 |
| Images courtesy of Radiance Films |
The third feature film of Italian Violent Summer director
Valerio Zurlini Girl with a Suitcase in 1961 arrived on the heels of
leading actress Claudia Cardinale’s ascent to superstardom. Soon to be followed by 8½, The
Leopard, Once Upon a Time in the West and even Fitzcarraldo,
Zurlini’s film proved to be an important stepping-stone for the then-young
actress. Screened in competition at the
1961 Cannes Film Festival, this Italo-French romantic drama eventually made its
way into the Italian Ministry of Cultural Heritage’s 100 Italian Films to be
Saved and though Cardinale’s voicework was dubbed by Adriana Asti it
nevertheless offered a snapshot of Italy anchored by a troubled young woman
trying to find some sense of belonging or purpose in a world that uses her up
and discards her before having to saunter on to the next person to leech off
of. In a new 4K digital restoration of
the camera negative done with the participation of Titanus, Girl with a
Suitcase makes its domestic disc debut in the United Kingdom and United
States for the very first time.
Aida (Claudia Cardinale) falls in love with a rich playboy
and arrives at his mansion only to find the doors locked and herself promptly
ignored. Coming to her aide and forming
an unlikely bond with the woman is his younger brother Lorenzo (Jacques Perrin
of Cinema Paradiso). It doesn’t
take long for the boy to grow infatuated with the flighty flakey woman who
intermingles between past lovers and lenders whose charitableness has long
since dried up. Though Lorenzo means to fulfill
education studies, he whiles away his time with Aida and even gives her some
money which angers his aunt and even engenders the intervention of a local
priest who tells Aida to back off and leave Lorenzo alone. Eventually Aida breaks away for some drinks
and pumps into Lorenzo’s older brother whom we learn is Piero (legendary spaghetti
western actor Gian Maria Volonte).
Despite getting drunk and involved with another older man, Lorenzo seeks
her out, evoking a vulnerability in both characters neither of whom expects.
A bright, sunny and cheery yet ultimately somber romantic
drama of sorts and coming-of-age tale about a vulnerable young woman jilted by
her pompous and unfeeling lover who finds solace and companionship in the man’s
younger brother, Girl with a Suitcase lensed in luminous black-and-white
by The Young Caruso cinematographer Tino Santoni and aided by a somber
score by One Million Years B.C. composer Mario Nascimbene is a
startlingly affecting and ultimately emotionally moving film. Driven primarily by Claudia Cardinale who
imbues this young survivor with sympathy and sensitivity against the young
yearnings of Jacques Perrin, it represents the actress in one of her most
underrated roles in a film tragically overlooked by modern day cinephiles. Perrin himself became a producer and secured
finances for what ultimately became Valerio Zurlini’s final film The Desert
of the Tartars in 1976, speaking to the depth of their creative partnership
stemming from this film.
Radiance Films have gone above the mark in presenting this
film with plentiful extras including but not limited to a visual essay by Kat
Ellinger, interviews with assistant director Piero Schivazappa, screenwriter
Piero De Bernardi and film critic Bruno Torri on the director’s career. Featuring reversible sleeve art, a collectible
booklet of essay writings by Giuliana Minghelli and Cullen Callagher and a red OBI
spine as with their other releases, Radiance’s edition of Girl with a
Suitcase is a splendid addition to any world cinephile’s home video library
and is another home run for the boutique label.
For those unaccustomed to the work of Valerio Zurlini and to mid-sixties
Italian cinema are inclined to give this early Claudio Cardinale effort a spin,
a coming-of-age drama with somber romantic overtones in the heart of Italy.
--Andrew Kotwicki
