I have never understood why Vittorio De Sica is not thought of as one of our greatest directors. I have heard and read gobs of praise for Hitchcock, Kurosawa, Bergman, Fellini, Godard and many others but have rarely noticed similar accolades for De Sica--yet he was responsible for many of the greatest films I have seen. Aside from his super-famous film, THE BICYCLE THIEF, few have seen or discussed his masterpieces such as MIRACLE IN MILAN, UMBERTO D. or THE CHILDREN ARE WATCHING US (my personal favorite)--yet these and many more of his films are among the greatest ever made. He was one of the directors responsible for creating a style of film ("Neo-realism") but here in the States, you'd never know this unless you are a crazed film fan (like myself). The trademark of these Neo-realist films are non-actors performing in very ordinary situations that usually are ignored in big-budget films. Despite what you may think, these films are definitely NOT dull and grab the viewer emotionally because he truly learn to love and care about the characters in the films. Generally, these small-budget films are super-true to life and the acting and writing are phenomenal.
I made this little rant to set the stage for A BRIEF VACATION, as it is a late Neo-realistic film by De Sica. Once again, the characters are very simple Italian folk--the sort you'd almost never see featured in a film. In addition, the actors are not easily recognizable to the audience. As a result, you truly grow to care about the central character and root for her. But, also because it's a Neo-realistic film, the ending is true to the character instead of having a Hollywood-style ending where everything works out fine! The plot of the film involves a very over-worked and completely unappreciated working mother. She is the sole provider for a home with three small children, a lazy and obnoxious brother-in-law, a meddlesome mother-in-law and a temporarily disabled husband. When she has trouble keeping up at work, she goes to the local clinic and find out she has TB and needs to go on an extended rest--paid for by the state health care system. However, her selfish family insist she's fine and want her to stay on the job because they are just awful people who want her to stay and take care of their needs. Unfortunately, this nice lady is so nice, she has a hard time standing up for herself. But, when the problem is too much, she does finally go to the sanitarium despite their petty protests.
At the sanitarium, her life changes. Instead of being so quiet and shy, she slowly comes out of her shell and makes many friends. She even attracts the attentions of a handsome younger man who desperately wants to marry her and take her away from her rotten home life. Seeing the lady blossom is amazing but true to the spirit of Neo-realism, the film ends on a less than fairy tale-like fashion but one very true to the characters.
This is an excellent film with exceptional acting and direction. Some might find the subject matter a tad mundane, but believe me, it's worth some patience.
I made this little rant to set the stage for A BRIEF VACATION, as it is a late Neo-realistic film by De Sica. Once again, the characters are very simple Italian folk--the sort you'd almost never see featured in a film. In addition, the actors are not easily recognizable to the audience. As a result, you truly grow to care about the central character and root for her. But, also because it's a Neo-realistic film, the ending is true to the character instead of having a Hollywood-style ending where everything works out fine! The plot of the film involves a very over-worked and completely unappreciated working mother. She is the sole provider for a home with three small children, a lazy and obnoxious brother-in-law, a meddlesome mother-in-law and a temporarily disabled husband. When she has trouble keeping up at work, she goes to the local clinic and find out she has TB and needs to go on an extended rest--paid for by the state health care system. However, her selfish family insist she's fine and want her to stay on the job because they are just awful people who want her to stay and take care of their needs. Unfortunately, this nice lady is so nice, she has a hard time standing up for herself. But, when the problem is too much, she does finally go to the sanitarium despite their petty protests.
At the sanitarium, her life changes. Instead of being so quiet and shy, she slowly comes out of her shell and makes many friends. She even attracts the attentions of a handsome younger man who desperately wants to marry her and take her away from her rotten home life. Seeing the lady blossom is amazing but true to the spirit of Neo-realism, the film ends on a less than fairy tale-like fashion but one very true to the characters.
This is an excellent film with exceptional acting and direction. Some might find the subject matter a tad mundane, but believe me, it's worth some patience.