My recollection of A special day, a film by Ettore Scola about the encounter of a housewife and a homosexual radio announcer, is that it is an almost flawless film. Watching it for the second time, I realize it isn't. There are lots of things to praise. The use of sound in the film is one of the things that make this an exciting film. The setting of the story is the day during which Hitler and other leading men of the Nazi party join hands with their Italian ally in a big parade in Rome. The story takes place in a Roman apartment building. Antonietta, a bored housewife, begins the big day by making sure the rest of the family make it to the parade on time. She remains at home. Somewhere in the house, there is a radio. It is the blaring, squaky radio we here on the soundtrack; reporters talk about the events, patriotic songs are played. These low-quality radio sounds accompany the story of the film and constitute an important layer of its atmosphere. There is no additional soundtrack.
What I didn't remember about A special day (or what I didn't notice the first time around) is that the dialogue is sometimes too psychologically explicit. We learn stuff about the characters that should have been shown more subtly, rather than blurted out in talky dialogue.
But for the most part, this is an awesome film about what it is like to be seen as a useless human being in a society preoccupied with strength and manliness. It's a film about loneliness and sudden bursts of emotion.
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