''Day by Day, Desperately'' () is a 1961 Italian

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. The drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular ...

written and directed by

Alfredo Giannetti Alfredo Giannetti (1924–1995) was an Italian screenwriter and film director. He won the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay in 1962 for his work in '' Divorce Italian Style''. Selected filmography * ''The Railroad Man'' (1956) * ''A Man o ...

. According to the film critic

Morando Morandini Morando Morandini (21 July 1924 – 17 October 2015) was an Italian film critic, author, journalist and occasional actor. Born in Milan Milan ( , , ; ) is a city in northern Italy, regional capital of Lombardy, the largest city in Italy ...

, the film is "a naturalistic drama of strong emotional charge, crossed by a vein of desperate lyricism."

Plot

The mental illness affecting young Dario, one of the two sons of the Dominici family living in a low-income area of

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

, turns their lives upside down. Tilde, the mother, devotes herself entirely to caring for Dario, neglecting her husband Pietro and their other son Gabriele. During a severe crisis, Dario is readmitted to the asylum, and Tilde insists on using all their money to bribe the nurses for better treatment. Pietro, a tailor, can't oppose his wife's obsession but manages to find Gabriele a job in a construction company to distance him from the family's distress. Gabriele falls for Marcella, a colleague, who ultimately chooses their wealthy boss over him. In a final attempt to cure Dario, Tilde takes him to

Vienna Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...

for treatment. However, Dario's condition worsens, and he threatens his mother before being readmitted to the asylum. Tilde dies of a heart attack, leaving Pietro to care for Dario alone, but he finds solace in successfully separating Gabriele from the family turmoil.

Cast

Nino Castelnuovo Francesco "Nino" Castelnuovo (28 October 1936 – 6 September 2021) was an Italian actor of film, stage and television, best known for his starring role as Guy Foucher in the French musical film ''The Umbrellas of Cherbourg'' (1964). Castelnu ...

: Gabriele Dominici *

Tomas Milian Tomás Quintín Rodríguez-Varona Milián Salinas de la Fé y Álvarez de la Campa (3 March 1933 – 22 March 2017) was a Cuban-born actor with American and Italian citizenship, known for the emotional intensity and humor he brought to starring ...

: Dario Dominici *

Madeleine Robinson Madeleine Robinson (born Madeleine Svoboda; 5 November 1917 – 1 August 2004) was a French actress. She was born to a French mother and Czech father near Paris. She was orphaned at the age of 14, and worked to support herself and her two younge ...

: Tilde *

Tino Carraro Agostino Carraro (1 December 1910 – 12 January 1995) was an Italian stage, television and film actor. Life and career Born in Milan, Carraro started acting at young age in several amateur stage companies. Carraro then graduated at the , ...

: Pietro * Franca Bettoia: Marcella * Milly: Luisella * Riccardo Garrone: un cliente di Pietro Dominici *

Mario Scaccia Mario Scaccia (26 December 1919 – 26 January 2011) was an Italian actor and author. He was a prominent figure in the Italian theatre of '900. Biography Born in Rome, the son of a painter, during the Second World War Scaccia was conscripted i ...

: un infermiere del manicomio * Rosalia Maggio: collega di Marcella *

Lino Troisi Lino Troisi (4 May 1932 - 4 May 1998) was an Italian stage, film, television and voice actor. Life and career Born in Maddaloni, Troisi grew up in Rome, where he studied acting at the Accademia Nazionale di Arte Drammatica Silvio D'Amico. He ...

: un agente di Polizia *

Marcella Rovena Marcella Rovena (22 January 1905 – 6 October 1991) was an Italian film and voice actress. Born in Conegliano Conegliano (; Venetian language, Venetian: ''Conejan'') is a town and ''comune'' of the Veneto region, Italy, in the province of Trevi ...

: amica di Pietro Dominici * Alvaro Piccardi: Daniele *

Mario Brega Mario Brega (25 March 1923 – 23 July 1994) was an Italian character actor. His heavy build meant that he regularly portrayed a thug in his films, particularly earlier in his career in westerns. Later in his career, however, he featured in n ...

: un borgataro

References

External links

* 1961 films Italian drama films Films directed by Alfredo Giannetti Films scored by Carlo Rustichelli 1961 drama films 1961 directorial debut films 1960s Italian films {{1960s-drama-film-stub