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Il Posto
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| Il posto | |
|---|---|
US DVD cover | |
| Directed by | Ermanno Olmi |
| Written by | Ettore Lombardo Ermanno Olmi |
| Produced by | Alberto Soffientini |
| Starring |
|
| Cinematography | Lamberto Caimi |
| Edited by | Carla Colombo |
| Music by | Pier Emilio Bassi |
Production companies |
|
| Distributed by | Titanus |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 97 minutes (restored version) |
| Country | Italy |
| Language | Italian |
Il posto, English titles The Job or The Sound of Trumpets,[2] is a 1961 Italian comedy-drama[3] film directed by Ermanno Olmi, his second feature film.[4] Screened at the 1961 Venice Film Festival, it received numerous national and international awards.[5] In 2008, the film was included in the Italian Ministry of Cultural Heritage's 100 Italian films to be saved, a list of 100 films that "have changed the collective memory of the country between 1942 and 1978."[6]
Plot
[edit]Domenico forgoes the latter part of his education, because the family has chosen his younger brother to take up studies. Applying for a job at a big city corporation, he goes through a series of exams, physical tests and interviews. During a brief respite from the tests, he meets Antonietta, a young girl who has similarly forgone her schooling to earn money to support herself and her mother. Through the course of this meeting, they have coffee at a local cafe and shyly discuss their ambitions and lives. Domenico is attracted to her, but they are quickly separated when they land jobs in different departments.
A superior informs Domenico that although he passed the tests, no clerical positions are available; he agrees to take a job as a messenger in the meantime. He is instructed by employee Sartori, who works next to the accountants' office. Trying to find Antonietta, Domenico sees her one day, leaving the building among two other young men. He does not approach her, but later bumps into her during his errands. She invites him to join her at a New Year's Eve party held for the workers, which he decides to attend later in the evening.
Arriving at the party realising Antonietta's absence, he accepts the invitation of an older couple to sit with them. He observes the other guests dancing and having fun, while he remains silently in the company of the couple. When an older woman asks him to dance, he is hesitant at first, but later accepts her invitation, drinking and joining in the party. The night culminates in a simple and free dance in which all the guests participate.
When Domenico returns to work, he is offered the vacated desk of recently deceased employee Portioli of the accountants' department. Before being able to settle into the desk, however, the older staff move up in the rank order, forcing him to take a dimly lit desk in the last row.
Cast
[edit]- Loredana Detto as Antonietta Masetti
- Sandro Panseri as Domenico Cantoni
- Tullio Kezich as examiner
- Guido Spadea as Portioli
- Mara Revel
- Guido Chiti
- Bice Melegari
- Corrado Aprile
Release
[edit]Il posto opened in New York on 22 October 1963 under the title The Sound of Trumpets.[1] Failing to find an audience on its initial release, it was given a re-release in January the following year on the occasion of the release of Olmi's follow-up film The Fiancés.[7]
Awards
[edit]- British Film Institute Awards: Sutherland Trophy, 1961
- Venice Film Festival: OCIC Award, Italian Film Critics Award, Città di Imola Award, 1961
- David di Donatello Awards: Best Director Ermanno Olmi, 1962
- Valladolid International Film Festival: Spiga d'oro Award, 1962
Legacy
[edit]Il posto was restored by the Cineteca di Bologna Foundation and Titanus in 2018[8] and selected to be screened in the Venice Classics section at the 75th Venice International Film Festival.[9]
References
[edit]- ^ a b Crowther, Bosley (23 October 1963). "Screen: A Clerk in Italy:'Sound of Trumpets' at Two Theaters". The New York Times. Retrieved 25 February 2024.
- ^ Pettigrew, Ian (2020). The Cinema of Ermanno Olmi. McFarland. ISBN 9781476665894.
- ^ "Il Posto". Time Out. Retrieved 27 February 2024.
