La terrazza (1980)

User Rating:

7.2/10   

Director:

Ettore Scola

Writers:

Agenore Incrocci (story) &
Furio Scarpelli (story) ...

Release Date:

8 February 1980 (Italy)

Genre:

Drama

Awards:

4 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

Vittorio Gassman	...	Mario
Ugo Tognazzi	...	Amedeo
Jean-Louis Trintignant	...	Enrico D'Orsi (as Jean Louis Trintignant)
Marcello Mastroianni	...	Luigi
Stefania Sandrelli	...	Giovanna
Carla Gravina	...	Carla
Ombretta Colli	...	Enza
Galeazzo Benti	...	Galeazzo
Milena Vukotic	...	Emanuela
Stefano Satta Flores	...	Tizzo
Serge Reggiani	...	Sergio
Agenore Incrocci	...	Vittorio (as Age)
Leonardo Benvenuti	...	Un ospite
Ugo Gregoretti	...	Altro ospite
Lucio Lombardo Radice	...	Se stesso

Also Known As:

La terrasse (France)
The Terrace

Runtime:

124 min

Country:

Italy | France

Language:

Italian

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

Finland:K-13 | Argentina:16

Company:

Dean Film

Movie Connections:

Referenced in L'écriture à l'écran (2004) (V)

Soundtrack:

Concerto N.8 in La Minore

Long and not always on the mark

Ettore Scola seemed to epitomize Italian cinema in the 70's and early 80's. What great films he did: We All Loved Each Other so much, Ugly Dirty and Bad, A Special Day (for me it's Mastroianni's best), Passion of Love (incredible story of beauty and ugliness), Le Bal, etc. Where directors like Bertolucci and Bellochio seemed to lose their way in political argument, Scola stayed on his feet and created wonderful satires of bourgeois complacency.

The Terrace is too long--almost three hours--and too loaded with characters to have much force. The political and social problems described here seem obscure and distant from us in time. The speech Mario gives to the PCI congress is well done (he's asking for forgiveness for his adultery with Giovanna) but hasn't much dramatic effect. Much better are the little touches: the elderly waiter dragging the wagon over the tile floor, making an awful screeching sound as Luigi and Carla dine; the workmen who reduce the size of Sergio's office in ten seconds flat--wonderful effect; Sergio trying to talk to the head of RAI in the latter's office, with the huge Grecian bust between them, very funny.

I should point out that far too much of the comedy misses its mark and falls flat: I don't know what Scola was trying to do with Enrico's writer's block and the finger in the pencil sharpener. Marie Trintignant appears as eye candy throughout the film and serves no purpose in the story. If you choose to watch this, get ready to hit the fast forward button.