Lina Wertmüller and Rita Pavone in a wild and wilful musical
An amusement park of a film, where song and dance transport us into the realm of dreams
The Lina Wertmüller-Rita Pavone team (fresh from their hit television series Il giornalino di Gian Burrasca) was not satisfied with just another love story decorated with performances of hit songs: this film entered onto the cinematic scene in a surprisingly bold and innovative way. The protagonist is at that stage of life that often causes profound discomfort: no longer a child but not yet a woman. However, Rita transforms these pubescent uncertainties into a shameless public declaration, confronting the world head on through song and music. Lina Wertmüller creates a rich and colourful universe for her, alternating between classic moments of musicarello and forays into the musicalgenre. Music, choreography, scenography and camera movement combine to give us an alternative world made up of pure entertainment. At times, we sink into the realm of dreams, inhabited by the ghosts of Marilyn Monroe and Carmen Miranda. Watching Rita la zanzara is like entering into an amusement park.
Wild and wilful Rita is sent to a strict boarding school for rich girls, where she falls in love with the music teacher. He appears to be ignoring her, so she reacts by playing all manner of joke on him. When she discovers that the teacher in question becomes a rock singer by night, she disguises herself and ends up performing on the same stage. Meanwhile, there is trouble back at the boarding school after the headmistress discovers the existence of a secret magazine called La Zanzara, in which the girls reveal their deepest secrets. Rita wins a singing competition and will eventually conquer the teacher, too.
Lina Wertmüller and Rita Pavone in a wild and wilful musical
An amusement park of a film, where song and dance transport us into the realm of dreams
The Lina Wertmüller-Rita Pavone team (fresh from their hit television series Il giornalino di Gian Burrasca) was not satisfied with just another love story decorated with performances of hit songs: this film entered onto the cinematic scene in a surprisingly bold and innovative way. The protagonist is at that stage of life that often causes profound discomfort: no longer a child but not yet a woman. However, Rita transforms these pubescent uncertainties into a shameless public declaration, confronting the world head on through song and music. Lina Wertmüller creates a rich and colourful universe for her, alternating between classic moments of musicarello and forays into the musicalgenre. Music, choreography, scenography and camera movement combine to give us an alternative world made up of pure entertainment. At times, we sink into the realm of dreams, inhabited by the ghosts of Marilyn Monroe and Carmen Miranda. Watching Rita la zanzara is like entering into an amusement park.
Wild and wilful Rita is sent to a strict boarding school for rich girls, where she falls in love with the music teacher. He appears to be ignoring her, so she reacts by playing all manner of joke on him. When she discovers that the teacher in question becomes a rock singer by night, she disguises herself and ends up performing on the same stage. Meanwhile, there is trouble back at the boarding school after the headmistress discovers the existence of a secret magazine called La Zanzara, in which the girls reveal their deepest secrets. Rita wins a singing competition and will eventually conquer the teacher, too.
