GIORNI D'AMORE

De arme Pasquale en Angela willen graag trouwen, maar hebben geen geld voor een grote, traditionele bruiloft. Met de hulp van hun families vluchten ze naar het platteland om daar, in de ogen van hun dorpsgenoten, zondig te leven. Vervolgens bereiden ze een informele bruiloft voor om zo hun reputaties te redden. Een charmant en levendig portret van het plattelandsleven in Zuid-Italië. Een volkse, kleurrijke en fabelachtige viering van de liefde.

“The young lovers’ adventures are rooted in social observation, even more than in place, and they offer a colourful, exact description of Southern Italian peasant life. Choosing such very real subject-matter and treating it realistically in no way excludes stylistic experiment or lyricism. In many scenes, notably those involving family quarrels, De Santis has gone for a certain degree of theatricality in the way he shows supporting characters, as also in the way he has cut the picture and directed it. This approach emphasizes the intentional commedia dell’arte style of his approach, though the love story prop er is shown in a highly lyrical manner that maximizes its power. It ends in a fine, overwhelmingly sensual and pagan scene, in which the two young people finally come together by the sea. De Santis shows an exceptional gift for celebrating love of this sort in all its noble, carnal passion. For this scene alone, whatever its many other great qualities, the film deserves to be seen.”

- Georges Sadoul, Un ardant conte d’amour, “Les Lettres françaises”, n. 597, 8-14 December 1955