Vaghe stelle dell'orsa (1965)

Second viewing; first viewed between the beginning of 1983 and the end of 1986.

English titles: Sandra; Sandra of the Thousand Delights; Vague Stars of the Bear.

This is about a recently wed woman who visits the house where she grew up. Her emotionally-charged family history resurfaces, shattering her stability and threatening her marriage. The pivot of the turmoil is her past relationship with her brother, in a context of Nazi persecution of the Jews.

I suspect some might find this film objectionable, especially in the face of its own diretor (and co-writer)'s own commentary about it (read it here in Italian and here in Portuguese). What I mean is that there are two kinds of ambiguity in this film. One is intrinsic to human nature and thus cannot be dissolved; it has to do with inner feelings and complex motivations. Another is the ambiguity which derives from the filmmaker's decision of not revealing certain aspects of the story; Sandra's stepfather has either sent her father to death or hasn't, so there is no middle ground here. The director seems to elude this distinction when he talks about ambiguity. Apart from that question, there are some enjoyable things to be found in the movie, although, as usual for me, that enjoyability is not dissociated from a sense of hilarity. The lyrical atmosphere does not survive intact the melodramatic plot; the latter, in turn, has a hard time coping with a female protagonist whose actions might be construed in the end as somewhat cynical.

Rating: 56 (down from 70)