Movie: Il Sorpasso

Roberto, a shy law student in Rome, meets Bruno, a forty-year-old exuberant, capricious man, who takes him for a drive through the Roman and Tuscany country side.

Il Sorpasso is considered one of the best examples of the Commedia all’Italiana, a cinematic form which, through comedy, offered a critique of Italian social and cultural changes. This film presents a poignant portrait of Italy in the early 1960s, when the “economic miracle” (dubbed the “boom”) was starting to transform Italy from a traditionally agricultural and family-centered society into a more shallow, individualistic and consumerist one. The film was included in the Italian Ministry of Cultural Heritage’s 100 Italian films that “have changed the collective memory of the country between 1942 and 1978.”

• It was released in the US with the title “The Easy Life”.
• The movie is in Italian, with subtitles, unrated, and runs approximately 1¾ hrs.
• More information on the movie, and a trailer, can be found on IMDB.
• Information on the movie can also be found on Wikipedia.

Tickets may be purchased at the theater at time of the show or online.  For online purchases, see the UnitedTheater’s page for the movie.