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IMDbPro

What?

Original title: Che?
  • 19721972
  • XX
  • 1h 52m
IMDb RATING
5.6/10
4.1K
YOUR RATING
What? (1972)
Comedy
During her Italian vacation, a young and beautiful American tourist finds herself as a guest in a coastal villa inhabited by a bunch of odd people.During her Italian vacation, a young and beautiful American tourist finds herself as a guest in a coastal villa inhabited by a bunch of odd people.During her Italian vacation, a young and beautiful American tourist finds herself as a guest in a coastal villa inhabited by a bunch of odd people.
IMDb RATING
5.6/10
4.1K
YOUR RATING
    • Roman Polanski
    • Gérard Brach
    • Roman Polanski
  • Stars
    • Marcello Mastroianni
    • Sydne Rome
    • Hugh Griffith
    • Roman Polanski
    • Gérard Brach
    • Roman Polanski
  • Stars
    • Marcello Mastroianni
    • Sydne Rome
    • Hugh Griffith
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 31User reviews
    • 40Critic reviews
  • See production, box office & company info
  • See more at IMDbPro
  • Photos46

    Marcello Mastroianni, Roman Polanski, and Sydne Rome in What? (1972)
    Marcello Mastroianni and Sydne Rome in What? (1972)
    Sydne Rome in What? (1972)
    Sydne Rome in What? (1972)
    Sydne Rome in What? (1972)
    What? (1972)
    Hugh Griffith and Sydne Rome in What? (1972)
    Sydne Rome in What? (1972)
    Marcello Mastroianni and Roman Polanski in What? (1972)
    Marcello Mastroianni and Sydne Rome in What? (1972)
    Hugh Griffith and Sydne Rome in What? (1972)
    Marcello Mastroianni and Sydne Rome in What? (1972)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Marcello Mastroianni
    Marcello Mastroianni
    • Alex
    Sydne Rome
    Sydne Rome
    • Nancy
    Hugh Griffith
    Hugh Griffith
    • Joseph Noblart
    Romolo Valli
    Romolo Valli
    • Giovanni
    Guido Alberti
    • Priest
    Henning Schlüter
    Henning Schlüter
    • Catone
    • (as Henning Schlueter)
    Gianfranco Piacentini
    • Tony
    Christiane Barry
    • Dresser
    Dieter Hallervorden
    Dieter Hallervorden
    • German #2
    Elisabeth Witte
    • Nurse
    Mogens von Gadow
    • German #1
    • (as Mogen von Gadow)
    Carlo Delle Piane
    Carlo Delle Piane
    • Young Oaf #1 in Car
    Luigi Bonos
    Luigi Bonos
    • Painter
    Livio Galassi
    Carla Mancini
    Carla Mancini
    Nerina Montagnani
    • Chambermaid
    Mario Bussolino
    • Young Oaf #2 in Car
    Franco Pesce
    • Renzo
      • Roman Polanski
      • Gérard Brach
      • Roman Polanski
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

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

      Alex: I shot it myself, in Africa.

      Nancy: A-a tiger in Africa? Are you sure?

    • Connections
      Edited into Marcello, una vita dolce (2006)
    • Soundtracks
      String Quartet Death and the Maiden
      By Franz Schubert

      Arranged by Claudio Gizzi

    User reviews31

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    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...
    helpful•10
    8
    • masercot
    • May 17, 2004

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • October 3, 1973 (United States)
      • Italy
      • France
      • West Germany
      • English
      • Italian
      • French
    • Also known as
    • Filming locations
      • Amalfi, Salerno, Campania, Italy
    • Production companies
      • Compagnia Cinematografica Champion
      • Les Films Concordia
      • Dieter Geissler Filmproduktion
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

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    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • 1 hour 52 minutes

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