Le amiche
Encyclopedia
Le Amiche is a 1955 Italian black-and-white drama film
directed by Michelangelo Antonioni
. It is adapted from Cesare Pavese
's 1949 novella
Tra donne sole and centers on Roman couturier
Clelia (Eleonora Rossi Drago
), who leaves Rome to work at a boutique in Torino.
. As such, it is one of the few adaptations Antonioni directed, the others being Blowup
(based on a short story by Julio Cortázar
), The Mystery of Oberwald (adapted from Jean Cocteau
's play L'Aigle à deux têtes
, which Cocteau had previously adapted
to film) and his final feature, Beyond the Clouds
, based on a book of his own short stories. Antonioni wrote the screenplay
in collaboration with Suso Cecchi d'Amico
and Alba De Cespedes.
The film was shot on location in Turin
through the Trionfalcine production company and distributed in Italy through Titanus
.
Drama film
A drama film is a film genre that depends mostly on in-depth development of realistic characters dealing with emotional themes. Dramatic themes such as alcoholism, drug addiction, infidelity, moral dilemmas, racial prejudice, religious intolerance, poverty, class divisions, violence against women...
directed by Michelangelo Antonioni
Michelangelo Antonioni
Michelangelo Antonioni, Cavaliere di Gran Croce OMRI was an Italian modernist film director, screenwriter, editor and short story writer.- Personal life :...
. It is adapted from Cesare Pavese
Cesare Pavese
Cesare Pavese was an Italian poet, novelist, literary critic and translator; he is widely considered among the major authors of the 20th century in his home country.- Early life and education :...
's 1949 novella
Novella
A novella is a written, fictional, prose narrative usually longer than a novelette but shorter than a novel. The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America Nebula Awards for science fiction define the novella as having a word count between 17,500 and 40,000...
Tra donne sole and centers on Roman couturier
Couturier
A couturier is an establishment or person involved in the clothing fashion industry who makes original garments to order for private clients. A couturier may make what is known as haute couture. Such a person usually hires patternmakers and machinists for garment production, and is either employed...
Clelia (Eleonora Rossi Drago
Eleonora Rossi Drago
Eleonora Rossi Drago, born Palmira Omiccioli, was an Italian film actress. She was born in Quinto al Mare, Genoa, Italy....
), who leaves Rome to work at a boutique in Torino.
Production
The script for Le Amiche is adapted from a novella by Cesare PaveseCesare Pavese
Cesare Pavese was an Italian poet, novelist, literary critic and translator; he is widely considered among the major authors of the 20th century in his home country.- Early life and education :...
. As such, it is one of the few adaptations Antonioni directed, the others being Blowup
Blowup
Blowup is a 1966 film directed by Michelangelo Antonioni, his first English-language film.It tells of a British photographer's accidental involvement with a murder, inspired by Julio Cortázar's short story, "Las babas del diablo" or "The Devil's Drool" , translated also as Blow-Up, and by the life...
(based on a short story by Julio Cortázar
Julio Cortázar
Julio Cortázar, born Jules Florencio Cortázar, was an Argentine writer. Cortázar, known as one of the founders of the Latin American Boom, influenced an entire generation of Spanish speaking readers and writers in the Americas and Europe.-Early life:Cortázar's parents, Julio José Cortázar and...
), The Mystery of Oberwald (adapted from Jean Cocteau
Jean Cocteau
Jean Maurice Eugène Clément Cocteau was a French poet, novelist, dramatist, designer, playwright, artist and filmmaker. His circle of associates, friends and lovers included Kenneth Anger, Pablo Picasso, Jean Hugo, Jean Marais, Henri Bernstein, Marlene Dietrich, Coco Chanel, Erik Satie, María...
's play L'Aigle à deux têtes
L'Aigle à deux têtes
L'Aigle à deux têtes is a French play in three acts by Jean Cocteau, written in 1943 and first performed in 1946. It is known variously in English as The Eagle with Two Heads, The Eagle Has Two Heads, The Two-Headed Eagle, The Double-Headed Eagle, and Eagle Rampant...
, which Cocteau had previously adapted
The Eagle with Two Heads
The Eagle with Two Heads is a French film directed by Jean Cocteau released in 1948. It was adapted from his own play L'Aigle à deux têtes which was first staged in 1946, and it retained the principal actors from the first Paris production.-Synopsis:On the 10th anniversary of the assassination of...
to film) and his final feature, Beyond the Clouds
Beyond the Clouds (1995 film)
Beyond the Clouds is a 1995 Italian-French-German film directed by Michelangelo Antonioni and Wim Wenders.- Plot :Four stories of love and illusion are told from the perspective of a wandering film director. In the first story, two beautiful young lovers are unable to consummate their passion...
, based on a book of his own short stories. Antonioni wrote the screenplay
Screenplay
A screenplay or script is a written work that is made especially for a film or television program. Screenplays can be original works or adaptations from existing pieces of writing. In them, the movement, actions, expression, and dialogues of the characters are also narrated...
in collaboration with Suso Cecchi d'Amico
Suso Cecchi d'Amico
Suso Cecchi d'Amico was an Italian screenwriter and actress. She worked with virtually all of the most celebrated post-war Italian film directors, and wrote or co-wrote many award winning films—among them:...
and Alba De Cespedes.
The film was shot on location in Turin
Turin
Turin is a city and major business and cultural centre in northern Italy, capital of the Piedmont region, located mainly on the left bank of the Po River and surrounded by the Alpine arch. The population of the city proper is 909,193 while the population of the urban area is estimated by Eurostat...
through the Trionfalcine production company and distributed in Italy through Titanus
Titanus
Titanus is an Italian film production company, founded in 1904 by Gustavo Lombardo . The company's headquarters are located at 28 Via Sommacampagna, Rome and its studios on the Via Tiburtina, 13 km from the centre of Rome....
.