Bianca (1984)

Director:

Nanni Moretti

Writers:

Nanni Moretti (story)
Nanni Moretti (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

23 February 1984 (Italy)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama

Plot:

Michele is a mathematics professor who just started a new job in a school with some peculiar teaching methods...

Plot Keywords:

School | Cult Movie | Psychoanalyst | Black Comedy | Psychoanalysis

Cast

Nanni Moretti	...	Michele Apicella
Laura Morante	...	Bianca
Roberto Vezzosi	...	Commissary
Remo Remotti	...	Siro Siri
Claudio Bigagli	...	Ignazio
Enrica Maria Modugno	...	Aurora
Vincenzo Salemme	...	Massimiliano
Margherita Sestito	...	Maria
Dario Cantarelli	...	Dean
Virginie Alexandre	...	Martina
Matteo Fago	...	Matteo
Giovanni Buttafava	...	Contested teacher
Luigi Moretti	...	Psychologist
Giorgio Viterbo	...	History teacher
Mario Monaci Toschi	...	Edo, school secretary

Runtime:

96 min

Country:

Italy

Language:

Italian | French

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Finland:(Banned) | Italy:T | USA:R | Brazil:16

Filming Locations:

Rome, Lazio, Italy

Company:

Faso Film

Trivia:

The giant glass was really filled with chocolate cream (several liters of it!). After the shots were taken, cast and crew promptly proceeded to empty it.

Movie Connections:

Edited into Bellissimo: Immagini del cinema italiano (1985)

Soundtrack:

Scalo a Grado

Visual Contrasts are stunning for the "back-then" movies

I watched this movie back in 1983 on a film festival in Moscow - probably before the official release and after 25+ years I still remember the stunning effect it produced on me and my wife. Besides the wild interpretation of the ending and what was going throughout the movie, you cannot escape very effective visual way of playing on contrasts of everything: names - Bianca (Italian for white) with the char-black hair, clothing and furniture - all either ivory white or pitch black, and even that famous giant glass flute - full of very dark (almost black) chocolate - appears in the pristine white surrounding.

The moral stance on the murders going on on the eventual background leaves no doubt of only choice between darkness and light, good or evil, and with dialogs - from what I vaguely remember - mostly non-existent - just cops questioning and radio or TV hosts talking.

After watching this film, my wife and could not stop talking about all those symbols and each of them meant and who did what to whom. At that time there was no internet, IMDb and I never met anybody else (and my life stretches across 3 continents and very many movie-loving friends) who ever seen this movie so we could discuss the details.

I would gladly see it again. Looking back - I think it was way ahead of its time in its visual expressiveness and spooky plot but as Dennis Miller use to say: "this of course is just my opinion and I can be wrong."