What? (1972)

A young American woman (Sydne Rome) traveling through Italy finds herself in a strange Mediterranean villa where nothing seems right. Her visit becomes an absurd, decadent, oversexed ... See full summary »

Director:

Roman Polanski

Writers:

Gérard Brach, Roman Polanski

Stars:

Marcello Mastroianni, Sydne Rome, Hugh Griffith

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Marcello Mastroianni	...	Alex
Sydne Rome	...	Nancy
Hugh Griffith	...	Joseph Noblart
Romolo Valli	...	Giovanni
Guido Alberti	...	Priest
Henning Schlüter	...	Catone (as Henning Schlueter)
Gianfranco Piacentini	...	Tony
Christiane Barry	...	Dresser
Dieter Hallervorden	...	German #2
Elisabeth Witte	...	Nurse
Mogens von Gadow	...	German #1 (as Mogen von Gadow)
Carlo Delle Piane	...	Young Oaf #1 in Car
Luigi Bonos	...	Painter
Livio Galassi
Carla Mancini

Storyline

A young American woman (Sydne Rome) traveling through Italy finds herself in a strange Mediterranean villa where nothing seems right. Her visit becomes an absurd, decadent, oversexed version of "Alice in Wonderland", with Marcello Mastroianni as the maddest of mad hatters and Roman Polanski a kinky March hare.

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Plot Keywords:

woman wearing pajama top | bare breasts | shower | female frontal nudity | lesbian | 

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Taglines:

The kinkiest caper of the year!

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Genres:

Comedy

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

Italy France West Germany

Language:

English Italian French

Release Date:

3 October 1973 (USA)

Also Known As:

Diary of Forbidden Dreams

Filming Locations:

Italy

Box Office

Gross USA:

$64

Company Credits

Production Co:

Compagnia Cinematografica Champion, Les Films Concordia, Dieter Geissler Filmproduktion

Technical Specs

Runtime:

114 min 94 min (VHS)

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

When producer Robert Evans was trying to coax Roman Polanski to direct Chinatown (1974), he found Polanski thoroughly absorbed with this film, to the extent that he had bought a 50% share in it. Evans eventually lured Polanski by saying that whatever "What" made in its opening week, he would pay him as his salary for directing "Chinatown". Polanski readily agreed to this, expecting "What" to do well as he considered it the best thing he had done up to that point. Unluckily for Polanski, "What" only grossed $64 on its first week.

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Goofs

Nancy's hands are well manicured throughout the movie, but quite ordinary during close-ups, when she's supposedly playing the piano.

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Connections

Edited into Marcello, una vita dolce (2006)

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Soundtracks

String Quartet Death and the Maiden
By Franz Schubert
Arranged by Claudio Gizzi

User Reviews

Okay...So it WAS like Alice in Wonderland

This was a movie that I'd checked out years ago and was intrigued enough to buy it for another viewing. It is beautifully dated as evidenced by the film quality and the attitudes towards sex.

The main character is a young woman hitchhiking across Europe. After a violent encounter with what has to be the most inept rapists that Europe has ever produced, she escapes via cable-car. Suddenly, she is in a house that is filled with loonies.

There is a large table, set for dozens and, most of the time, void of diners...save Alice. There is the pimp who, despite his cruelty and rudeness, seduces the young American girl. There is Mosquito, a small man with a deformed face and a speargun...

This movie is strange. It treats as normal the oddest situations; however, it gets strangest when the situations are at their most normal: A piano duet, a middle-aged couple unpacking...

I would give it three and a half out of five. Probably one of Polanski's best...