A Special Day
| A Special Day | |
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Film poster
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| Directed by | Ettore Scola |
| Produced by | Carlo Ponti |
| Written by |
Maurizio Costanzo Ruggero Maccari Ettore Scola |
| Starring |
Sophia Loren Marcello Mastroianni John Vernon |
| Music by | Armando Trovajoli |
| Cinematography | Pasqualino De Santis |
| Edited by | Raimondo Crociani |
| Distributed by | Surf Film |
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Release date
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Running time
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110 minutes |
| Country | Italy |
| Language | Italian |
A Special Day (Italian: Una giornata particolare) is a 1977 Italian drama film directed by Ettore Scola and starring Sophia Loren, Marcello Mastroianni and John Vernon. Set in Rome in 1938, its narrative follows a woman and her neighbor who stay home the day Adolf Hitler visits Benito Mussolini. It is an Italian-Canadian co-production.
Themes addressed in the film include gender roles, fascism, and the persecution of homosexuals under the Mussolini regime. It received several nominations and awards, including a César Award for Best Foreign Film in 1978 and two Academy Award nominations in 1977. It is featured on the list of the 100 Italian films to be saved.
On May 8, 1938, the day Hitler visited Mussolini in Rome, Antonietta, a naïve, sentimental and overworked homemaker, stays home doing her usual domestic tasks, while her fascist husband, Emanuele, and their six spoiled children take to the streets to follow a parade. The building is empty, except for the caretaker and a neighbor across the complex, a charming man named Gabriele. He is a radio broadcaster who has been dismissed from his job and is about to be deported to Sardinia because of his homosexuality and alleged anti-fascist stance. After the family's myna escapes from their apartment and flies outside Gabriele's window, Antonietta shows up at his door, asking to be let in to reach the bird. Gabriele has been interrupted from attempting suicide, but helps rescue the myna by offering it food, and is amused by the episode. Antonietta is surprised by his demeanor and, unaware of his sexual orientation, flirts and dances the rumba with him.
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Wikipedia