|
THE WIDE BLUE ROAD Send This Review to a Friend
Thank you Jonathan Demme, Dustin Hoffman and Milestone Film for the belated release of the 1957 first feature by director Gillo Pontecorvo, best known for his subsequent 1966 classic "The Battle of Algiers." Thanks are also due The Film Society of Lincoln Center for having showcased it in a retrospective that drew attention to the lost treasure.
"The Wide Blue Road," a euphemism for the sea, was co-written by Franco Solinas based on his novel "Squarcio." Although its roots are in black and white Italian neo-realism, it is embellished with color, now significantly restored, and a dash of melodrama. The film shows off the late Yves Montand in a performance that would be a crime to lose. Montand plays Squarcio, an Italian fisherman of a poor village along the Dalmatian coast. He longs to extricate himself, his wife, daughter and sons from the poverty that plagues the area, but his solution is to fish with dynamite, which is illegal and dangerous, and he fishes from the small boat that he takes to sea with his two young sons as his helpers. Because he ventures out far enough not to interfere with the livelihood of the other conventional net fisherman, they do not regard him as a threat. The plot tightens when a new harbor chief arrives and, determined to crack down on the illegal dynamiting, sets his sights on Squarcio.
Rosetta (Alida Valli), Squarcio's wife, is content with their life as it is and urges him to quit his perilous work. But he is restless in his macho hunger for what he sees as success, and eventually this puts him on a collision course with the other fishermen, including his friend Salvatore (Francisco Rabal), as well as with the law. The drama pits the lone operator against a socialistic view of the need to struggle together for the common good, a political subject dear to the heart of Pontecorvo.
The youthful Montand, handsome and physically impressive, succeeds in making Squarcio an intriguing, independent adventurer who is as pig-headed as he is courageous. He is willing to face condemnation of those who want to unite to fight the high prices they pay for refrigeration and get a better deal for their fish. Squarcio puts his sons at risk, and he is partly responsible for a tragedy that befalls the young suitor of his daughter. The loyalty of Squarcio's sons is heartrending, especially when they are aware of his position as the village outsider.
"The Wide Blue Road" is a gem from a time when directors vied to make socially-conscious films that told gritty stories reflecting humanity. Pontecorvo wanted to shoot the film in black and white, but commercial pressures led him to use color. The restoration makes the color an interesting demarcation from the neo-realist style, and the film has a more operatic and fictional tone, which in turn makes it stand out as being unique. It is wonderful to see Montand in his role; that in itself provides a special quality. I have always admired Montand the actor as well as Montand the singer, and during one trip to Paris, I made a point of visiting the double grave of Montand and actress Simone Signoret in a personal moment of appreciation for a couple who so epitomized the cinema of a certain era. A Milestone Film release.
|