- ^ Jones, Kent (23 June 2003). "Il posto: Handcrafted Cinema". The Criterion Collection. Retrieved 25 February 2024.
- ^ "Il posto". Cinematografo (in Italian). Retrieved 25 February 2024.
- ^ "Ecco i cento film italiani da salvare Corriere della Sera". corriere.it. Retrieved 11 March 2021.
- ^ Crowther, Bosley (29 January 1964). "Screen: Suggesting Feeling and Mood:Olmi's 'The Fiances' Opens at Cinema II First Day's Admission at Theater Is Free". The New York Times. Retrieved 23 February 2024.
- ^ Ermanno Olmi (director). Il posto (Motion picture). Italy: Titanus.
- ^ "The restored films of Venezia Classici". La Biennale di Venezia. 13 July 2018. Retrieved 22 July 2018.
External links
[edit]- Il Posto at IMDb
- Il Posto at the TCM Movie Database
Il Posto
View on GrokipediaProduction
Development
Ermanno Olmi transitioned to feature filmmaking after directing over 30 short documentaries in the 1950s, primarily industrial films for the Edison Volta electricity company in Milan, where he worked as an assistant director and organizer of employee activities.[7] His debut feature, Time Stood Still (1959), marked this shift from non-fiction to narrative cinema, with Il Posto (1961) as his second feature, building on his observational style honed through documentaries.[3] Olmi's approach drew brief influence from neorealist predecessors like Roberto Rossellini and Vittorio De Sica, emphasizing authentic locations and everyday human struggles.[7] The film's inspiration stemmed from Olmi's personal experiences of moving from rural Bergamo to urban Milan as a child in 1933, and his observations of widespread rural-to-urban migration in Lombardy during the 1950s economic boom amid Italy's post-World War II economic transformation.[7][8] These migrations, driven by industrial growth, informed the story's exploration of a young protagonist's dislocation in a modernizing society.[9] Olmi co-wrote the screenplay with Ettore Lombardo, concentrating on themes of bureaucratic rigidity and the disillusionment of youth entering the workforce, capturing the psychological toll of conformity in post-war Italy.[3] The script emphasized subtle character development over dramatic plot, rooted in Olmi's documentary ethos of unadorned realism.[7] Production was handled by the companies Titanus and 24 Horses, with producer Alberto Soffientini playing a pivotal role in securing funding and supporting Olmi's vision for an intimate, low-budget project that aligned with his neorealist-inspired aesthetic.[3] Soffientini's involvement ensured the film's completion despite its modest scale, facilitating Olmi's focus on authentic storytelling.[7]Casting and Filming
For the casting of Il Posto, director Ermanno Olmi employed non-professional actors, including leads Sandro Panseri as Domenico and Loredana Detto as Antonietta, selected from the Milan area and surrounding towns in Lombardy to bring authenticity to the roles.[3][10] Supporting players, such as the job candidates, were also drawn from local technical schools and everyday residents, enhancing the film's naturalistic portrayal of working-class life.[11] The key technical crew included cinematographer Lamberto Caimi, who handled the black-and-white 35mm photography; editor Carla Colombo; and production designer Ettore Lombardi, all contributing to the film's intimate, unadorned aesthetic.[12][3] Principal photography took place on location in Milan, utilizing actual corporate offices and modest apartments to depict urban routine, alongside rural towns in Lombardy for the protagonist's hometown scenes, with Caimi's camerawork relying on natural and available light—such as hidden-camera street shots—to capture unfiltered realism.[12][10][3] Produced on a modest budget of $55,000 by 24 Horses with a small crew, the film was shot over several months in 1960, allowing Olmi to emphasize improvisation among the non-professionals and a documentary-style approach that prioritized direct sound and long takes for psychological depth.[12] This method drew briefly from Olmi's prior experience directing industrial documentaries, fostering the project's observational intimacy.[10]Story and Characters
Plot
