Ettore Scola 1931-2016

The director of "A Special Day" which oddly enough I just watched the other night. The film has two lovely and yes magnificent performances from Marcello Mastroianni and Sophia Loren. Both actors play against type he is a gay man living in fear and about to be deported by the fascist government of Benito Mussolini and she is a dowdy put upon housewife. Both live in a huge apartment complex and the action takes place there on one day in 1938 when Hitler comes to Italy for a rally solidifying the alliance between Germnay and Italy. They meet by chance and have a poignant and short relationship.The film is shot in sepia tones with drops of red here and there and might seem a bit pretentious and precious to some, but one should not let this technique take away from this moving story.