A Difficult Life movie synopsis. Silvio (Alberto Sordi) is an Italian partisan. He and his companions belong to the Italian resistance movement and are fighting against the fascists and the Nazis. They are at Lake Como. He is helped by Elena (Lea Massari). He spends three months hiding in Elena’s grandfather’s mill. They fall in love. Silvio is an idealist, probably communist, journalist writer. He goes back to war.
The film spans the story of Italy from 1944 to 1960, from the times of poverty in World War II to the birth of the Italian Republic, the elections and Silvio’s ideals of the Italian Communist Party, his stay in jail, his disappointments, his crises with Elena, his attempts to get his works published and to sell his film scripts in Cinecittà to Alessandro Blasetti, Silvana Mangano and Vittorio Gassman (they appear as themselves).
A Difficult Life (Italian: Una Vita Difficile) is a Commedia all’italiana or Italian-style comedy film directed by Dino Risi in 1961. The film stars are Alberto Sordi, Lea Massari, Franco Fabrizi, Claudio Gora, Lina Volonghi, Antonio Centa, Loredana Nusciak:, Daniele Vargas, Franco Scandurra, Mino Doro, Paolino Vanni and Alfonsina Cetti. It was released theatrically on December 19, 1961 in Italy.
Some scenes are famous in the history of Italian cinema[citation needed]: the dinner at Princess’ palace with the referendum of the Italian Republic; when Silvio asks a shepherd guard, “Dimmi, pastore, tu sei felice?”. (Tell me, are you happy?); when a drunken Silvio spits at all the cars that drive by on the road after his wife had escaped from a night club in a very long piano sequenza shoot.
A Difficult Life (1961)
Directed by: Dino Risi
Starring: Alberto Sordi, Lea Massari, Franco Fabrizi, Claudio Gora, Lina Volonghi, Antonio Centa, Loredana Nusciak:, Daniele Vargas, Franco Scandurra, Mino Doro, Paolino Vanni, Alfonsina Cetti
Screenplay by: Rodolfo Sonego
Production Design by: Mario Chiari
Cinematography by: Leonida Barboni
Film Editing by: Tatiana Casini Morigi
Costume Design by: Lucia Mirisola
Set Decoration by: Enzo Eusepi
Art Direction by: Mario Scisci
Music by: Carlo Savina
MPAA Rating: None.
Distributed by: Dino de Laurentiis Distribuzione
Release Date: December 19, 1961
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