A Special Day

Genre-wise, it is a psychological drama, an intimate story of two outsiders who meet for a few hours, and this encounter emotionally affects both of them. Although I use the terms psychological drama and intimate story, it is not a boring affair. The hundred minutes fly by incredibly quickly. There are strong emotions and tension in the dialogue. Both actors are among the top Italian actors and they have also met in several films before, so the chemistry between them worked perfectly. The sound and visual background work excellently, as well as the meeting of two European dictators, mediated by snobbish participants of celebrations and especially by an enthusiastic radio commentator who says more about the atmosphere of fascist Italy at that time with his monologue than today's documentary films do. The depiction of a large rental building and its residents, including the pro-regime caretaker, is also interesting. The film inadvertently speaks about fascist ideology, about the place women had in it, and what their true fate was. A depressing, yet deeply human film. Overall impression: 95%. (11/17/2008)

Sophia Loren and Marcello Mastroianni are two actors who are a great match for each other, and their films together are simply a demonstration of how chemistry can work between actors, with the added benefit of supporting their acting abilities. They work well together and they convey the proper strong and emphatic emotions to the viewer, not only in the ending. (10/12/2017)