A Review of Una Giornata Particolare

By Amy Delano

“Una Giornata Particolare” is an Italian political film that follows the relationship
between a fascist housewife, Antonietta, and her homosexual neighbor, Gabriele. The film
begins as Antonietta wakes up her family so they can go to a parade where Hitler and his
entourage are going to visit Mussolini. Antonietta is disappointed she can’t go, and also
exhausted by the immense amount of housework she has. She also appears to be the only one in
her apartment complex that stayed home. Lonely, she chats with her myna bird, but then the bird
flies out of the window. Distressed, she goes over to her neighbor, whose window is close to it.
Though Antonietta does not know it, she has interupted Gabriele’s suicide attempt. After
rescuing the bird, Antonietta, though at first reluctant, converses with Gabriele and they spend
the day together. Throughout the day, Antonietta is struck by Gabriele’s almost childlike energy.
When Antonietta’s land lady tells her that Gabriele is an antifascist, Antonietta’s demeanor
changes significantly, and she acts coldly towards Gabriele. It is then that he finally reveals his
homosexuality. Despite this, Antonietta is very attracted to him. This attraction and mutual
feelings of ostracization leads to them having sex, though both seem to be aware this is a one
time thing. Antonietta’s family arrives home shortly after, and she is visibly disinterested. The
last scene shows Gabriele’s arrest.
This film takes a strong political stance and demonstrates the impact cinema can have on
controversial issues. Fascism is portrayed as the most important part of daily life for the working
class in Italy. Antonietta is completely infatuated with Mussolini and even keeps a beautiful
scrapbook of memorabilia. She can even name his horses. Additionally, Antonietta, though she
complains of housework, she willingly complies and seems to believe in the fascist definition of
a woman. After she converses with Gabriele for a while, she comes to realize the depth of the
oppression she has experienced. She comes to terms with the fact that her husband has been
sleeping with other women who are more educated than she is, and this seems to hurt her the
most. Deep down, she wants to be valued as a person, and not just someone who gives birth to
children in the name of patriotism. Gabriele is no different. His homosexuality is considered
degenerate and unworthy, and he is fired from his job and lost respect from nearly all his peers
and fellow colleagues. Director Ettore Scola seems to want the audience to understand the
complexity of fascist supporters and denouncers of fascism. Fascism is wholly destructive to
one's humanity, even if one is a straight male, which is the most advantageous gender and sexual
orientation for fascism. The roles that people must enact for fascism to work does not create a
society of freethinkers, which is where innovation and cultural advancements come from.
Oppression of thought and assimilation of action is easy to control, but hard on the soul.
An important element of this film is defining masculinity and family through a fascist
lens. These two definitions go hand in hand because the role of the male in a fascist society is the
critical piece that holds everything together. Men are supposed to be physically strong and
display leadership skills. They are the head of the family, and are served because they do
important work and deserve to be served. Females in relation to males are supposed to be
childbearing women who are happy to serve their husbands and have as many babies as possible.
Antonietta herself has six children, but has a desire for a seventh so that they can receive
financial benefits from the fascist party. As it is, Antonietta can barely handle her six children
due to the small confinements of their apartment and her exhaustion. Gabriele on the other hand,
must pay an additional tax because he is a bachelor. This indicates the lack of tolerance for
homosexuals, in addition to perpetuating the mentality of having a perfect family full of children
ready to become active members of the fascist party. The landlady in the film tells Antonietta
that she should not associate with Gabriele, because he is not a fascist. The way this is discussed
makes it seem as if someone who is not fascist, and not necessarily antifascist, that person is
shunned from society. Ultimately, the fascist perspective of male gender roles seems to mimic
the definition of topic masculinity that modern society is trying to fight against.
Critics of the film point out the choice of actors Sophia Loren and Marcello Mastroianni.
Sophia Loren prior to this film has played strong, beautiful women, a contrast from the
disheveled housewife, or “mousy hausfrau” as Deorah Young writes
[https://www.criterion.com/current/posts/3745-a-special-day-small-victories]. Audiences are
often looking for a romance, and when Mastroianni plays a gay man, it subverses the expectation
that Mastroianni is a true man. Especially since both actors were in a romantic comedy together
[http://sensesofcinema.com/2017/cteq/a-special-day/ ]. Nonetheless, Mastroianni’s performance
is important because it does not dwell on stereotypes. Gabriele is a human first and foremost, and
his worth is ultimately defined by his interactions with the people around him.
Something I found interesting about the film was the title. Instead of calling it a “fateful
day” or something along those lines, it is called a “special day.” I think that it is called this way
for a few reasons. First, Gabriele directly references the title when he thanks Antoinetta for her
company on this “special” day, but it takes the audience a while to understand what this really
means. For Gabriele, it is the day he is to be arrested. It is also one of his most emotionally
taxing days, starting with an attempted suicide, and ending with a close encounter with
Antonietta. His very last day as a free man until his life is forever changed, most likely for the
worse. This is also a special day for Antonietta. This is the day she understood how deeply
fascism has negatively impacted her life. Meeting Gabriele awakened her spirit, so that she can
finally feel human again. Finally, this is a special day for the fascist party because Hitler and
Mussolini are meeting in person. It even sparts Emanuele to want to name his 7th son Adolfo.
I would rate this film a 4 out of 5. Something I liked in particular about the film was the
use of color. The entire film was in sepia, giving it a muted and retrospective feel. It seemed to
represent disillusionment and hopelessness. The movie ends on a bittersweet note. Antonietta has
gained a personal freedom of thought and a strength she lacked at the beginning. At the same
time, Gabriele is arrested and they have both lost a friend. Gabriele does have the pleasure of
knowing that he has converted Antonietta into an ally not only for him, but for herself. Gabriele
truly seems to know the importance of knowing one’s worth and self respect. It may seem
contradictory to say this as Gabriele was suicidal at the beginning of the film, but his pure
happiness and ease when he is with Antonietta demonstrates his deep care for the human
experience. Another thing I liked about the film was the way it was shot. I really liked how the
scenes with both Antonietta and Gabriele were framed. At the beginning, the frame is broken up
showing their initial disconnection. Later, as they become more intimate, the frame is less
broken. Additionally, the play with flat space and deep focus was really interesting and created
another intellectual depth to the film.