This is the fourth feature length film I've seen by director Vittorio De Sica. I chose to watch this film based on previous good ratings I've given other films by this director and to better my favorite directors by algorithm listing.
Una breve vacanza (A Brief Vacation)
My previous three film experiences from Vittorio De Sica were from his earlier and probably most acclaimed neo-realism period of the late 40s/early 50s, specifically Shoe-Shine, The Bicycle Thief, and Umberto D. All of them being fantastic, the latter two being perfect masterpieces.
Jump a couple decades into the future with this, his second to last film. I'm not sure what a lot of his films in between were like. I suspect some of them may have been a bit livelier since many are billed as comedies, in which case this may have been a bit of a return to form. The beginning of the film seems very familiar setting in a simple and somewhat impoverished abode. Despite this, it's hard to like or feel much sympathy for the protagonist Clara or anyone else at the beginning of the film. She seems so upset, although we can't quite tell if her attitude is justified yet. Soon however we see what a rather kind hearted person she is and how much she has to put up with.
Actually there are a lot of cases in this film of feeling one way towards a character when we are first introduced to them and then completely different by the end. For instance, the rich and egotistical woman singer is completely obnoxious and unlikeable at first. I thought I would hate the movie because of her and that fact that I was so annoyed whenever she appeared on screen. Shocking to find that she would be one of the most sympathetic characters by the end. Unfortunately a few characters came off a bit one dimensional and almost unbelievable unlikeable for the purpose of producing specific emotions. The portrayal of the Clara's annoying and selfish family was almost as bad as the girl boxer's family in the horrible Million Dollar Baby.
Like films like The Bicycle Thief, this film does a great job at showing a rather harsh world of working class Italy. Unlike most of that film however, we at least get a brief vacation. Brief because by the end of the film it's over and we are thrust back into that world once more.
Vittorio De Sica:
Total feature length films seen: 4
Previous average film score: 9.6667
New average film score: 9.25
Rating: 8/10