Ettore Scola (1931–2016) was one of the most prominent Italian filmmakers of the postwar era. Heir to the great traditions of commedia all'italiana, whose norms he reinvented, he melded humor, melancholy, and political insight with keen precision. A filmmaker of memory, nostalgia and the passage of time, Scola observed people, their dreams, and their disillusionment, as they were tested by History. In his œuvre, the small story often illuminated a larger one. Through friendships, lovers and family relations, he chronicled chaotic chapters of contemporary Italy with profound humanity. Debuting as a screenwriter for Dino Risi, Antonio Pietrangeli, Luigi Comencini and Mauro Bolognini, he turned toward directing in the mid-1960s, collaborating with the most iconic artists of the day: Marcello Mastroianni, Sophia Loren, Vittorio Gassman, Stefania Sandrelli, Nino Manfredi, Monica Vitti or Alberto Sordi. He was at the origin of landmark works of Italian cinema, from We All Loved Each Other So Much (1974) to A Special Day (1977), to Ugly, Dirty and Bad (1976). This revival encourages audiences to rediscover the extraordinary richness of his œuvre, where social satire meets the most intimate emotions.
Our thanks to Carlotta Films, Cineteca di Bologna, Gaumont, Les Acacias, Les Films du Camélia, LCJ Éditions, Malavida, Park Circus, René Chateau, Sooner, Tamasa
8 mai 1938. Tandis que Rome célèbre la visite d’Hitler, une mère de famille rencontre son voisin Gabriele… Sophia Loren et Marcello Mastroianni, dans l’un des plus beaux films de Scola.
Des amis de longue date sont réunis pour une fête organisée sur la fastueuse terrasse d’un appartement romain. Derrière les apparences, tous cachent un profond malaise… Une vaste fresque chorale sur la faillite d’une génération.
1943-1997 by Ettore Scola (1997, 9min)
