A Special Day

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A Special Day
Directed by	Ettore Scola
Written by	Maurizio Costanzo Ruggero Maccari Ettore Scola
Starring	Sophia Loren Marcello Mastroianni John Vernon
Release date(s)	17 May 1977 (premiere at Cannes) 12 August 1977 25 September 1977 (NYC only)
Running time	110 mins
Country	Italy/Canada
Language	Italian
IMDb profile

A Special Day (Italian: Una giornata particolare) is a 1977 Italian language film which tells the story of a housewife and her neighbor who stay at home in Rome on the day that Hitler visits Mussolini. It stars Sophia Loren, Marcello Mastroianni and John Vernon, as well as a special cameo appearance by Alessandra Mussolini, and was directed by Ettore Scola. The film was a co-production between companies in Italy and Canada.

[edit] Plot

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

As her entire family (including her fascist husband) goes to the streets to follow Hitler's visit to Mussolini in Rome, an Italian housewife (Loren) stays home looking after some domestic tasks. Her apartment building is empty but for a man (Mastroianni) who seems repulsed by fascism (a strange attitude in those days).

The audience learns early in the movie that this man is a radio broadcaster who has lost his job and is about to be deported due to his political attitudes and his homosexuality. Unaware of this, the housewife flirts with him, as they meet by chance (or intentionally) in the empty building. During their conversation, the rather naïve and mainstream woman is surprised by his opinions and finally shocked when she realizes his sexual orientation.

Nonetheless, despite their fights and arguments, they eventually make love before he is taken away by the police and her family comes back home.