Ritratto Di Borghesia In Nero
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''Nest of Vipers'' ( it, Ritratto di borghesia in nero, lit=Portrait of a Bourgeois in Black) is a
1978 Events January * January 1 – Air India Flight 855, a Boeing 747 passenger jet, crashes off the coast of Bombay, killing 213. * January 5 – Bülent Ecevit, of Republican People's Party, CHP, forms the new government of Turkey (42nd go ...
Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...
drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super-g ...
directed by
Tonino Cervi Tonino is an Italian and Spanish given name, surname or nickname. As a given name it is a diminutive form of Antonio in use in Italy, Spain, parts of the United States, Mexico, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, C ...
. Based on the 1949 short story ''La maîtresse de piano'' (''The Piano Teacher'') by
Roger Peyrefitte Roger is a given name, usually masculine, and a surname. The given name is derived from the Old French personal names ' and '. These names are of Germanic origin, derived from the elements ', ''χrōþi'' ("fame", "renown", "honour") and ', ' ( ...
and set in
Venice Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400  ...
under
fascism Fascism is a far-right, authoritarian, ultra-nationalist political ideology and movement,: "extreme militaristic nationalism, contempt for electoral democracy and political and cultural liberalism, a belief in natural social hierarchy an ...
, its themes include illicit sex, betrayal, revenge, blackmail, perjury, police corruption and murder.


Plot

In Venice in the 1930s, Mattia, a young man of modest background, arrives to take up a piano scholarship at the conservatory. He makes friends with another student, Renato, whose vivacious widowed mother, Carla, is short of money and survives by giving piano lessons. Mattia and Carla start a passionate affair in secret. However Renato, who is unhealthily close to his mother, gets suspicious and Mattia breaks it off abruptly. Carla is deeply hurt at this betrayal and nurses a desire for revenge. Her plan for Renato is to marry him to one of her students, Elena, daughter of a rich family, and she arranges a dinner party for Elena and her brother. Renato invites Mattia as well, with the result that Elena and Mattia are instantly attracted to each other. Mattia walks back with Elena and her brother to the palazzo they live in as a ferocious storm breaks out. Invited to stay the night in a spare room and lent a pair of pyjamas, he and Elena are able to start a secret physical relationship. Accepted by the family, soon the two are engaged. In revenge, Carla sends an anonymous letter to Elena's parents, but Mattia recognises her writing and the result is they ban her from giving Elena further lessons. Carla begs Elena to come to her flat for an explanation and, when she turns up, seduces her. Afterwards, as Elena is lying happily in bed, Carla brutally says that the sex was just to discredit her and will be publicised unless the engagement is broken. Horrified, Elena strikes at her until she falls dead. The police suspect Mattia, who has not got a good alibi, until Elena saves him by claiming she was in his room with him at the time of the killing. Her father helps by saying he will find a good job for the police commissioner's son if Elena's confession is kept quiet. So Mattia has to marry a perjurer and a murderess and, as they emerge from the church, a gondola goes past carrying only a coffin.


Cast

*
Senta Berger Senta Verhoeven (née Berger; ''Austrian German:'' , ; born 13 May 1941) is an Austrian-German actress. She received many award nominations for her acting in theatre, film and television; her awards include three Bambi Awards, two Romys, an Ad ...
: Carla Richter *
Ornella Muti Ornella Muti (born Francesca Romana Rivelli; 9 March 1955) is an Italian actress. She made her film debut as Francesca Cimarosa in the 1970 film ''La moglie più bella.'' Early life Muti was born in Rome to a Neapolitan journalist father and I ...
: Elena Mazzarini *
Mattia Sbragia Mattia Sbragia (born 17 April 1952) is an Italian character actor. Biography The son of the actor and stage director Giancarlo, Sbragia has been performing in films, on television, and in the theater for almost thirty years. He made his motion p ...
: Edoardo Mazzarini *
Stefano Patrizi Stefano is the Italian form of the masculine given name Στέφανος (Stefanos, Stephen). The name is of Greek origin, Στέφανος, meaning a person who made a significant achievement and has been crowned. In Orthodox Christianity the ach ...
: Mattia Morandi *
Capucine Capucine (, born Germaine Hélène Irène Lefebvre , 6 January 1928 – 17 March 1990) was a French fashion model and actress known for her comedic roles in ''The Pink Panther'' (1963) and ''What's New Pussycat?'' (1965). She appeared in 36 film ...
: Amalia Mazzarini *
Paolo Bonacelli Paolo Bonacelli (born 28 February 1937) is an Italian actor. He is best known for his performance as the Duke de Blangis in Pier Paolo Pasolini's final film, ''Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom'' (1975). He was in '' Midnight Express'' (1978) as t ...
: Riccardo Mazzarini *
Giuliana Calandra Giuliana Calandra (10 February 1936 – 25 November 2018) was an Italian film, television and stage actress, journalist and television hostess. Life and career Born in Moncalieri, Giuliana Calandra debuted in 1963 Pier Paolo Pasolini's ''La ric ...
: Conservatory teacher *
Giancarlo Sbragia Giancarlo Sbragia (14 March 1926 – 28 June 1994) was an Italian actor, voice actor, stage director and playwright. Life and career Born in Rome, Sbragia graduated at the Silvio d’Amico Academy of Dramatic Arts in 1947, and debuted on sta ...
: Maffei, the patriarch *
Maria Monti Maria Monti (born 1935 in Milan) is an Italian film actress, singer and theatre artist. Entering film in 1962 in '' Canzoni a tempo di twist'' she made nearly 30 film appearances between 1962 and 2002. In 1971 she appeared in Sergio Leone's '' ...
: Linda *
Eros Pagni Eros Pagni (born 28 August 1939) is an Italian actor and voice actor. Biography Born in La Spezia, at the age of 17, Pagni started attending the Silvio d'Amico National Academy of Dramatic Arts in Rome and then went back to Genoa and played ro ...
: Police Commissioner *
Christian Borromeo Christian Borromeo is a retired Italian actor. He made several feature films, perhaps best known for Ruggero Deodato's '' The House on the Edge of the Park'', and Dario Argento's '' Tenebrae''. Career Borromeo began his career with a part i ...
: Renato Richter


Release

The film, which has an
18 rating 18 rating refers to a type of age-based content rating that applies to media entertainment, such as films, television shows and computer games. The following articles document the rating across a range of countries and mediums: Ratings * 18 (Briti ...
, was released on DVD in 2012.


References


External links

*
Ritratto di borghesia in nero (1978)
at cb01.eu, with video clip {{DEFAULTSORT:Ritratto di borghesia in nero 1978 films Italian drama films Films directed by Tonino Cervi Films set in the 1930s 1978 drama films 1970s Italian films