BOCCACCIO 70
1962, Italy, 158 minutes, Colour.
Sophia Loren, Romy Schneider, Anita Ekberg, Peppino de Filippo, Tomas Milian.
Act 1. The Raffle, directed by Vittorio de Sica.
Act 2. The Job, directed by Lucchino Visconti.
Act 3. The Temptation of Dr. Antonio, directed by Federico Fellini.
Boccaccio 70 is one of those omnibus films popular in Italy in the 60s. It was meant to be a showcase for the stars involved and to be provocative with these stars in contemporary Boccaccio-like stories. However, producer Carlo Ponti has three of Italy's best directors involved and those interested in the work of these men will want to see the film.
The stories are tongue in cheek love stories, not meant to be taken too literally, but certainly meant to be a picture and criticism of the Italian social scene. To that extent, non-Italian audiences looking for a 'sexy show' will be disappointed and probably find the film dull and uninteresting. However, the purpose of including the film in this series is to provide some questions on Act 3, The Temptation of Dr. Antonio, an interesting short film by Fellini (it is the 1/2 of 8 1/2), satirising the righteous indignation and crusades of Legions for Decency. It is more varied in style than the previous stories. Obviously Boccaccio 70 is not for every audience, but selected groups might profit from discussing the themes of the Fellini story.
1. Act 1, The Raffle: a comic-realistic look at Italian men's moral attitudes. The heroine, an attendant at a carnival shooting gallery, is raffled to make money to pay taxes. Comically crude and showing inconsistencies of the Italian-religious-amoral attitudes, this story by De Sica and his regular writer, Zavattini is clearly meant to be the popular part of the film.
2. Act 2, The Job, is more highbrow and rather difficult to understand for non-Italian audiences. Directed by Lucchino Visconti, it is a glimpse of fashionable Milanese life and morals where a rich wife, exasperated at her young husband's affairs with callgirls, manoeuvres him into paying her the equivalent of a callgirl. As with Visconti's work, there is emphasis on the scene for atmosphere and the faces and mannerisms of the protagonists. Audiences will be puzzled by it and not really gripped, although there is a good performance by Romy Schneider who, for much of the time, is filmed in close up and on the phone.
3. Act 3, The Temptation of Dr. Antonio:
1. What is the point of this episode - in view of the fact that it is narrated by a little girl who pokes out her tongue at the audience at the end?
2. How much of the episode is effective satire and how much caricature?
3. What does the film convey about Dr. Antonio's personality? the incidents at the beginning e.g. at the theatre, the bookstall;
his reaction to the putting up of the bill board;
his religiosity;
his appeals to civil and church authorities;
his obsession with the billboard, continually looking at it?
4. Is his attitude of keeping public moral order a healthy attitude? Did he do the job in a balanced way?
5. Did the billboard have the effect on the Roman people that he said it did? Did it impress you as an immoral advertisement?
6. What was the point of his fantasy when Anita Ekberg came alive?
7. Why was he afraid of her? Why was he obsessed?
8. How did this episode compare with the others in the film as regards, interest and entertainment; cinema styles and photography?
9. (If you are familiar with Fellini's films you my care to discuss what the film communicates concerning Fellini’s continuing concerns: his attitude towards life and morals; a man's mind and obsessions, especially sexual; the influence and hypocrisy of religion; Roman life and attitudes.)
