#801: PIETRANGELI, Antonio: I Knew Her Well (1965)

PIETRANGELI, Antonio (Italy)

I Knew Her Well [1965]

Spine #801
Blu-ray

This prismatic portrait of the days and nights of a party girl in sixties Rome is a revelation. On the surface, I Knew Her Well, directed by Antonio Pietrangeli, plays like an inversion of La dolce vita with a woman at its center, following the gorgeous, seemingly liberated Adriana (Stefania Sandrelli) as she dallies with a wide variety of men, attends parties, goes to modeling gigs, and circulates among the rich and famous. But despite its often light tone, the film ultimately becomes a stealth portrait of a suffocating culture that dehumanizes people, especially women. A character study that never strays from its complicated central figure, while keeping us at an emotional remove, I Knew Her Well is one of the most overlooked films of the sixties, by turns funny, tragic, and altogether jaw-dropping.

115 minutes
Black & White

Monaural

in Italian

1:85:1 aspect ratio

Criterion Release 2016

Director/Writers

Pietrangeli (right)

Story and screenplay by Antonio Pietrangeli, Ruggero Maccari, and Ettore Scola.

Pietrangeli was 46 when he directed I Knew Her Well.

The Film

A

Film Rating (0-60):

60

The Extras

The Booklet

Twelve-page wraparound featuring an essay by journalist and author Alexander Stille.

Commentary

None.

Interview 1

With actor Sandrelli

Interview 2

With film scholar Luca Barattoni about the career of director Pietrangeli.

Archival footage

Of Sandrelli’s audition

Trailer

Extras Rating (0-40):

39

60 + 39 =

99

By Director
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