What? (film)
| What? | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Roman Polanski |
| Written by | Roman Polanski Gérard Brach |
| Produced by | Carlo Ponti |
| Starring | Sydne Rome Marcello Mastroianni Hugh Griffith Romolo Valli Roman Polanski |
| Cinematography | Marcello Gatti Giuseppe Ruzzolini |
| Edited by | Alastair McIntyre |
| Music by | Claudio Gizzi[1] |
| Distributed by | NPF Planfilm |
Release date |
|
Running time | 110 minutes |
| Countries | Italy France Germany |
| Languages | English Italian French |
What? (Che?, also variously titled Quoi?, Was?, and Diary of Forbidden Dreams) is a 1972 comedy film co-written and directed by Roman Polanski and starring Sydne Rome, Marcello Mastroianni, Hugh Griffith and Romolo Valli.[2]
Plot
[edit]Set in an unnamed coastal city in Italy, the film tells a story of an American girl, Nancy, who takes shelter in a villa filled with strange guests. There, she gets into a relationship with a retired pimp, Alex.
Cast
[edit]- Sydne Rome as Nancy
- Marcello Mastroianni as Alex
- Hugh Griffith as Joseph Noblart
- Romolo Valli as Giovanni
- Roman Polanski as Mosquito (Uncredited)
- Guido Alberti as Priest
- Gianfranco Piacentini as Tony
- Carlo Delle Piane as Young Oaf #1 in Car
- Mario Bussolino as Young Oaf #2 in Car
- Henning Schlüter as Catone
- Christiane Barry as Dresser
- Pietro Tordi as Man-Servant
- Nerina Montagnani as Chambermaid
- Mogens von Gadow as German
- Dieter Hallervorden as German
- Elisabeth Witte as Baby
- John Karlsen as Edward
- Roger Middleton as Jimmy
- Alvaro Vitali
- Francois Perier as Enzo
- Renate Langer as Naked Girl with Hat (uncredited)
Production
[edit]In 2017, Renate Langer accused Roman Polanski of raping her in 1972, when she was 15, just before and during the filming of this movie.[3]
Filming
[edit]The film was shot on location in Amalfi, Italy, in a villa owned by the producer, Carlo Ponti. Some of the action was improvised.[4][5]
Reception
[edit]John Simon of the National Review described What? as a 'monstrous fiasco'.[6] Roger Ebert in the Chicago Sun-Times gave an apparently-reedited version titled Diary of Forbidden Dreams a half star out of four, and said the film confirmed his "long-held suspicion that, when it comes right down to it, there's a nasty streak of misogyny in Polanski."[7]
References
[edit]- ^ "Exclusive Interview with Composer Claudio Gizzi". Fangoria. Retrieved 2012-04-10.
- ^ Vincent Canby (1973-10-04). "Che? (1973) Film: X-Rated Polanski: What?". The New York Times. Retrieved 2009-03-25.
- ^ "Former German Actress Accuses Roman Polanski of Raping Her When She Was 15". www.vulture.com. 3 October 2017. Retrieved 29 March 2024.
- ^ Rabin, Nathan (October 28, 2009). "Polanski-tastic Sick-Fuck Case File #149: What?". The A.V. Club. Onion. Retrieved 2009-11-01.
- ^ ""Che?" di Roman Polanski Sydne Rome in un mondo di pazzi". Retrieved 27 August 2013.
- ^ Simon, John (1982). Reverse Angle: A Decade of American Film. Crown Publishers Inc. p. 156. ISBN 9780517544716.
- ^ Roger Ebert (21 September 1976). "Diary of Forbidden Dreams movie review (1976)". www.rogerebert.com. Retrieved 6 December 2024.
External links
[edit]
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- 1972 films
- 1972 comedy films
- French comedy films
- Italian comedy films
- West German films
- French multilingual films
- Italian multilingual films
- German multilingual films
- Films directed by Roman Polanski
- Films with screenplays by Gérard Brach
- Films with screenplays by Roman Polanski
- Films produced by Carlo Ponti
- Films set in Italy
- English-language French films
- English-language German films
- English-language Italian films
- 1970s Italian films
- 1970s French films
- 1970s comedy film stubs