Let’s move on to Italy for Vittorio De Sica’s 1963 film, YESTERDAY, TODAY AND TOMORROW, winner of that year’s foreign language Academy Award.
This is a comedy anthology featuring 3 stories each starring Sophia Loren and Marcello Mastroianni.
The first story has Loren and Mastroianni as a poor couple behind in their bills. Loren’s threatened with jail time but the couple discovers a loop hole in which a pregnant woman can’t be arrested, and neither can a woman within 6 months of having a child. So, the couple conspires to keep Loren pregnant as long as possible.
The second, and shortest, of the stories has Loren as a rich, married socialite on a road trip with her extra-marital lover, Mastroianni. The more stuff they wreck into, the more they question their relationship.
The third and final store has Loren as a prostitute who draws the attention of her young neighbor, a student on his way to becoming a priest. She runs afoul of his grandparents when he threatens to leave the priesthood to be with her. Meanwhile, Mastroianni is on hand as her neurotic and horny client.
I liked the first and last stories better than the middle one, but one thing I liked about all of them was how they made it clear that these characters live within communities. These stories all played out in public, with lover’s quarrels and relationship ups and downs took place in front of an audience of bystanders and neighbors. It gives the movie a warm sense of community and kind of makes you want to go live in the various locations.
Of course the other great thing about each segment is the performances from Loren and Mastroianni, both effortlessly shifting from one story to the next without losing sight of the humor of their situations.
No comments:
Post a Comment