A Special Day
| A Special Day | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Film poster | |
| Directed by | Ettore Scola |
| Produced by | Carlo Ponti |
| Written by |
Maurizio Costanzo Ruggero Maccari Ettore Scola |
| Starring |
Sophia Loren Marcello Mastroianni John Vernon |
| Music by | Armando Trovajoli |
| Cinematography | Pasqualino De Santis |
| Edited by | Raimondo Crociani |
| Distributed by | Surf Film |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 110 minutes |
| Country | Italy |
| Language | Italian |
A Special Day (Italian: Una giornata particolare) is a 1977 Italian film directed by Ettore Scola and starring Sophia Loren, Marcello Mastroianni and John Vernon.[1] Set in Rome in 1938, its narrative follows a woman and her neighbor who stay home the day Adolf Hitler visits Benito Mussolini. It is an Italian-Canadian co-production.
The film received several nominations and awards, including a César Award for Best Foreign Film in 1978 and two Oscar nominations in 1977, and is featured on the list of the 100 Italian films to be saved.[2]
Plot
On May 8, 1938, the day Hitler visited Mussolini in Rome, Antonietta, a naïve and sentimental homemaker, (Loren) stays home doing her usual domestic tasks, while her fascist husband (Vernon) and her six spoiled children take to the streets to follow a parade. The building is empty except for a neighbor across the complex: (Mastroianni), a charming man named Gabriele. He is a radio broadcaster who has been dismissed from his job and is about to be deported to Sardinia because of his anti-fascist stance and homosexuality. They meet by chance and begin to talk. Antonietta is surprised by his opinions and, unaware of his sexual orientation, flirts with him.
Despite their differences, they warm to each other. Antonietta confides in him her troubles with her arrogant and unfaithful husband, and eventually they have sex. Soon after, Gabriele is arrested and Antonietta's family comes back home. At the end, Antonietta sits near the window and starts reading a book Gabriele has given to her (The Three Musketeers). She watches as her lover leaves the complex, escorted by fascist policemen; before turning off the light and retiring to bed, where her husband is waiting for her in order to beget their seventh child.[3][4]
Cast
- Sophia Loren – Antonietta
- Marcello Mastroianni – Gabriele
- John Vernon – Emanuele, Antonietta's husband
- Françoise Berd – Caretaker
- Patrizia Basso – Romana
- Tiziano De Persio – Arnaldo
- Maurizio Di Paolantonio – Fabio
- Antonio Garibaldi – Littorio
- Vittorio Guerrieri – Umberto
- Alessandra Mussolini – Maria Luisa
- Nicole Magny – Officer's Daughter
Special scenes
A number of unusual cinematic techniques are used in this film. A long take scene introduces Antonietta and her family: the camera enters through the kitchen window and moves into the rooms. Deep focus is utilized in a scene in which the camera is in Antonietta's room with her in the frame, and through a distant window Gabriele can simultaneously be seen moving in his house in the same frame.
Awards
- The film won the Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Language Film.[5]
- It was nominated for Academy Awards for Best Actor in a Leading Role (Marcello Mastroianni) and Best Foreign Language Film.[6]
- In Italy it won three Nastro d'Argento for Best Actress, Music and Script; and two David di Donatello for Best Actress and Best Director.[7]
- In France it won César Award for Best Foreign Film.[8]
- It was nominated for the Golden Palm at the 1977 Cannes Film Festival.[9]
See also
- List of submissions to the 50th Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film
- List of Italian submissions for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film
References
- ↑ "NY Times: A Special Day". NY Times.com. Retrieved 2009-03-29.
- ↑ "'Ecco i cento film italiani da salvare' e su tutti vincono Fellini e Visconti" (in Italian). la Repubblica. 28 February 2008. Retrieved 23 December 2013.
- ↑ Review - A Special Day Archived April 2, 2015, at the Wayback Machine. Channel 4.
- ↑ A Special Day Archived June 23, 2009, at the Wayback Machine.
- ↑ "The 35th Annual Golden Globe Awards (1978). List of winners and nominees". The Hollywood Foreign Press Association.
- ↑ "The 50th Academy Awards (1978) Nominees and Winners". oscars.org. Retrieved 2012-06-16.
- ↑ "Una giornata particolare. Premi vinti" (in Italian). Accademia del Cinema Italiano.
- ↑ "Palmares 1978 - 3rd Cesar Award Ceremony". Académie des Arts et Techniques du Cinéma.
- ↑ "Festival de Cannes. Official Selection 1977: In Competition". festival-cannes.com. Archived from the original on 2009-10-03. Retrieved 2009-05-11.