•
Rating: Hello guys, since it's cold today, let's get ahead of the game. Who among us has never had a great seaside holiday? Who among us has never had, or at least dreamed of having, some lovely adventure under the beach umbrellas to keep in their heart during gloomy autumn days or in the cold winter? Who among us hasn't done some crazy romantic gesture for their girl or guy of the moment? And who among us hasn't had or dreamed of having some foreign girl/boy by their side, with that exotic touch - preferably Nordic - in addition? Who among us hasn't been attracted - here I'm speaking especially to the males - to some mature woman, the "milf" type so popular today? And which self-proclaimed loser hasn't ever tried to put themselves in the shoes of the intellectual Woody Allen type to win over some sensitive girl to make up for their physical shortcomings and a certain lack of appeal? And who among you hasn't wanted to be alone, in the rain, when their beloved or their love walked away never to return to our life?
Well, if you've answered yes to at least two of these questions, or if you've recognized yourself in one of the types I've described, you can't help but appreciate this graceful and timeless film by the brothers Carlo and Enrico Vanzina, released in '83 and become one of the small classics of minor Italian cinema, which I finally return to review for you on Debaser.
Two aspects make this film truly interesting and, in my opinion, particularly successful: the sincerity of the performances and the ease of recognizing oneself in some character, or recognizing someone we know in the holiday boys described by director and screenwriter; the revival effect that accompanies the story, shot in the full '80s but with the head and heart turned to the '60s, both as an autobiographical homage from the Vanzina to their own past (who do you think the big brothers De Sica and Calà represent?!?), and as an intelligent narrative ploy to make the story more genuine and appealing to young and less young, avoiding the pitfalls of the instant movie (a game also made by Brizzi in the recent, and equally acclaimed, "Notte prima degli esami").
It is a film that doesn't present a real plot, but merely describes a set of situations and subplots of which some boys on holiday at Forte dei Marmi in the early '60s are protagonists, coming from all over Italy and having different and fragmented social and cultural origins. Thus we meet the couple composed of Gianni (Ansaldi) and Selvaggia (Ferrari), he a rickety intellectual (full cliché), she of beauty both immature and provocative; the Milanese brothers Felicino and Luca (De Sica and Calà) sons of a rich entrepreneur (Bologna) who, older than the others, are the leaders of the small company; the Neapolitan Paolo (Cannavacciuolo) engaged to the English girl (Huff) of the moment in the suspicion of parents attached to tradition. And moreover, the mature and fabulous Mrs. Balestra (Lisi), married to the usual Lombard tycoon (the great Dogui, RIP) who arouses some itch in the shy Gianni thanks to an undeniable charm and a savoir-faire never vulgar.
The interrelation among various stories and subplots leads to a jumble of characters and situations, and, perhaps, to the melancholic growth of the characters, testified by the movie's epilogue, where the protagonists of then return - in the '83 present - to the places of their holidays, to rediscover themselves aged, while Little Tony sings eternal melodies battling with the more modern dance rhythms of the Righeira, creating a link between the '60s and '80s.
Compared to much "pseudo-trash" comedy, this film decidedly detaches from the average, both because subject and screenplay, in their autobiographical touches and, in any case, in dealing with universal themes for every teenager and adult who hasn't forgotten their youth, are more than decent and have a sparkling pace, involving us and triggering a sort of identification with the events, making us root now for one protagonist and then for another.
The choice of actors was successful: from the likable Gianni Ansaldi to the almost debutant Isabella Ferrari, passing through the more experienced Calà and De Sica who - as usual - are the added value of the film. The friendly appearance of a Virna Lisi, ironic and far from vulgar, a true lady of our cinema, never praised enough compared to other attractive but overrated colleagues.
Happy the choice of character actors who our cinema seems to have lost memory of, from Ugo Bologna to Guido Nicheli, passing through Franca Scagnetti, Ennio Antonelli, and Gianfranco Barra. When I think that many of them are dead, I thank them for the moments of joy they have given me, feeling them almost as family.
"Sapore di mare" is also a product free of the vulgar emphasis into which many of these films fall and into which, unfortunately, the Vanzina brothers have also fallen in their long career. In fact, speaking of the Vanzina, I launch an appeal: Stefano and Carlo, what are you waiting for to call the actors of '83 and let us see what they actually became in the '80s and '90s: it would be exciting to see Calà, Ferrari, De Sica and the others in a sort of "Sapore di sale oggi", stealing the idea from your epigone Brizzi - maybe even just on TV!!
In summary, a 4/5 film, I dare say in an absolute manner, and, therefore, also in relation to the objective scale of Debaser, precisely because it has defined a certain type of '80s cinema and has marked the evolution of the genre itself.
Then many will tell you the opposite, saying it's all rubbish, but perhaps they play at being Woody Allen and hide their passions for the Lisi of the moment. Not me!
Always Yours
Il_Paolo
Loading comments slowly
