La famiglia (1987)

User Rating:

7.6/10   

Director:

Ettore Scola

Writers:

Graziano Diana (dialogue)
Ruggero Maccari (story)

Release Date:

December 1987 (USA)

Genre:

Biography | Drama | History | Music | Romance

Tagline:

In 1906 Carlo was born into a very large family...

Plot:

"The Family," an album with a velvet cover, is meant to touch the extended family of man. Formal portraits...

Plot Keywords:

Fascist | Elopement | Grandchild | Politics | Single Set Production

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 11 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

Emanuele Lamaro	...	Carlo, as a child
Andrea Occhipinti	...	Carlo as a young man
Vittorio Gassman	...	Carlo, as a man / Carlo's grandfather
Cecilia Dazzi	...	Beatrice, as a girl
Stefania Sandrelli	...	Beatrice
Jo Champa	...	Adriana as a young woman
Fanny Ardant	...	Adriana
Joska Versari	...	Giulio, as a child
Alberto Gimignani	...	Giulio, as a boy
Massimo Dapporto	...	Giulio, as a boy
Carlo Dapporto	...	Giulio, as a man
Consuelo Pascali	...	Adelina, as a child
Ilaria Stuppia	...	Adelina, as a girl
Ottavia Piccolo	...	Adelina
Athina Cenci	...	Aunt Margherita

Also Known As:

La famille (France)
The Family (USA)

Runtime:

Argentina:122 min | Italy:127 min | Spain:120 min

Country:

Italy | France

Language:

English | Italian

Color:

Color (Cinecolor)

Sound Mix:

Ultra Stereo

Certification:

Netherlands:AL | Australia:PG | Argentina:13 | Chile:14 | Finland:S | Spain:13 | Sweden:Btl | USA:PG

Company:

Cinecittà

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Portraits chinois (1996)

Very emotive

...And I was wondering why. That guy on the Washington Post said the film is boring because "it´s like watching some other´s family album"... On the paper, I´d agree with him, but after watching the movie i have to say that I do not. I guess it has to do with the little, precious details (those long travellings inside the house, for instance: this is a very well directed movie), the humor, the music, with Gassman of course, and with the fact that we´re actually watching the whole life of a man we cannot dislike: the last scene, with the 80 years old Gassman -the grandfather now- posing with all his family for the photo (as in the very first scene, when he´s a baby surrounded by people that will die eventually) has such deep emotional impact, because, I guess, shows finally that life is a trip that inevitably has an end, and where the new ones will occupy the seat of the old ones, and that´s how it should be, and the movie has a sense of calm acceptation of that. In "La famiglia" you see, as Cocteau said, "death doing her work". It´s true that the story seems to have no point, but also, I don´t think life has a point. At least I cannot see one...

I really liked this movie. In my opinion, 7/10.