''From a Roman Balcony'' (also known as ''Pickup in Rome'' and ''The Crazy Day'') is a 1960 drama film directed by

Mauro Bolognini Mauro Bolognini (28 June 1922 – 14 May 2001) was an Italian film and stage director of literate sensibility, known for his masterly handling of period subject matter. Early years Bolognini was born in Pistoia, in the Tuscany region of Italy. ...

. It is a co-production between Italy (where it was released as ''La giornata balorda'') and France (where it is known as ''Ça s'est passé à Rome''). The film is based on several tales by

Alberto Moravia Alberto Moravia ( , ; born Alberto Pincherle ; 28 November 1907 – 26 September 1990) was an Italian novelist and journalist. His novels explored matters of modern sexuality, social alienation and existentialism. Moravia is best known for his d ...

, who collaborated on the screenplay. The Italian theatrical release suffered several censorship problems, including the blocking of screenings, and a criminal complaint against director Bolognini and screenwriters Moravia and

Pier Paolo Pasolini Pier Paolo Pasolini (; 5 March 1922 – 2 November 1975) was an Italian poet, filmmaker, writer and intellectual who also distinguished himself as a journalist, novelist, translator, playwright, visual artist and actor. He is considered one of ...

. The film was released on an Italian Region 2 DVD by A&R Productions in April 2014.

Cast

Jean Sorel Jean Sorel (; born 25 September 1934) is a French actor. Born Jean Bernard de Chieusses de Combaud de Roquebrune, he worked extensively in European cinema during the 1960s and 1970s with directors such as Luis Buñuel and Luchino Visconti. How ...

as Davide *

Lea Massari Lea Massari, born Anna Maria Massetani (born 30 June 1933) is an actress and singer from Italy. Massari was born Anna Maria Massetani in Rome, but changed her name to Lea Massari when she was 22 after the death of her fiancé Leo. She studied a ...

as Freya *

Jeanne Valérie Jeanne Valérie (19 August 1941 – 25 September 2020) was a French film actress, film and television actress.Pallister & Hottell p.76 Selected filmography * ''Cigarettes, Whiskey and Wild Women'' (1959) * ''Web of Passion'' (1959) * ''The ...

as Marina *

Rik Battaglia Rik Battaglia (byname of Caterino Bertaglia; 18 February 1927 – 27 March 2015) was an Italian film actor. He was born at Corbola, near Rovigo, Veneto. He mainly used the stage name of Rik Battaglia although alternate names he used for his fi ...

as Carpiti *

Valeria Ciangottini Valeria Ciangottini (born 6 August 1945) is an Italian film-, television-, and stage-actress. Life and career Born in Rome, at fourteen years old Ciangottini was chosen by Federico Fellini, after he noticed her at the exit of the school, for th ...

as Ivana *

Isabelle Corey Isabelle Corey (29 May 1939 – 6 February 2011) was a French actress and model. Corey started modeling in Paris in her teens for magazines such as ''Jardin des Modes'', ''Elle'' and ''Madame Figaro''. She was discovered in the Latin Quarter, wh ...

as Sabina *

Paolo Stoppa Paolo Stoppa Knight Grand Cross (6 June 1906 – 1 May 1988) was an Italian actor. Biography Born in Rome, he began as a stage actor in 1927 in the theater in Rome and began acting in films in 1932. As a stage actor, his most celebrated ...

as Moglie, book-keeper

Censorship

When ''La Giornata Balorda'' was first released in Italy in 1960 the Committee for the Theatrical Review of the

Italian Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Activities The Ministry of Culture ( it, Ministero della Cultura - MiC) is the ministry of the Government of Italy in charge of national museums and the ''monuments historiques''. MiC's headquarters are located in the historic Collegio Romano Palace (via ...

rated it as VM16: not suitable for children under 16. In addition, the committee imposed the following scenes will be deleted: 1) the scene in which Davide and Marina hug each other in the room where the dead body lies (reel 4); 2) the scene on the terrace, in which Marina offers herself to David taking off her shirt (reel 5); 3) the scene in the woods, in which David and Freja lie on the ground and he starts undressing; 4) The scene where they remain lying next to each other after sexual intercourse must be shortened; 5) in the song the following sentence must be deleted: "... if your mother is a prostitute you are the daughter of a bitch... (page 8)"; 6) the following sentences must be deleted: Freja: "... you like women of your same age or prostitutes?", Davide: "... well, after I paid the prostitutes, how am I going to find the other women... usually prostitutes (page 74)." Document N° 32986 signed on 14 October 1960Italia Taglia
Database of the documents produced by the Committee for the Theatrical Review of The Italian Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Activities, from 1944 to 2000. by Minister Renzo Helfer.

References

External links

*
''From a Roman Balcony''
at

Variety Distribution Variety Distribution is an Italian-based film distribution company. It distributes Italian films worldwide, produced from the 1930s onward. History Variety Distribution (formerly Variety Film and Variety Communications) has been in the film ...

{{Mauro Bolognini 1961 films Italian drama films Films based on works by Alberto Moravia Films directed by Mauro Bolognini French drama films 1961 drama films Films scored by Piero Piccioni 1960s Italian films 1960s French films