La cena

La cena (German: "Dinner ") is an Italian-French comedy film directed by Ettore Scola from the year 1998.

Action

The Italian restaurant " Arturo Al Portico " is a meeting place of different people. Families, couples, loners, tourists, a magician, a professor and many others come and go, gather around 14 tables where not only eaten but also debated, celebrated, sung and is observed. Flora, the owner of the restaurant, always friendly and tactful. She always has an open ear for the problems of their guests and it maintains its peace and serenity, while their communist chef expresses frustration with the world situation. The old teacher Pezzullo even comes every day. Flora knows his loyalty to appreciate and give him for his food for years a discount. Pezzullo enjoys watching his fellow man while eating - because he can be sure that he may witness every evening a new drama. Sometimes he gives as the other guests and well-intentioned advice.

That evening, a woman named Isabella is present with her daughter. The latter announced her mother that she wanted to be a nun. Isabella is appalled. You can not understand that a girl wants to voluntarily renounce the worldly pleasures forever. Another woman waiting on her four lovers, meanwhile, where she wants to come clean. On a table next to two actors discuss her new play, in which one will have no dialogue and the other is allowed to speak the best lines. Then arrives a professor with a young student, with whom he has an affair. The student has previously written a letter to the wife of the professor to let her know that she loved the professor and wants it for himself. When the professor finds out about it, he responded to the illusions of his lover with cynicism. He opens her to make the eyes, which is why she finally leaves him. Fates to decide at each table, while Japanese tourists take pictures of the guests.

Flora has now own grief. She has fallen in love with one of her many admirers. This will relocate for professional reasons soon to Norway and asks her to go with him. However, Flora does not want to give up their restaurant, which is why they ultimately ended the relationship and at the end of the evening with the remaining guests playing cards.

Background

Already for the films Bal - The Dance Palace (Le Bal, 1983) and The Family ( La famiglia, 1987) chose director Ettore Scola a single venue for the action. While Le Bal takes place exclusively in a dance hall and the family in an apartment in Rome, is in La cena a restaurant the center of the action. The screenplay is by Scola and his longtime companion Furio Scarpelli, together with their children Silvia Scola and Giacomo Scarpelli.

La cena celebrated on September 3 at the 1998 International Film Festival of Venice premiere. In Germany the film was not yet published.

Reviews

For Deborah Young of Variety Ettore Scola's La cena was " a relaxed, well-oiled comedy with little Schwerverdaulichem ", but "for a Scola film quite shallow " is. Through the " masterful sense of the director for comedy and his uncanny ability to keep the ball in the air and let the dialogue run on ," the film will still find its audience. The cutter Raimondo Crociani had also " the material cut together skillfully, so that it remains amusing for more than two hours." Fotograma.com described the film as " delicious comedy of the old Italian school, which one brings a warm smile to the face ."

Awards

1999 Franco Committeri was nominated for the David di Donatello for Best Producer. Another nomination there was for the Grand Prix of the Americas for Ettore Scola at the World Film Festival in Montreal. In five categories La cena was also nominated for the Nastro d' Argento. In the categories of Best Cinematography, Best Art Direction and Best Screenplay subject Scola's film of the competition. The male ensemble of actors as well as Best Supporting Actress Stefania Sandrelli could ultimately win the prize.

Italy 1998 in film Film score Communism The Family (1987 film) Let's Talk About Women A Special Day La terrazza
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