Claro (1975)

**The following contains a description of the film. While there is not a plot, this description may be considered as a spoiler, so read at you own risk.**

The film begins with an outdoors sequence in Rome. We see a young woman walking and talking, with classical vocal music on the score (much of the film wil have classical music on the background). Later she rolls on the floor and a guy pulls her with his foot, and jumps over her. Then we see some Roman statues and that same guy utters some considerations about Roman history. Then we see shots of a Catholic procession, and a papal appearance. End of outdoor shots. Now we are in a house, and there is a chaotic succession of dialogue between some strange characters, much of it apparently ad libbed (the same girl of the beginning is among them, but the guy isn't). A guy in drag does a monologue, then the girl from the beginning does one too, a meaningless succession of ad libbed words. Then we move to a beach, where there is some more chaotic dialogue and monologue. Then back to outdoors in Rome. The film turns into a documentary about Workers and their Social Movements. A woman is interviewed and tells about the origin of her neighborhood back in the days of fascism, when the lower classes were given houses far from the urban centers so they wouldn't "spoil" the beauty of the city; this strategy backfired because it created a sense of communion in those ghettoes thus giving the workers political and social strength. (This short interview is a highlight of this film). Then we see some communist rallies and manifestations. During one of them, we hear the following dialogue:
Guy: We have here the cinemaniphests. We have the maniphest of his majesty, Eisenstein.
Girl: Do you have the Straub maniphest?
Guy: Yes, we do.
Girl: And the Andy Warhol maniphest?
Guy: No, he is too rightwing. We have the Godard maniphest.
Girl: Oh! And the Visconti maniphest?
Guy: Yes, and Antonioni, Fellini, and master Rossellini...
The mention of the last name prompts the girl to cross herself reverently.
End of dialogue.
(The above dialogue is another highlight of this film.)
Now that guy in the beginning of the movie (who is actually the director of the movie) and the girl (who is his wife in real life) go to a shantytown and interview the people who live there, but little of what is said is actually heard. After that part we come to the last act, set in the moviemaker's apartment. He is sitting in a rocking chair, listening to Brazilian music, talking on the phone and browsing newspapers, in which we see news about terrorist actions in Italy, police repression against workers's movements, and the defeat of the U.S.A. in the Vietnam war. Then the filmmaker and his wife have some idyllic moments with flowers in the foreground. End of the film.

Further Comments: This film is just a self-indulgent hodge-podge, with no attempts at coherence whatsoever. There were two brief enjoyable moments, mentioned in the description above as the 'highlights' of the movie, and that was all. Apparently the messages the filmmaker was trying to convey are: I am in love with my wife who is so pretty; I am a communist and very much attuned with the problems of the world, which derive mostly from Capitalism and Imperialism.

Rating: 8