Simply put, this film is a stunning and uniquely original work, filmed by Giuseppe Rotunno in what must be the darkest canvas of any film in cinema history, darker even than `The Godfather,' using a filtered, monochromatic texture that makes the print appear tinted or antique, as if Rembrandt was somehow influencing the artistic conception of each frame. My feeling is that this provides an underlying depth or complexity that reaches into the artistry of the viewer's subconscious.
*****SPOILER ALERT*****SPOILER ALERT*****
There is a Bressonian austerity to the film construction, as nothing non-essential is part of this film, yet unlike Bresson, there are two extraordinary acting performances here, Marcello Mastroianni plays Enrico, the tubercular, Marxist older brother who lives on next to nothing contrasted against Lorenzo, Jacques Perrin, the younger brother who had everything provided for him, as he was raised separately by members of the elite aristocracy, sending him to the finest schools, but leaving him ill-equipped to do anything for others. This reminded me of Bergman's `Cries and Whispers,' where the sisters arrive at the bedside of one sister who is dying of cancer. These women had been fully provided for and taken care of by others all their lives, and they didn't have a clue how to care for their sister's needs. They always remained at a distance. Instead, it was the caretaker maid who actually crawled under the covers and physically held and caressed the invalid sister. This contrasting class dynamic is at the heart of this Zurlini film, also his earlier film, `The Girl with the Suitcase,' but here the starkness of poverty is associated with the authenticity of emotion, stripping bare all artificiality, emotions burst onto the canvas like flairs in the night, like color in an otherwise washed-out world, humans are revealed with such a wordless subtlety, with facial expressions, gestures, grimaces, coughs, tears, stares, with the time spent waiting alone, as if the essence of life and the secret of human redemption can be found in these small, magical moments.
I found this to be a brilliant film, the most complex, the most enduring of the Zurlini series, and for me, one of the most intense personal experiences in all of cinema.
*****SPOILER ALERT*****SPOILER ALERT*****
There is a Bressonian austerity to the film construction, as nothing non-essential is part of this film, yet unlike Bresson, there are two extraordinary acting performances here, Marcello Mastroianni plays Enrico, the tubercular, Marxist older brother who lives on next to nothing contrasted against Lorenzo, Jacques Perrin, the younger brother who had everything provided for him, as he was raised separately by members of the elite aristocracy, sending him to the finest schools, but leaving him ill-equipped to do anything for others. This reminded me of Bergman's `Cries and Whispers,' where the sisters arrive at the bedside of one sister who is dying of cancer. These women had been fully provided for and taken care of by others all their lives, and they didn't have a clue how to care for their sister's needs. They always remained at a distance. Instead, it was the caretaker maid who actually crawled under the covers and physically held and caressed the invalid sister. This contrasting class dynamic is at the heart of this Zurlini film, also his earlier film, `The Girl with the Suitcase,' but here the starkness of poverty is associated with the authenticity of emotion, stripping bare all artificiality, emotions burst onto the canvas like flairs in the night, like color in an otherwise washed-out world, humans are revealed with such a wordless subtlety, with facial expressions, gestures, grimaces, coughs, tears, stares, with the time spent waiting alone, as if the essence of life and the secret of human redemption can be found in these small, magical moments.
I found this to be a brilliant film, the most complex, the most enduring of the Zurlini series, and for me, one of the most intense personal experiences in all of cinema.