BY DAWN DABELL
Fans
of Sophia Loren will be ecstatic to learn new independent label CultFilms is in
the process of releasing a collection of her award-winning movies. Launching
this fine set is the wonderful Two Women
aka La Ciociara (previously reviewed
in Issue #34 of Cinema Retro),
followed by A Special Day aka Una Giornata Particolare (which is
reviewed here). Yesterday, Today and
Tomorrow, Marriage Italian Style
and Boccaccio 70’ are to follow. This
collection showcases Loren at the top of her acting game and will be warmly
welcomed by her fans and fans of Italian cinema generally.
Fascist
housewife and mother of six Antoinetta (Sophia Loren) is busy trying to ready
her family so they can attend a parade to celebrate Hitler’s state visit with
Mussolini. Rushed off her feet, it becomes apparent she won’t be able to attend
the momentous occasion as she has too much housework to deal with and is
getting no help from her husband. Deflated that her family has left her with
this mountain of work, she resigns herself to another mundane day and sets
about her daily chores. To make things worse, their pet bird escapes and lands
on the ledge of a neighbouring apartment. This seemingly innocuous event leads
to a chance encounter with neighbour Gabriele (Marcello Mastroianni) which
changes the course of her day. Instead of endless chores with no appreciation
from those around her, she converses, dances and even begins to fall for this
charming stranger who, like her, cannot attend the parade. The pair discuss
life, love and politics and, in a short space of time, seem to enjoy each
other’s company. But does Gabriele harbour a dark secret which has kept him
away from the parade? Will Antoinetta be as loyal to the ideology of the
fascist state after her educational encounter with Gabriele? Will things ever
be the same for either of them after this day?
Most
people think of Loren as a glamorous leading lady, able to make men drool at
her phenomenal beauty while women can do nothing but begrudgingly acknowledge
what a stunning woman adorns the screen before them. A Special Day deliberately goes against this perceived image,
making Loren look far from glamorous as a character who is haggard and severely
run down due to the strains of motherhood. She plays a woman expected to wait
on her family slavishly: a dutiful wife trapped by the Mussolini-era philosophy
that women should be viewed simply wives and mothers, nothing more, mere
baby-making machines and domestic workers. In real-life, Mussolini introduced
incentives to men whose wives bore them lots of children: it was the fascist
dictator’s way of increasing the Italian population. In the film Antoinetta and
Emanuele are shown to have six children, and it becomes apparent he wants her
to have another as soon as possible as a seventh child will make him exempt
from paying taxes. So many children will obviously take a toll on the mother,
but none of that comes into anyone’s considerations. Instead of the usual
glamorous make-up and elegant clothing, we see Loren wearing dull, oversized
and scruffy garments which merely serve a practical purpose. It’s clear from
her demeanour that she has given up on life. In one scene Emanuele needs to dry
his hands and, unable find anything close at hand, he simply uses the skirt of
his wife’s outfit. From very early on viewers are prompted to be angered and
outraged at Antoinetta’s treatment at the hands of her ungrateful family.
Like
Loren, Mastroianni puts in a remarkable performance as a radio journalist who
has been fired from his job due to his sexual orientation. Right from his
opening scene, Mastroianni shows great passion, fighting his demons while
contemplating suicide. At this point we don’t realise what issues are weighing
so heavily on his mind, making him consider ending his life. The
characterisation could have fallen flat in another actor’s hands, but he
performs it superbly and generates audience sympathy right from the start. He
keeps us engrossed with his poignant performance throughout.
Loren
and Mastroianni worked together on a number of films, including Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow (1963), Marriage Italian Style (1964), The Priest’s Wife (1970), Sunflower (1970) and Sex Pot (1975), among many others. They
were an acting duo to rival Spencer Tracy and Katherine Hepburn. Here, they
manage to convey an important message to their audience: even when it feels
like all is lost, you may yet find comfort and support in the strangest of
places.
Throughout
the duration of the day, it becomes increasingly apparent that Antoinetta is
becoming attracted to Gabriele and believes he reciprocates her feelings. This
leads to an altercation between the two, forcing him to share his sexual secret
with her. Regardless of this, Antoinetta’s overwhelming need for human contact
- for someone to view her as a human being, an equal - overpowers everything
else and causes her to be drawn to him once more. Eventually they make love,
though Gabriele seems very dazed and confused throughout the event. This scene
has caused considerable debate, with some audiences questioning whether
Antoinette takes advantage of Gabriele, forcing herself on him. Anyone who
watches carefully, though, will note how he tenderly grabs her breast while she
is kissing him. It can be interpreted that both give the other something they
need in order to survive. Gabriele is about to be sent to exile and lacks
companionship. His sexual orientation means he is classed as a degenerate who
people want little to nothing to do with and Antoinetta needs to feel like a
beautiful woman, to be appreciated and not treated like a baby-making-machine
or slave. Gabriele knows he can give her the contact she craves even though we
see the pain and conflict on his face as he allows events to unfold. These two
people show each other that there is more to life if you are prepared to take a
chance. They know that once the day is over, things probably won’t really
change; everything will go back to how it was but, for the moment at least,
they can feel a sense of hope and take solace from the knowledge they don’t
always have to be so neglected and isolated.