzzing the 'successful' life. In those days as well as today a really difficult thing to do. The simplicity and cleanliness with which they share their feelings as characters is really fulfilling. This movie is a gift they made to us and both actors and director delivered a truly minimalist piece of art. Thank you!!!!

I think both men and women at the screening I attended identified with at least one of the main characters. Mastroianni and Troisi complement each other perfectly in this honest portrayal of a parent whose grown son is a stranger. It's a shame this was never widely seen in the US.