''L'ospite'', English title ''The Guest'', is a 1971 Italian drama film directed by Liliana Cavani and starring Lucia Bosè. It follows a woman who, released from a mental hospital after twenty years, tries in vain to fit into society.

Plot

Writer Piero does research in a psychiatric hospital for his next novel. He finds several deficiencies in the treatment of the patients, but hears only self-justifications and criticism when he confronts the doctors with his observations. He takes a particular interest in the case of Anna, a woman who was hospitalised with depression after the death of her adored cousin twenty years ago. The only person in the institute to whom Anna feels an emotional bond is Luciano, a fellow inmate who maintains in a

catatonic state Catatonia is a complex neuropsychiatric behavioral syndrome that is characterized by abnormal movements, immobility, abnormal behaviors, and withdrawal. The onset of catatonia can be acute or subtle and symptoms can wax, wane, or change during ...

. Shortly after, Anna is discharged and entrusted to her brother Renato, to the dismay of her brother's wife. Her attempts to make social contacts fail. During a visit by the couple next door, Anna recounts the husband's sexual advances towards her, for which she is slapped by the disbelieving Renato. She runs away and hides in her uncle's abandoned villa. There, in her fantasy, she relives her relationship with her cousin (who appears in the shape of Luciano), with both taking the roles of Pelléas and Mélisande. Eventually, she is found by the police and taken back to the hospital. The last scene shows Anna comforting the motionless Luciano.

Cast

* Lucia Bosè as Anna * Glauco Mauri as Piero * Peter Gonzales as Luciano * as Renato * Giancarlo Caio as the doctor * (credited as Gian Piero Frondini) * Alfio Galardi * Maddalena Gillia * Maria Luisa Salmaso *

Lorenzo Piani Lorenzo Piattoni (27 September 1955 – 14 August 2016), known professionally as Lorenzo Piani, was an Italian singer and songwriter. Biography After studying classical piano at the Rossini Conservatory in Pesaro, he released a single. As a musi ...

Production and release

Cavani had the idea for ''L'ospite'' after a visit to a mental hospital. It was produced by the Italian radio and television station RAI, shot on

16 mm film 16 mm film is a historically popular and economical gauge of film. 16 mm refers to the width of the film (about inch); other common film gauges include 8 and 35 mm. It is generally used for non-theatrical (e.g., industrial, educ ...

black and white Black-and-white (B&W or B/W) images combine black and white in a continuous spectrum, producing a range of shades of grey. Media The history of various visual media began with black and white, and as technology improved, altered to color. ...

and blown up to

35 mm film 35 mm may refer to: * 135 film, a type of still photography format commonly referred to as 35 mm film * 35 mm movie film 35 mm film is a film gauge used in filmmaking, and the film standard. In motion pictures that record on f ...

. According to Cavani, the film was made on a low budget with all participants, including Bosè, working for free. ''L'ospite'' was presented at the 1971 Venice International Film Festival. After a theatrical release the following year, it was broadcast on national television on 24 May 1973.

Reception

The day after the film's TV presentation, of ''

La Stampa ''La Stampa'' (meaning ''The Press'' in English) is an Italian daily newspaper published in Turin, Italy. It is distributed in Italy and other European nations. It is one of the oldest newspapers in Italy. History and profile The paper was fou ...

'' praised Cavani's "artistic and civil commitment" and Bosè's performance.

Awards

* Targa AIACE (L'Associazione Italiana Amici Cinema d'Essai), 1972 * Timone d'oro, 1972

Notes

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ospite, L' 1971 drama films Italian drama television films 1970s Italian-language films Films directed by Liliana Cavani 1970s Italian films Films set in psychiatric hospitals Films about mental disorders Italian black-and-white films