A Special Day (1977)

Simply A Masterpiece

hyped garbage

Highly Overrated But Still Good

Each character in this movie — down to the smallest one — is an individual rather than a type, prone to spontaneous changes of mood and sometimes amusing outbursts of pettiness or ill humor.

While Marcello Mastroianni and Sophia Loren may rate among the most visually appealing couples in cinematic history, the sad and profound beauty that they create here is far, far deeper than that of superficial appearance alone. Mastroianni is outstanding as Gabriele, a completely alienated and repressed gay man at the height of fascism's grip on Italian society during World War II. Loren plays Antonietta, an equally stifled housewife and mother of six who has been humiliated by her unfaithful and disrespectful husband. They live directly across from each other in a large apartment building in Rome, and they meet by chance when their neighbors depart to attend political rallies all over the city on Hitler's first visit to the Italian capital.Even as a tired, frumpy housewife who had been drained of life itself, Sophia radiates a quiet, subdued beauty that could only flow from her and no one else. Even the routine, mundane task of clearing off a kitchen table is captivating when Sophia Loren is doing it. What makes "A Special Day" so "special" is not only Sophia but Marcello in an Oscar nominated role and the superb direction by Ettore Scola. As the very intense, human relationship between two lost souls continues to develop through the "special day", the mechanized, military marches of Nazi Germany and the deafening roar of the adoring mobs in response to Hitler's public appearance assault the ears from the building caretaker's radio, providing a stark contrast of two opposing but powerful forces in the world, love and hate. As I listened to the steady, harsh brutality of the German marches and the enthusiastic reaction by the Italian multitude, I was even more startled by the alliance of these two nations, Germany and Italy, with cultural roots that seemed as far apart from one another as any two on the face of the earth. The unlikelihood of Gabriele's and Antonietta's unique friendship paled in comparison to the oddity of a pact between the likes of Italy and Germany, an alliance that was an indisputable fact of history, as difficult as that may be to believe.Although the film ends tragically, the beauty and strength of Gabriele's and Antonietta's complex relationship triumphs in its own, extraordinary way. Even in the darkness and the gloom, I was somehow left with a glimmer of hope for the pathetic, pitiful human race. I don't know exactly why.

I just saw this movie on a grainy DVD in a dubbed version--I believe Sophia dubbed her own English. Even so, this film blew me away . . . slowly. The near-constant background noise of radio announcers burbling on and on about the glories of fascist Italy and Nazi Germany over martial music created a sonic claustrophobia that matched the visual sense of restriction in the apartment complex. I knew beforehand that Mastroianni was cast as a gay man; I was not prepared for the delicacy and refinement he brought to his portrayal. And Loren's character was full of surprises--we first see her as an exhausted, exploited wife and mother. It's a shock to see her face light up when she recalls her encounter with Mussolini. Loren as a fascist! How these two connect in such a human, simple way is breathtaking. Each is imprisoned in their own fashion at the end, and yet there is a hint that each has found a fragile new sense of freedom. But Scola does not deny the tragedy of these characters' destinies. Very moving. I hope to see it in the original Italian some day.

First of all for this movie I just have one word: 'wow'. This is probably, one of the best movies that touched me, from it's story to it's performances, so wonderfully played by Sophia Loren and Marcello Mastroianni. I was very impressed with this last one, because he really brought depth to the character, as it was a very hard role. Still, the two of them formed a pair, that surprised me, from the beginning until the end, showing in the way, a friendship filled with love, that develops during the entire day, settled in the movie. The story takes some time to roll, as the introduction of the characters is long, but finally we are compensated with a wonderful tale about love and humanity. If you have the chance, see it, because it's a movie that will stay in your mind for many time. Simply amazing - 9/10.

Why isn't there a decent copy of this movie available? This brilliant cinematic event (has anyone ever figured out that opening shot?) gets bad reviews on Amazon because they only seem to sell bootleg copies of VHS-tapes, it's a shame. The only possible explanation I can think of is that the distributors expect this movie not to sell. If you are a beer-drinking, big game hunting, football-obsessed, wife-beating American executive would you be able to sell me a movie about a loser? No. For the same same reason you drive (ride) an F150 and you will never be able to get near a Peugeot or a Fiat. This particular movie is a great example of how movies are cultural markers exposing elements of a culture that is in a way a modern version a the Roman empire. Don't get me wrong, I'm not a hater, I still think there are more positives than negatives in the US, I'm still here, aren't I, but when it comes to the American macho culture I have to pass. What we see in this movie is the acceptance of a homosexual man. Note, there is no such thing as gay-life style or demands for gay- marriage. Because many people are still incapable of accepting men like Gabriele gay life in this country has been socially segregated, don't ask don't tell in the workplace, in your own area you can do whatever you want. You have to be that F150 guy otherwise you will not make it here. If I had a billion dollars I would have that movie broadcast as a superbowl commercial.