Almost like Rashomon, the protagonist must seek the truth about his father, the hero of the town. But everything is not what it appears and as he struggles to learn the truth he leans ambiguity, shades of gray and what history and later interpretations make of people.
This is a brilliant film as it is executed superbly. It has the guiding intelligence of someone who is in full control of cinema. The personal aspects of that intelligence became more fully realized in his even better film The Conformist, surely one of the best adaptations ever done.
The compositions and photography are of course famous but where this film stands out in terms of movies today is the editing and narration. Cutting between times is not always simple and this film does makes demands on the audience. Perhaps it was due to the budget, or perhaps they believed the audience was capable of keeping up with the story. Sure the hero is coded by his clothes so it's obvious who is who and when, but that code system does not always work instantly. This feature is marked in the scenes between the hero and his father's mistress, and as the same actor is playing both son and father at different times, instant confusion as to who is whom and why, is not quickly dispelled.
This is a brilliant film as it is executed superbly. It has the guiding intelligence of someone who is in full control of cinema. The personal aspects of that intelligence became more fully realized in his even better film The Conformist, surely one of the best adaptations ever done.
The compositions and photography are of course famous but where this film stands out in terms of movies today is the editing and narration. Cutting between times is not always simple and this film does makes demands on the audience. Perhaps it was due to the budget, or perhaps they believed the audience was capable of keeping up with the story. Sure the hero is coded by his clothes so it's obvious who is who and when, but that code system does not always work instantly. This feature is marked in the scenes between the hero and his father's mistress, and as the same actor is playing both son and father at different times, instant confusion as to who is whom and why, is not quickly dispelled.