''Estate violenta'' (U.S. title: ''Violent Summer'') is a

1961 Events January * January 3 ** United States President Dwight D. Eisenhower announces that the United States has severed diplomatic and consular relations with Cuba (Cuba–United States relations are restored in 2015). ** Aero Flight 311 (K ...

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 ...

award-winning

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. ...

drama Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance: a play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a genre of poetry in general, the dramatic mode has b ...

film directed by

Valerio Zurlini Valerio Zurlini (19 March 1926 – 26 October 1982) was an Italian film director, stage director and screenwriter. Biography During his law studies in Rome, he started working in the theatre. In 1943, he joined the Italian resistance. Zurlin ...

, depicting a love affair between a prominent Fascist's young draft-dodging son, portrayed by

Jean-Louis Trintignant Jean-Louis Xavier Trintignant (; 11 December 1930 – 17 June 2022) was a French actor. He made his theatrical debut in 1951, and went on to be regarded as one of the best French dramatic actors of the post-war era. He starred in many classic fi ...

, and a naval officer's widow, older than he, portrayed by Eleonora Rossi Drago. It is set in the Italian seaside resort of

Riccione Riccione (; rgn, Arciôn ) is a ''comune'' in the Province of Rimini, Emilia-Romagna, northern Italy. As of 2018, Riccione had an estimated population of 35,003. History The oldest archaeological findings in Riccione's area date to the 2nd ce ...

in July 1943, around the time of the dismissal of

Benito Mussolini Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini (; 29 July 188328 April 1945) was an Italian politician and journalist who founded and led the National Fascist Party. He was Prime Minister of Italy from the March on Rome in 1922 until his deposition in ...

, during the

Allied invasion of Sicily The Allied invasion of Sicily, also known as Operation Husky, was a major campaign of World War II in which the Allied forces invaded the island of Sicily in July 1943 and took it from the Axis powers ( Fascist Italy and Nazi Germany). It b ...

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

. ''Estate violenta'' is Zurlini's second feature film, with which he made his name as a director.Biography of Valerio Zurlini

Plot

Carlo Caremoli (Trintignant) arrives in Riccione, and enjoys life together with his friends at his father's villa. Riccione is still peaceful, and only a few things remind about the war fought in the south. On seaside holiday, the youth witness a German fighter flying low over the beach and causing panic among the crowd. Carlo tries to protect a frightened little girl who runs toward him, and meets her mother, Roberta (Rossi Drago), a naval officer's widow. Carlo is attracted to Roberta, often meets her and even makes a trip with her to

San Marino San Marino (, ), officially the Republic of San Marino ( it, Repubblica di San Marino; ), also known as the Most Serene Republic of San Marino ( it, Serenissima Repubblica di San Marino, links=no), is the fifth-smallest country in the world an ...

, although Roberta's mother (

Lilla Brignone Lilla Brignone (23 August 1913 – 24 March 1984) was an Italian film and theater actress. She appeared in 40 films between 1930 and 1982. Her father was film director and actor Guido Brignone and her aunt was actress Mercedes Brignone. Her ...

) disapproves of this new acquaintance, and urges her to stay away from Carlo, partly because of his father, Ettore Caremoli (

Enrico Maria Salerno Enrico Maria Salerno (September 18, 1926 – February 28, 1994) was an Italian actor, voice actor and film director. He was also the voice of Clint Eastwood in the Italian version of Sergio Leone's Dollars Trilogy films, and the voice of Ch ...

), a brutal

Fascist 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 and the ...

. Meanwhile, Maddalena (

Federica Ranchi Federica Ranchi (born 5 May 1939) is an Italian former film actress. Life and career Born in Trieste, while a student at liceo linguistico was noted by a Cines employee through a picture of her ballet company, and subsequently won an auditio ...

), the young sister of Roberta's deceased husband, arrives from

Catanzaro Catanzaro (, or ; scn, label= Catanzarese, Catanzaru ; , or , ''Katastaríoi Lokrói''; ; la, Catacium), also known as the "City of the two Seas", is an Italian city of 86,183 inhabitants (2020), the capital of the Calabria region and of its p ...

, fleeing the impending war. Maddalena spends time with Carlo's friends, and together with Roberta, is invited to a circus. However, the show is interrupted by an air raid blackout, and the friends proceed to a nighttime party at Carlo's villa. After watching flares in the night sky, the men and women form couples and start dancing to a record of ''

Temptation Temptation is a desire to engage in short-term urges for enjoyment that threatens long-term goals.Webb, J.R. (Sep 2014). Incorporating Spirituality into Psychology of temptation: Conceptualization, measurement, and clinical implications. Sp ...

'', Carlo with his girlfriend Rosanna (

Jacqueline Sassard Jacqueline Sassard (13 March 1940 – 17 July 2021) was a French actress who appeared in Italian films such as ''Guendalina'' directed by Alberto Lattuada, a young woman with family and financial troubles in Luigi Zampa's '' Il Magistrato'' and ...

), and Roberta with a much younger boy. The camera cuts between Carlo and Roberta, staring at each other passionately. Carlo asks Roberta for the next dance, and the couple end up kissing in the garden, which deeply hurts Rosanna. The next day, Roberta initially refuses to admit her true feelings to Carlo, but ultimately accedes. Meanwhile, on 25 July, the news of Mussolini's ouster is announced. Carlo and Roberta continue to go on dates. However, Carlo's father is forced to flee, and his villa is confiscated by the military authorities. Carlo meets Roberta once again and spends a night with her, provoking discontent from her mother, and Maddalena decides to leave. During a curfew, a patrol discovers the couple on the beach and finds out that Carlo's military exemption has expired. As his father has fled, he has no chance to renew it anymore. Roberta proposes that he hide at her villa in

Rovigo Rovigo (, ; egl, Ruig) is a city and '' comune'' in the Veneto region of Northeast Italy, the capital of the eponymous province. Geography Rovigo stands on the low ground known as Polesine, by rail southwest of Venice and south-southwest ...

, and the next morning they take a train. However, during the trip the tracks are bombed during an Allied air raid, and the couple barely escape death. After the air raid, Roberta gets back on the train, but Carlo refuses to join her until the war is over, and they part as the train leaves.

Awards

Mar del Plata Film Festival The Mar del Plata International Film Festival ( es, Festival Internacional de Cine de Mar del Plata) is an international film festival that takes place every November in the city of Mar del Plata, Argentina. It is the only competitive feature fest ...

: Best Actress (Eleonora Rossi Drago). *

Nastro d'Argento The Nastro d'Argento, also known by its translated name Silver Ribbon, is an Italian film award awarded each year since 1946 by the Italian National Syndicate of Film Journalists (Italian: ''Sindacato Nazionale Giornalisti Cinematografici Italian ...

: Best Actress (Eleonora Rossi Drago), Best Score (Mario Nascimbene).

References

External links

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USA DVD information
{{Valerio Zurlini 1961 films 1961 drama films French black-and-white films 1960s Italian-language films War romance films Italian Campaign of World War II films Titanus films Films set in Italy Films set in Emilia-Romagna Films directed by Valerio Zurlini Films with screenplays by Suso Cecchi d'Amico Films scored by Mario Nascimbene