Amedeo, a young man from the provinces, came to Rome to be part of an audience with the Pope. As the group is assembled, an aide goes over how to behave in front of such distinguished individual. Amedeo has another thing in mind, he wants to take the opportunity to ask the Holy Father a few questions he needs to have answered. To his horror, he is taken aside and whisked to a sort of holding area where someone connected with the Vatican security will interview him about his real intentions. Horrified, Amedeo, thinks he is living a Kafkian experience, only to be told by Aureliano Diaz, he cannot see the Pontif. Diaz refers him to go see Aiche, a high class prostitute that seems to be a sex object for the moneyed classes. Amedeo's quest to have his questions answered will end badly, as he ends up more confused than when he first started.
"L'udienza", Marco Ferreri's 1971 film, shown recently on a cable channel, takes a look at the machinations within the Vatican and makes a critical account of the behind the scenes machinations the mere mortal cannot imagine could exists. The director made this film before his great success "La Grande Bouffe" that will come out a couple of years later. Like his contemporaries, the papal audience is only a pretext to present his tale about the politics within the high hierarchy of the Catholic Church. Mr. Ferreri, like most of the Italian directors had a dim view of religion as it is exposed in the film. In a way, Mr. Ferreri's films always had to do with the absurdity of an institution he perceived as a way to wield its power in order to dominate.
In Enzo Jannacci, the director found the kind of actor he wanted to use to juxtapose two opposing forces; one that would always questioned the divine authority, and the other the hard line of the church. Claudia Cardinale at the height of her beauty appears as Aiche, the well connected prostitute that seduces Amedeo and gets more involved than what she really wanted. Ugo Tognazzi plays the security man, Diaz to excellent results. Michel Piccoli, also shows up as a priest with connections. Vittorio Gassman, the wonderful Italian actor appears as the Prince.
An enigmatic film by Marco Ferreri that is worth a look by serious viewers.
"L'udienza", Marco Ferreri's 1971 film, shown recently on a cable channel, takes a look at the machinations within the Vatican and makes a critical account of the behind the scenes machinations the mere mortal cannot imagine could exists. The director made this film before his great success "La Grande Bouffe" that will come out a couple of years later. Like his contemporaries, the papal audience is only a pretext to present his tale about the politics within the high hierarchy of the Catholic Church. Mr. Ferreri, like most of the Italian directors had a dim view of religion as it is exposed in the film. In a way, Mr. Ferreri's films always had to do with the absurdity of an institution he perceived as a way to wield its power in order to dominate.
In Enzo Jannacci, the director found the kind of actor he wanted to use to juxtapose two opposing forces; one that would always questioned the divine authority, and the other the hard line of the church. Claudia Cardinale at the height of her beauty appears as Aiche, the well connected prostitute that seduces Amedeo and gets more involved than what she really wanted. Ugo Tognazzi plays the security man, Diaz to excellent results. Michel Piccoli, also shows up as a priest with connections. Vittorio Gassman, the wonderful Italian actor appears as the Prince.
An enigmatic film by Marco Ferreri that is worth a look by serious viewers.