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    The Easy Life

    Reviewed by
    pietroantoni@

    IL SORPASSO or THE EASY LIFE by the great director DINO RISI, is an early 1960's Italian masterpiece brought to new life by 2K digital restoration, It's essentially a comic ROAD COMEDY starring Vittorio Gassman who gives one of the finest performances of his career. Jean-Louis Trintignant (the old man in the Oscar winning AMOUR) and a disarmingly young Catherine Spaak co-star, but essentially the whole show belongs to GASSMAN. He is brilliant, the quintessential love of life ITALIAN of any period. I loved this film on its own right but also because it brought back a golden age of Italian cinema that I am discovering bit by bit, an age of Fellini, De Sica, Antonioni, Rossellini and many more talents the likes of Dino Risi. The film was apparently a huge success when released and it certainly is easy to see why. What makes this road trip slightly different from other road movies is that it begins in the usual comic way, almost becomes slapstick but ultimately turns tragic. Dino Risi chose wisely to make this movie in black and white as it brings back the ghosts of early Italian Neo-Realismo that began in roughly 1945. Risi's attention to the smallest detail is remarkable making the film palpably real. His location shots are not merely thrust in the movie for the sake of showing off some grand Italian landmarks. In Risi's vision they become the very fabric of Rome and beyond of that period, as indispensible as ROME is in FELLINI's LA DOLCE VITA. It is all a virtual feast of that 1960's period, almost another character in the film. I only learned of this film a few months ago and it all became a revelation. Being Italian and knowing Italy made the pleasure of watching this film all the greater. An enormous nostalgia filled me to the core as I could not stop thinking how great Italian cinema was in those years, now witnessing it on a first time basis. The truly incredible thing about the film is that it remains as fresh in our 2014 eyes as it did when made over 50 years ago. No wonder Italians and wherever cinema is venerated yet adore this timeless classic. What I keep asking myself is how did I not know of or discover IL SORPASSO years before. This film truly represents the greatness of Italian film then at its pinacle, at the grandest heights of the success it so richly deserves. Let's remember that Italy along with France have won the most Foreign Language Film Oscars since the award became a regular category in 1954. I might not nail it right on but Italy has a remarkable 23 BEST FOREIGN language film wins that include films like 81/2, La Strada, The Bycicle Thief (Honorary Oscar), Giulietta of the Spirits, the remarkable GARDEN of the FINZI-CONTINI, AMARCORD, to some more modern like THE BATTLE OF ALGIERS, INVESTIGATION OF A CITIZEN ABOVE SUSPICION, MEDITERRANEO, CINEMA PARADISO and the 2014 winner LA GRANDE BELLEZZA or THE GREAT BEAUTY by Paolo Sorrentino. I do believe Italy is entering another period of golden age cinema. Italians love their PASTA but they venerate the great films that the country produces. You must see this brilliant film. 10+

    10
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    pietroantoni@  29.9.2014 age: 36-49 14,540 reviews

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