The short film "Renzo and Luciana" (from the omnibus collection
Boccaccio '70 from 1962) was written by Italo Calvino (and directed by Mario Monicelli). How is this film a "Difficult Love"? How is it like (or different from) the stories we read this week?
The movie reminds me of the novel in the way that young couples who are just trying to figure out how to be adults. In the movie for instance, Renzo and Luciana are trying to figure out a way to move out of their parents home and be independent from them. The film is a "difficult love" because they are trying to be more independent and have more privacy but they have to work hard to find those things. It seemed like it was harder for Renzo because he was living with Luciana's folks and he was trying to get a better job to support himself and Luciana.
ReplyDeleteThis film is witty commentary on postwar life and capitalism in the big city. They live in an apt. w/ a big flashing light out front in order to get "10% off." They put coins into the seats they sit in, pay for standing room tickets in theaters that are so packed you can't see the screen. Although it's a humorous film, it's almost a dystopian one.
ReplyDelete"Renzo and Luciana" is definitely a "Difficult Love" story. From the beginning, they are forced to hide their relationship so they cannot see or speak to each other at work. Then, when they are at home, they cannot have time alone because they are living at home with Luciana's family. When they see their boss at the pool, they are again forced to pretend that they're not together. It isn't until they come out to their boss that they are fully able to be together and not have to hide--but that brings it's own struggle.
ReplyDeleteNow that they have gone public with their relationship and moved into their own apartment, they need to work to support themselves. Their work leaves them as ships in the night, so again, they cannot be together.
This has been a difficult love from the beginning of the movie to the end, but they seem completely smitten throughout.
It's a difficult love because of the obstacles in their culture and workplace. It's different from the stories we read in terms of the ending. In the stories, we don't see the lovers come together but in the movie they get married and we see couple of romantic scenes. In most of the stories the romance of the lovers is mostly in the imagination rather than in real life expression. But in the movie, we see them interacting in the most clear manner to send the message of their love. One theme is common in both which is the incredible desire to be intimate with the opposite gender. The concept of "being naked" is noticeable in almost all the stories from the book. We see the a reference of that in the movie too.
ReplyDeleteThe short film "Renzo and Luciana" are a "Difficult Love" because of how the story is grounded in realism. With "Difficult Love" the stories were all dipped in reality and rarely stepped out into dramatization. The same is true of "Renzo and Luciana" since their love story isn't overly romanticized or dramatized. The story of Renzo and Luciana feels closer to reality than fairytale. The same is true with the stories in Difficult Love; they seemed rooted in truth and not dramatized for effect. The stories from Difficult Loves and the short film share the same type of endings. In "Renzo and Luciana" the film ends on an almost somber note, and doesn't truly end. It feels almost like the ending to a day and not a grand resolution. The same can be said with Calvino's stories as they often abruptly end or have a subtle finish. This way of telling a story, I believe, is very realistic and true to life. Most times, life isn't a fairy tale; there are hardships and hard work that go into everyday life, especially relationships. With the short film, the ending may be somber but I don't believe it is necessarily unhappy. Renzo and Luciana got what they wanted--to live on their own and lead their own lives--but it comes at the cost of struggle (the separation from each other due to work schedules). The give and take relationship shown (to live the life they want, they must offer something up) is very rooted in realism.
ReplyDeleteBoth the film and the stories by Calvino have open ending and imply the stories continue. It does not necessarily represents the couple's relationship would continue. In Calvino's stories, almost all relationship seem to end. For example, the photographer's love ends up due to his selfishness. The couple in the film is in a difficult situation and their life seems not easy. However, maybe therefore, they always strongly seek each other. Love connects a man and a woman, no matter what situation they are in, and also can end up by the situation that surrounds them.
ReplyDeleteThis is a difficult love because they had to get married secretly. They didn't want anybody to know that they had gotten married. They were not able to be married were they worked. So it made there relationship hard. It was a difficult love to have. They got married and couldn't even show it off and they had no privacy. One of the stories in this section, the women was in the water naked and she didn't want anybody to see her or know that she was missing a bathing suite. So she stayed away form everybody. But two males released that she need something to cover her self so they got her something to cover up. It was difficult for her to accept her nakedness and ask for help. In this movie they were not ready to say that they were married because they were scared of the boss. in the end she got the courage to accept she was married. they the female in the water that accepted the help from the males in the end. She got courage but it was difficult.
ReplyDeleteThis short film and the short stories we read show how the characters each show there affection in hostile ways but love each other to death. Also the characters are needy of one another. We see this in the scene in bed when he sleeps on her side of the bed. This is how love generally is it has its ups and downs and no matter how difficult things may be you always have love for t
ReplyDeleteThe stories all had the common theme of love and sex. The books stories did not flat out tell the audience that they had sex but it was implied heavily what had occurred. in the movie they did not show sex but it was not shown but everyone could conclude she had sex with renzo because it was heavily implied she was pregnant.
ReplyDeleteDifficult loves can be described as the struggles of life in the beginning of their marriage. The couple had to keep their relationship a secret in order to keep their good positions at work. They also lived in a small apartment with their parents and siblings and to top it all off Luciana is expecting. Beginnings of new married couples are sometimes rough, but you don't feel the raft of it because your so in love and your willing to go through the sacrifices.
ReplyDeleteI think that they were really in love with each other. It seems as though they were hiding there love affair. For instance when she told Rezo that she was not pregnant.Ithink it the boss heard the conversation and called them to. His office and they were fired
ReplyDeleteRenzo and Luciana is really a Difficult Love story. In the beginning, it was certain they would get married because the couple both thought there was a possibility that Luciana could be pregnant. Hiding that from her parent’s, sex before marriage and hiding their marriage from their boss was a job itself and a struggle. But they made it work somehow because of the love they had for each other. They kept referring to “Sunday” and to me that represented a day that they can both spending time together alone without interruptions from the family and from getting caught from their boss about their relationship. In the end the couples were able to get their apartment together, live a life without being disturbed, were able to finally get the privacy they wanted & were able to have a normal relationship. But after getting everything they wanted you saw at the end there was still a separation, they still were able to get the time they longed from. I guess the difference from the stories and the movie is the ending, in the movie the lovers may never get the time to spend with each other but what was always clear and certain was their love. And in the stories we never get to see that the lovers coming together.
ReplyDeleteIt must have being difficult for Renzo and Luciana at home and on the job. keeping their relationship/marriage a secret. At home they had no privacy; the father wanted to talk to them and just could not even knock on the door he pushed the door open. No respect. However, they were looking for a brighter day.Luciana said "all you need is a little courage".
ReplyDeleteI believe the film is called Difficult Love because true love is complicated. They had to prove their love for one another by making difficult choices to make their marriage work out. It is difficult to be in love with someone when you are forbidden to love that person. A relationship isn't all peaches and cream. There are rocks and stones that lovers must walk on create a somewhat happy life for themselves. There were a lot of obstacles that they to face.
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