Watch Le Amiche

Le Amiche (The Girlfriends) is a 1955 Italian drama film directed by Michelangelo Antonioni. The film stars Eleonora Rossi Drago, Gabriele Ferzetti, Franco Fabrizi, and Valentina Cortese. It is based on the novel by Cesare Pavese. The story is set in Turin, Italy, and revolves around a group of women who become friends after they meet at a boutique. Among the women are Clelia (Eleonora Rossi Drago), a young woman who has recently moved to Turin, Rosetta (Madeleine Fischer), a wealthy art gallery owner, Momina (Yvonne Furneaux), a fashion designer, and Nene (Valentina Cortese), a nightclub singer.

Clelia is initially drawn to Rosetta's confidence and glamour, but she soon discovers that her friend's life is not as perfect as it seems. Rosetta is in a troubled marriage and is having an affair with a much younger man, Lorenzo (Gabriele Ferzetti). Meanwhile, Clelia falls in love with Carlo (Ettore Manni), a young man she meets at a party.

As the women bond and confide in each other, they reveal their fears, desires, and secrets. They share their experiences of love, sex, marriage, and the limitations placed on them as women in a patriarchal society. However, their friendship is tested when tragedy strikes and they are forced to confront their own feelings and relationships.

Le Amiche is considered one of Antonioni's early masterpieces and is distinguished by his distinctive style and themes. The film explores the alienation, ennui, and existential angst of the middle-class, urban bourgeoisie, which would become the hallmark of Antonioni's later works. It also portrays the changing social and cultural landscape of post-war Italy, where women were beginning to assert their independence and challenge traditional gender roles.

The film's cinematography by Gianni di Venanzo is highly regarded and uses long takes, deep focus, and complex compositions to convey the characters' emotions and relationships. The film's innovative use of color is also notable, as Antonioni and di Venanzo use a muted palette of pastels and grays to contrast with the vibrant colors of the women's clothes and the surrounding cityscape.

The performances are strong, with Eleonora Rossi Drago anchoring the film as the sympathetic and complex Clelia. Gabriele Ferzetti is also memorable as Lorenzo, the enigmatic and seductive lover. The rest of the cast, including Franco Fabrizi, Yvonne Furneaux, and Valentina Cortese, also deliver nuanced and convincing performances.

Le Amiche was well-received by critics and audiences alike and won several awards, including the Silver Bear at the Berlin International Film Festival. It has since become a classic of Italian cinema and is regarded as an important precursor to Antonioni's later films such as L'Avventura and La Notte.

Overall, Le Amiche is a compelling and visually stunning drama that explores the complexities of female friendship, love, and identity in post-war Italy. Antonioni's skillful direction and the film's strong performances, cinematography, and themes make it a must-see for fans of Italian cinema and classic cinema in general.

Le Amiche is a 1955 drama with a runtime of 1 hour and 44 minutes. It has received mostly positive reviews from critics and viewers, who have given it an IMDb score of 7.1.