The Double Hour (2009) La doppia ora (original title)

Director:

Giuseppe Capotondi

Writers:

Alessandro Fabbri (writer)
Ludovica Rampoldi (writer)
(more)

Release Date:

9 October 2009 (Italy)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Mystery | Romance | Thriller

Tagline:

A Romance. A Robbery. A Mystery.

Plot:

A chambermaid and an ex-cop meet at a speed dating event and a romance develops. But during a romantic getaway things suddenly take a dark turn.

Plot Keywords:

Speed Dating | Cop | Hotel | Slovenian | Ex Cop

Awards:

5 wins & 8 nominations

Cast

Kseniya Rappoport	...	Sonia (as Ksenia Rappoport)
Filippo Timi	...	Guido
Antonia Truppo	...	Margherita
Gaetano Bruno	...	Riccardo
Fausto Russo Alesi	...	Bruno
Michele Di Mauro	...	Dante
Lorenzo Gioielli	...	Hotel deputy director
Lidia Vitale	...	Redhead at speed date
Giampiero Judica	...	Man at speed date
Roberto Accornero	...	Man at speed date
Lucia Poli	...	Marisa
Giorgio Colangeli	...	Priest / Father
Deborah Bernuzzi	...	Hostess
Barbara Braconi	...	Receptionist
Federica Cassini	...	Infermiera
Valentina Gaia	...	Jewelry shop-girl
Diegi Gueci	...	Man at speed date
Edoardo La Scala	...	Marco
Chiara Nicola	...	Suicide girl
Chiara Paoluzzi	...	Chambermaid
Gilda Postiglione Turco	...	Doctor
Simone Repetto	...	Man at speed date
Fabrizio Rizzolo	...	Hotel customer
Stefano Saccotelli	...	Man at speed date
Antonio Sarasso	...	Nurse
Stefano Sardo	...	Robber #1
Paolo Maria Serra	...	Neurologist
Andrea Zirio	...	Robber #2

Directed by
Giuseppe Capotondi

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Alessandro Fabbri		writer
Ludovica Rampoldi		writer
Stefano Sardo		writer

Produced by
Carlotta Calori	....	associate producer
Francesca Cima	....	producer
Nicola Giuliano	....	producer
Viola Prestieri	....	executive producer

Original Music by
Pasquale Catalano

Cinematography by
Tat Radcliffe

Film Editing by
Guido Notari

Casting by
Anna Maria Sambucco

Production Design by
Totò Santoro

Costume Design by
Roberto Chiocchi

Makeup Department
Francesca Buffarello	....	makeup artist
Giorgio Gregorini	....	hair department head

Production Management
Stefano Benappi	....	production manager
Andrea Tavani	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Davide Bertoni	....	first assistant director
Alberto Colombo	....	second unit director
Jonathan Deman	....	second assistant director

Art Department
Fiorella Cicolini	....	set dresser
Carlotta Desmann	....	assistant set dresser
Erminio Lauri	....	digital artist

Sound Department
Simone Carnesecchi	....	boom operator
Stefano Costantini	....	sound effects editor
Silvia Moraes	....	sound editor
Roberto Moroni	....	sound re-recording mixer
Alessandro Zanon	....	sound

Visual Effects by
Francesco Antonio Maggi	....	digital compositor: Vision
Rodolfo Migliari	....	visual effects supervisor
Miriam Pavese	....	digital compositor: Vision
Nicola Sganga	....	visual effects supervisor
Paolo Verrucci	....	digital film colorist

Stunts
Valentina Bordin	....	stunts
Giulio Cialfi	....	stunts
Christian Dell'Acqua	....	stunts
Francesco Petrazzi	....	stunt coordinator

Camera and Electrical Department
Antonio Marchese	....	electrician
Davide Marcone	....	gaffer
Paolo Mariotti	....	grip
Riccardo Mellana	....	grip
Daniele Musso	....	still photographer
Adriano Francesco Necco	....	electrician
Stefano Palmesino	....	electrician

