Una Giornata Particolare (A Special Day ) directed by Ettore Scola (1977).
This beautiful film is set in Rome on May 8, 1939, the day Mussolini first met Hitler.
It opens with extended documentary footage of this infamous occasion. The adoring crowds waving swastika flags is a sobering reminder of the mass support these despicable leaders commanded.
Sophia Loren plays Antonietta who is left alone in her tenement flat when her fascist husband and tribe of six children leave to attend the celebratory rally.
While cleaning, the family’s pet minor bird escapes through the window and lands on the stairwell near the window of the flat directly opposite. This is next to the home of Gabriele (Marcello Mastroianni). In retrieving the bird the two strike up a friendship through a mutual attraction and recognition of their lonely lives.
The symbolism of the bird briefly escaping its cage soon becomes apparent. Continue reading
