SENZA PAROLE **Short taken from “I Nuovo Mostri” ITALY 1977
Love so distant and obscure
Spoilers: Watch the film before reading
1977 “I nuovo Mostri” is a sort of sequel to “I mostri” released in 1963. This time Dino Risi joins forces with Mario Monicelli and Ettore Scola to create another set of satirical short stories exposing the dark side of society and human nature. One of these is Risi’s magnificent “Senza Parole”.
Ornella Mutti in the role of a flight attendant, arrives at a hotel swimming pool for her day off and almost immediately meets a mysterious man who, without uttering a single word, manages to seduce her. They spend this day and night together, and in the morning, before her departure, he brings her a tape recorder with the song they heard the previous day, which is “All by myself” by Eric Carmen.
This moment is extremely moving but it’s followed by an unexpected twist that shatters everything, the film’s last scene which I won’t reveal here.
The film:
“Ti Amo” by Umberto Tozzi and “All by Myself” by Eric Carmen are very well chosen, as these songs represent a time of innocence and transition very unique to the late 70’s and early 80’s (Dreams are my reality in “La boum” and “Endless Love” are good examples), Ti Amo had just been released and Eric Carmen’s “All by Myself” (inspired by Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto number 2) had been released 2 years before this. The time frame is relevant because Italy was going through a period of constant social unrest and acts of terrorism by far left organizations such as Prima Linea and Red brigades.
Love so distant and obscure
Spoilers: Watch the film before reading
1977 “I nuovo Mostri” is a sort of sequel to “I mostri” released in 1963. This time Dino Risi joins forces with Mario Monicelli and Ettore Scola to create another set of satirical short stories exposing the dark side of society and human nature. One of these is Risi’s magnificent “Senza Parole”.
Ornella Mutti in the role of a flight attendant, arrives at a hotel swimming pool for her day off and almost immediately meets a mysterious man who, without uttering a single word, manages to seduce her. They spend this day and night together, and in the morning, before her departure, he brings her a tape recorder with the song they heard the previous day, which is “All by myself” by Eric Carmen.
This moment is extremely moving but it’s followed by an unexpected twist that shatters everything, the film’s last scene which I won’t reveal here.
The film:
“Ti Amo” by Umberto Tozzi and “All by Myself” by Eric Carmen are very well chosen, as these songs represent a time of innocence and transition very unique to the late 70’s and early 80’s (Dreams are my reality in “La boum” and “Endless Love” are good examples), Ti Amo had just been released and Eric Carmen’s “All by Myself” (inspired by Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto number 2) had been released 2 years before this. The time frame is relevant because Italy was going through a period of constant social unrest and acts of terrorism by far left organizations such as Prima Linea and Red brigades.
All by Myself might very well be seen as the pinnacle of kitsch by many (especially after Celine Dion’s utter and complete destruction of the song), but to me this is one of the best songs ever written (Even if it borrows from Rachmaninoff). The orchestration is sublime, the guitar in the background reminds me of John Lees from Barclay James Harvest, and Eric’s voice carries this sense of despair without ever slipping into any form of exaggeration. In All by myself as in this short film, we are born alone, and we die alone, and in the midst of this confusing affair that is life, we seek this special human connection, this sense of comfort that is always fleeting and often an illusion.
The song:
The song:
RELEASED: 1977
Director: Dino Risi
Running Time: 7'44 mn
Cast: Ornella Mutti; Yorgo Voyagis
Rating: 4 stars
Director: Dino Risi
Running Time: 7'44 mn
Cast: Ornella Mutti; Yorgo Voyagis
Rating: 4 stars
