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| On an earthy-orange background the title for Ettore Scola's The Family stands forth with grandeur |
We follow two brothers, Carlo and Giulio, through the lives they lead in a great big house in Rome, and particularly Carlo's secret relationship with a cousin of theirs.
The Family is the 19th feature from the great Italian co-writer/director Ettore Scola (Passion of Love/Passione d'Amore (1981)). He co-wrote it with Ruggero Maccari (Le Bal (1983)) and Furio Scarpelli (The Dinner/La Cena (1998)), with Graziano Diana (Don Busco (2004, TV movie)) contributing some dialog. It is a minor masterpiece, and if some object that it is a bit banal, I reply that I don't think it is more banal than life itself.
It is infused with a warmth, a sensitivity and a nostalgia that is balanced expertly with a kind of wise objectivity. And Vittorio Gassman (We All Loved Each other So Much/C'eravamo Tanto Amati (1974)) acts beautifully here. The Family is a terrific film.
Watch the first couple of minutes of the film here
Cost: Unknown
Box office: Unknown
= Uncertain (but reportedly an "enormous commercial success")
[The Family premiered 20 January (Florence, Italy) and runs 137 minutes. It has been described as Scola's most autobiographical film, as he also came from a big family household in Rome's Prati neighborhood. The film reportedly grossed 346k $ in North America. According to Peter Bondanella in his book A History of Italian Cinema, the film "attained enormous critical and commercial success." It was nominated for the Best Foreign Film Oscar, which it lost to Gabriel Axel's masterpiece Babette's Feast/Babettes Gæstebud (1987). The film also competed in Cannes and won 6/12 David di Donatello award (Italy's Oscar) nominations. Scola returned as one of 9 directors of Imago Urbis (1987, documentary) and then with his own film Splendor (1989). Gassman returned in I Picari (1987). 1,697 IMDb users have given The Family a 7.5/10 average rating.]
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