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Incoronata Campanini	....	costumer
Domenica Columpsi	....	costume assistant
Sara Giovene	....	costume assistant

Editorial Department
Eleonora Cao	....	first assistant editor

Music Department
Pasquale Catalano	....	conductor
Pasquale Catalano	....	orchestrator
Piero Cosenza	....	music consultant
Antonello Navarra	....	music producer
Giuseppe Sasso	....	conductor
Paola Vanoni	....	music production assistant

Other crew
Adriano Bassi	....	location manager
Marina Benedetto	....	dialogue coach
Fabrizio Bertoglio	....	production assistant
Michela Bruno	....	title designer
Francesca Matteoli	....	office production assistant
Giacomo Mineo	....	title designer
Daniela Moramarco	....	secretary of production
Salvatore Ricciardi	....	conform supervisor
Viviana Ronzitti	....	publicist
Marco Ruggieri	....	finishing

Thanks
Teco Celio	....	special thanks
Massimo Coppola	....	special thanks
Paola Lavini	....	special thanks

Production Companies

• Indigo Film
• Medusa Film
• Mercurio Cinematografica
• Ministero per i Beni e le Attività Culturali (MiBAC) (support)
• Film Commission Torino-Piemonte (support)

Distributors

• SND Groupe M6 (2009) (worldwide) (all media)
• Medusa Film (2009) (Italy) (theatrical)
• ABC Distribution (2010) (Belgium) (theatrical)
• Bellissima Films (2010) (France) (theatrical)
• Cinemien (2011) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• Impacto Cine (2011) (Argentina) (theatrical)
• Nettai Museum (2012) (Japan) (theatrical)
• Samuel Goldwyn Films (2011) (USA) (theatrical) (subtitled)
• Ascot Elite Home Entertainment (2011) (Germany) (DVD)
• Film1 (2011) (Netherlands) (TV) (limited)
• Homescreen (2011) (Belgium) (DVD)
• Homescreen (2011) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Impacto Cine (2012) (Argentina) (DVD)

Other Companies

• Dolby Laboratories  sound mix

Also Known As:

"La doppia ora" - Italy (original title)

Runtime:

95 min

Country:

Italy

Language:

Italian | Spanish

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Italy:T | Australia:M | Argentina:16 | Mexico:B15

Filming Locations:

Carmagnola, Turin, Piedmont, Italy

Company:

Indigo Film

Movie Connections:

Remade as The Double Hour (2014)

Soundtrack:

09-15-00 (Part One)

The Acting Outpaces the Story

The Double Hour feels hollow. There are elements involved which if properly connected, could lead to a well constructed film, but they aren't. I do not want to give too much of the plot away because a certain level of secrecy is necessary to enjoy it instead of waiting for pre-planned twists. After seeing this film, I read the reviews of particular critics and most of them kept the secrets, that is, except for Stephen Holden of the New York Times. If you read his review before seeing The Double Hour, there would be absolutely no need to sit through it because he gives the entire thing away; the jig is up.

Sonia is a hotel chambermaid in Turin, Italy. She is routinely morose, most likely from something in her past and the fact that she is strikingly lonely. To help her find a friend or more, she tries speed dating and is strikes up a friendship with Guido, an ex-cop who is still trying to define his widower status three years after the fact. Sonia and Guido take baby steps towards the semblance of a relationship until their lives are drastically altered during a robbery. This is where my plot description stops. Revealing too much of a film noir thriller does nothing for the eventual audience except take away their guessing games during the film.

The couple's relationship and their back and forth interactions are surprisingly effective. Both actors playing Sonia and Guido received best acting honors at the Venice Film Festival, but the somewhat non-congruous film and choppy supernatural elements do not match their acting standard. The director and screenwriters show a lot of future promise, but the Double Hour just misses the mark. To explain the title, a double hour is particular time of day when the clock matches, such as 12:12. It is said that wishes sometime come true at a double hour.