The film centers on Domenico, a shy 17-year-old boy from the small town of Meda near Milan, whose working-class family faces financial hardship. Urged by his parents to secure stable employment instead of pursuing further education, Domenico travels by overcrowded train to the city for an entrance exam at a massive industrial corporation during Italy's economic boom.[13][7] At the company's imposing headquarters, Domenico joins hundreds of young applicants in a grueling selection process involving written tests, psychological evaluations, and interviews conducted by stern executives. During a break, he encounters Antonietta, a slightly older girl applying for a typing position; they exchange tentative words over coffee and later stroll through Milan's foggy streets and construction sites, fostering an innocent mutual curiosity amid the urban transformation. Domenico passes the exam and is hired as a low-level office messenger, beginning a routine of fetching documents, navigating endless corridors, and witnessing the rigid workplace hierarchy under indifferent supervisors.[13][7][3] Assigned to the mailroom, Domenico befriends a gregarious older coworker who guides him through the drudgery of corporate tasks, from operating clunky machines to enduring petty office politics. He reunites with Antonietta, now in the typing pool, and their budding romance unfolds in stolen moments: shared lunches in the canteen, awkward outings where they discuss dreams of travel and books, and hesitant physical closeness that highlights Domenico's inexperience. However, their connection strains under mismatched shifts and the all-consuming demands of their entry-level roles.[14][15] Tensions peak at the company's boisterous New Year's Eve party in a garish dance hall, where Domenico anxiously waits for Antonietta amid tipsy colleagues and forced merriment; she arrives late, and they share a clumsy dance before parting ways, their spark dimmed by the surrounding conformity. Shortly after, a mid-level colleague dies unexpectedly, prompting Domenico's reassignment to the vacant desk in a shadowy corner of the accounting department, symbolizing his deeper absorption into the impersonal machinery of industrialized labor.[15][7] In the film's poignant close, Domenico settles into his new position alone after the deceased man's funeral, fiddling with an obstructive desk lamp as the hum of office equipment fills the air; the camera withdraws to frame the vast, unyielding structure of the corporate building outside, capturing his quiet resignation to a lifetime of routine in the heart of modern Italy's industrial expansion.[3][16]Cast
The cast of Il Posto primarily consists of non-professional actors, a deliberate choice by director Ermanno Olmi to enhance the film's neorealist authenticity by capturing genuine, unpolished performances from everyday individuals.[3] With only about 10 main credited roles, the ensemble underscores the film's intimate scale and focus on ordinary lives.[17] Sandro Panseri, a 15-year-old discovered in his hometown of Bergamo, makes his acting debut in the lead role of Domenico Cantoni, portraying the protagonist's quiet vulnerability with natural restraint.[3] Loredana Detto also debuts as Antonietta Masetti, bringing a fresh, unaffected presence to the female lead; she later married Olmi in 1963 and did not pursue further acting.[18][19] In supporting roles, Corrado Aprile appears as Domenico's father, contributing to the familial dynamics with understated realism.[15] Guido Chiti plays a colleague in the office setting, adding to the workplace ensemble's everyday texture.[17] Film critic Tullio Kezich makes a cameo as an executive, leveraging his authoritative demeanor for a brief but memorable authority figure.[3] Other notable cast members include Mara Revel as a senior colleague, Guido Spadea as Portioli, and Bice Melegari in a bit part, all non-professionals who help populate the film's grounded world without drawing attention from the leads.[15]| Actor | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Sandro Panseri | Domenico Cantoni | Debut at age 15, non-professional |
| Loredana Detto | Antonietta Masetti | Debut, Olmi's future wife |
| Corrado Aprile | Domenico's father | Supporting, non-professional |
| Guido Chiti | Colleague | Bit part, non-professional |
| Tullio Kezich | Executive | Cameo as film critic |
| Mara Revel | Senior colleague | Non-professional |
| Guido Spadea | Portioli | Office role, non-professional |
| Bice Melegari | Bit part | Non-professional |
