REVIEW: Vittorio De Sica’s ‘Il Boom’ has finally been dusted off
It’s amazing watching Vittorio De Sica’s Il Boom in 2017 and realizing that the exquisite film has not really been seen in American theaters — ever. This is not some simple oversight of a film that should have remained lost; Il Boom is a quality picture from De Sica that stands as an Italian classic. It’s an odd cinematic beast, for sure, but the comedy is just right, the pathos ever present and the performance from Alberto Sordi powerful beyond measure.
Thank the heavens Film Forum is running the film in a proper theatrical release. Audiences have only a few more days to catch the classic.
Sordi plays Giovanni Alberti, a man living in extravagant times with extravagant friends amidst extravagant surroundings. The problem is that Giovanni doesn’t have any money; he’s broke, and yet doesn’t want his wife and friends to know about his looming financial woes. The reason for his denial is because he’s fearful that his wife, Silvia (Gianna Maria Canale), will leave him. His reasoning is that she married beneath her when marrying him, and without money as an enticement, Giovanni sees himself as a nobody.
To solve his predicament, Giovanni is presented with an unusual, almost biblical ultimatum. Mr. Bausetti (Ettore Geri) is a local businessman with more money than he knows what to do with, and his wife, Mrs. Bausetti (Elena Nicolai), stands by his side and strikes a hard bargain with those in their employ. There’s one thing Mr. Bausetti doesn’t have but would very much like: an eyeball.
One of Mr. Bausetti’s eyes is gone, and he’d like to remedy the situation by seeking the help — and the eye — of Giovanni. The offer in exchange for the eyeball is a rich one, but will Giovanni actually undergo an operation in order to keep his debt-free status and standing in society?
Of course, Il Boom is meant to be satirical, and yet De Sica plays the action as simultaneously realistic and farcical. It’s almost laughable that Giovanni would even think about selling such an important body part, and yet the sad sack of a man is living in times that are speeding by at an alarming rate. If he doesn’t do something and make a lot of money fast, he will not only lose his wife but his entire identity. See, Giovanni is the type of person who relishes dinner parties and banter with his wealthy friends. He enjoys the status of the upper crust and cannot see a life beyond the caviar and pearls. If ever there is a movie character primed for such a shocking ultimatum, it’s Giovanni. It’s halfway believable that he would go for such a deal.
De Sica, working off a script by Cesare Zavattini, has the story play out as a balancing act between comedy and drama. Helping to achieve this balance is Sordi.
Sordi is a readymade comic actor, but he also finds some deep poetry behind the performance. In his heart, Giovanni is a man with serious doubts and low self-esteem. He reasons that his wife doesn’t like his appearance and only sticks with him for the money; that’s a harsh reality and evidence of a poor self-image. Sordi plays these parts with the requisite acting chops. However, in the next scene, he might be with his wife entertaining friends at a dinner party. In those surroundings, Giovanni is the life of the party, conversing and flirting with the best of them. Because De Sica allows the audience to see both sides of Giovanni, it becomes clear that the funnyman part is actually an act. Underneath the laughs is a deep, deep reservation about life and self-worth.
Even though Il Boom has an odd premise, the results are a marvel to behold. Long live this lost classic.
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
Il Boom (1963), written by Cesare Zavattini and directed by Vittorio De Sica, stars Alberto Sordi, Gianna Maria Canale, Ettore Geri and Elena Nicolai. Running time: 88 minutes. Rating: 
