Dino Risi
Teresa

Hello guys, today we're talking about a film that, in its own way, serves as a bridge between the Italian comedy of the '50s and '60s and the more uncertain, yet equally significant, transitions of Italian comedy, often with an erotic undertone, which spread in the '70s and '80s, on which I usually focus my analyses on the site you are viewing on your PC or laptop.

Compared to my usual reviews, I've decided to slightly raise the bar: the examination of this film indeed allows us to focus our analysis on the drifts of Italian cinema, and the possible causes and correctness of these "drifts," to use a clearly industry-expert phrase.

The link between the distant past and recent past of our cinema is provided, in the case in question, by the director of the film, the famous Dino Risi, whose career I won't delve into, limiting myself to remind you that he is the director of "Una vita difficile" ('61) and "Il sorpasso" ('62), without mentioning other works, here engaged in a lesser work, little rewarded by the public and, of course, criticized by fans and experts.

"Teresa" ('87), starring the voluptuous Serena Grandi free from the Brassian atmospheres of the mid-'80s, tells the story of a widow who, to pay off debts incurred by her husband with a ruthless loan shark, takes to driving a truck, traveling up and down the Belpaese and asserting her presence in a sectarian and male chauvinist world like that of truck drivers, assisted on this journey by a young and carefree colleague, played by the then charming and promising Luca Barbareschi. Meanwhile, the woman resists the advances of the satirical creditor of her husband, played by the always reliable Eros Pagni.

It is a rather cunning film, with a boring and truly insignificant plot, that attempts to lure the general audience through the figure of the protagonist, undeniably beautiful and, in some respects, charming, yet not able, however, to sustain the role of the protagonist of a feature film and, in any case, overshadowed, like many other beauties, by her own voluptuous and populist allure.

Similarly, the depiction of the truckers' world by Risi and his screenwriters does not break away from the cliché sketch, made of insinuations and vulgarity along with large doses of crassness, resulting, beneath the surface, a bit snobbish, if not even mocking of a certain professional category that - let's admit it calmly - is among the least protected in our country, also because of the conditions under which many truckers conduct their work.

Certainly, trash enthusiasts, among whom I am wrongly included by some readers of the site, would find plenty to enjoy in watching this film, stimulating their prurience at the sight of the ever-intriguing Serena (then national) and smiling, in any case, at the unintentional superficiality of this almost slapdash work. Diehard critics and proponents of the good old days might instead lament the devolution of Italian cinema, and the waste of Risi's talent in a film truly of few pretensions and poor realization, proclaiming the beauty of his previous works in comparison to "Teresa."

As usual, a balanced assessment of the film under review forces me to make some distinctions: if Teresa marks a misstep for our cinema, being mediocre even compared to other little comedies of the time, the fault also lies with the director and the team of screenwriters who collaborated with Risi (consider Bernardino Zapponi), somewhat wasting their talent and resources and abandoning, first and foremost, an "authorial" vision of their cinema. In short, it seems like a renouncement from the supposed "authors" to educate and lead their audience, rather getting influenced, with the clear involvement of producers, by the fashions of the moment and the charm of the still appreciable protagonist.

Almost as if to say that the drift of Italian cinema does not depend on the audience - nor on the tears of those who proclaim "o tempora, o mores" -, but, perhaps, precisely from the lack of courage and creativity of its veteran protagonists, unable to guide new generations, occupying the field with ineffective works like these.

At this point, if you allow, better an unabashed film with Banfi and Montagnani, expressly devoid of pretenses, than a Risi who makes a mess of himself and his own tradition.

If the king is dead, I certainly won’t say long live the king. Judgement, consequently, severe: 1/1 for all.

Sincerely Yours,
Il_Paolo