A certain type of Italian comedy is apparent in "Divorce, Italian Style." The type of comedy is reflective of the challenges faced during the postwar economic boom; it is a type of dark humor that will have you cursing and laughing at the characters.
This satiric type of humor is not something I see very often with contemporary film; I think Germi's comedy is one of the most important elements of this film. When Baron adjusts the volume of his own voice over, I was take aback. One does not usually experience these type of scenes unless the movie is solely comedic. There's an awareness of Baron's character that is beyond the realm of the third wall--not so quite the fourth wall because he does not look into the camera. This comedy is refreshing and used to lighten up the mood as well as reveal the paranoia of his character.
Great point Amanda! To add onto that, there is also the point in the film where Ferdinando, while trying to hide a gun, imagines the prosecutor's testimony, which changes as Ferdinando moves the gun from one hiding spot to another. Another subtle yet noticeable fourth wall style break comes when "La Dolce Vita" is used as a major plot point. Marcello Mastroianni, the actor who plays Ferdinando in "Divorce Italian Style", also plays the main character in "La Dolce Vita". This is just another subtle nod to the audience that they are indeed watching a movie. Both of these events add to your point of the contrast between the humor and ridiculousness of these moments against the morbid subject matter of the film.
ReplyDeleteThe satiric element of movies of this period were used to create a social commentary. I agree with Joe when he says that a lot of moments are meant to lead the audience to their own conclusions. As we have discussed in class, films in the post war period worked to move Italians on from World War II. The movie also mocks the ideal "latin lover" and provides a commentary on masculinity in post war Italy.
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