A beautiful and intense depiction of the discovery of youthful sexuality
Catherine Spaak gives an unforgettable performance
One of the films that met most resistance from the Italian censor
Alberto Lattuada stated that this film was his “…most useful, most just, and most urgent”. It depicts a young woman discovering her own body, who abandons herself to physical love with no regrets. She is not simply another “Lolita”, but rather a real adolescent girl, brought to life by Catherine Spaak in an unforgettable performance. Lattuada is totally dedicated to the character, capturing the little gestures, the fleeting glances, the silences and the mood swings with discretion and sensitivity. His touch and sensibilities are characteristic of the French nouvelle vague, which was just starting to reshape cinema at the time. The censor accused the film of perversion and obscenity, and it was heavily cut and even banned. It would continue to be persecuted by the censor for some time. That was the real scandal.
One special day in the life of 17-year-old Francesca, starting off with her waking up from an erotic dream. The young woman is infatuated with Enrico, an architect 20 years her senior. She decides to make love to him. After that, who knows what will happen.
A beautiful and intense depiction of the discovery of youthful sexuality
Catherine Spaak gives an unforgettable performance
One of the films that met most resistance from the Italian censor
Alberto Lattuada stated that this film was his “…most useful, most just, and most urgent”. It depicts a young woman discovering her own body, who abandons herself to physical love with no regrets. She is not simply another “Lolita”, but rather a real adolescent girl, brought to life by Catherine Spaak in an unforgettable performance. Lattuada is totally dedicated to the character, capturing the little gestures, the fleeting glances, the silences and the mood swings with discretion and sensitivity. His touch and sensibilities are characteristic of the French nouvelle vague, which was just starting to reshape cinema at the time. The censor accused the film of perversion and obscenity, and it was heavily cut and even banned. It would continue to be persecuted by the censor for some time. That was the real scandal.
One special day in the life of 17-year-old Francesca, starting off with her waking up from an erotic dream. The young woman is infatuated with Enrico, an architect 20 years her senior. She decides to make love to him. After that, who knows what will happen.
