Film - LE AMICHE (The Girl Friends)

Off the Wall Films presents

LE AMICHE   (The Girl Friends)

Michaelangelo Antonioni, Italy, 1955, 104m, A, sub-titles

with: Eleonora Rossi Drago, Gabriele Ferzetti, Franco Fabrizi, Valentina Cortese, Yvonne Furneaux, Madeleine Fischer

NB - Doors at 5:30pm for a 6:30pm start. The programme will end around 9:00pm. Pre-screening supper, available to pre-order only, served in the Waterside 5:30 - 6:15pm. To order supper simply buy a meal ticket as listed above (nb - supper bookings will close at 12:00 midnight on the Saturday before the screening).

Having gained experience and confidence in Rome, Clelia, from a poor family, returns to her native Turin to set up a fashion salon. On her first night, a woman in the neighbouring hotel room, Rosetta, nearly dies after overdosing on pills. Sympathising, Clelia takes Rosetta under her wing and meets three of her girl friends, Momina, Nene and Mariella. All are rich and materially successful, although lead complicated love lives involving Cesare an architect, Carlo his assistant and Lorenzo a painter. With the cynical Momina attempting to orchestrate manoeuvres, the women try to make sense of the tangled web of emotions and motivations afforded by modern, affluent, post-industrial, urbanite living.

Antonioni was just two films away from his revolutionary L’Avventura (1960) when he made Le Amiche, and it feels like he’s limbering up for the heavy work to come. The film is a sparkling and consummate ensemble piece, in which Antonioni manages to make the spaces between the characters, the objects in those spaces and even the clothes on the characters’ backs speak as eloquently as the women themselves. Brilliant and prescient, the director here decisively moves away from his roots in the Neo-Realism of the immediate post-war period towards the ‘60s counter-culture in which he played so prominent a role.

“Antonioni does a strong job deftly directing the intense multi-layered psychological melodrama.” – Dennis Schwarz Movie Reviews.

“An unexpected treasure.” – Village Voice.

“Lovers of the great Italian filmmaker Michelangelo Antonioni have cause to rejoice with this new-print revival of his best pre-L'Avventura feature.” – Boston Phoenix.

“The expressive elegance of Antonioni's camera movements -- the way he glides around a scene, composing and recomposing the human figures within it to suggest psychological patterns and unacknowledged erotic connections -- still has the power to amaze.” – New York Times.

“Antonioni's ability to use the screen's illusion of depth or the way he lends an eloquence to the space between characters is a marvel. How he has these people stand is so much more expressive than anything they say.” – Boston Globe.

“Absorbing character studies provide an intriguing insight into female anxiety in a film that is wittily co-scripted and delicately handled by a master director.” – derekwinnert.com.

“Truly exquisite filmmaking from a director who understood the need for the story to dictate the stylistic approach and the importance of technical choices that helped immerse rather than distance the audience.” – HeyUGuys.

“Le Amiche pops with lively energy all the while, with sharp, wall-to-wall dialogue, terrifically timed action within the frame, and nearly continuous motivated camera movement. It's Antonioni dancing on the edge of screwball comedy…” – Screen Anarchy.

Voluntary donations - Off the Wall Films is a not-for-profit enterprise. All donations - very gratefully received - will go towards improving the OtWF programme and the presentation of films at WSC.

Carers' tickets - we offer complimentary tickets to carers of people with disabilities. If you would like to attend the screening along with the person in your care please message  [email protected]  with your request for a ticket. Please note - you are eligible for this offer only if you are accompanied by a paying person with disabilities.