There can be no question that Una Giornata Particolare occupies a very special place among films on fascism. This is a film, which never ages; one that always takes on new significance. The film is set in an apartment building, whose residents have gone to join a fascist march on 8 May 1938, the day of Hitler's visit to Rome and meeting with Mussolini. Fellow residents Antonietta, a mother of six, and Gabriele, her homosexual neighbour, are removed from the fascistic hysteria gripping the crowd, Antonietta because her husband hasn't taken her and Gabriele because, as a passive anti-fascist, he is at risk of arrest. As Antonietta gets talking to Gabriele, she is confronted with the reality of her miserable life like a slap in the face: for her macho, fascist-leaning husband, she is no more than a sex and baby machine. A chord of empathy is struck between the straight woman and the gay man. The film draws a sharp contrast between the growing affection of two crushed spirits and the thirst for violence of the crowd outside. As the racist yells blast from the caretaker's radio, Antonietta, a typical Italian woman bound to her husband and tradition, and Gabriele, the gay with no interest in women, grow ever closer. Far in the background of this unique liaison is the crazed, vulgar voice of fascism, a mechanism rooted in the traditional relationship between dominant man and submissive woman, influencing the gamut of human relationships and inviting a fanatic like Hitler to be transported by dreams of ruling the world. The film analyses fascism through the male-female relationship. The early segregation by fascist powers of gays and other men defying the traditional "male" model is powerfully portrayed in the example of Gabriele, the radio presenter who is sent into exile. Una Giornata Particolare posits the idea that the fascist threat will remain as long as male-female relationships are dominated by crude male force. While Marcello Mastroianni merited an Oscar nomi
Script Ettore Scola Maurizio Costanzo Ruggero Maccari
Cinematography Pasqualino De Santis
Editing Raimondo Crociani
Production Champion Film Company
Cast Françoise Berd John Vernon Marcello Mastroianni Nicole Magny Sophia Loren
Music Armando Trovajoli
Awards Best Actress David di Donatello - Best Foreign Film Golden Globe - Best Actress Best Score Italian National Syndicate of Film Journalists Best Screenplay Special Jury Prize Cannes - Best Foreign Film Cesar Best Director
Festivals 10th Festival on Wheels SOPHIA VE MARCELLO
