Mario Monicelli's The Organizer (1963) is an excellent dramatic production.
It is a very engaging, and compelling period piece set in the late 19th Century textile worker's strike in Turin, Italy. The storyline is very believable, if not totally historically accurate.
The acting by the whole cast was somewhat inspired, very sincere, and believable. Marcello Mastroianni gives an exceptionally strong performance in a role that is quite different than the several others I seen him portray, that of a somewhat mild mannered, reflective, teacher cum labor organizer, who doesn't seem to be quite sure of himself on some level. This is certainly a departure from the glib, debonair, self assured, upper crust character that I've become accustomed to in the other films that I've seen him in. Yet,for me, his role in this film confirmed for me the breadth of his acting ability, and furthers my belief that he is one of the great actors of all time. Mastroianni is the dramatic lynchpin in this film, and carries the storyline to its conclusion.
The cinematography in this film is really great, giving the viewer a variety of interesting "looks", as a result of diverse camera positions, and camera angles.
The period sets and period costumes are very good. The huge indoor factory setting is amazing, and made me wonder where they got all that antique machinery.
The dramatic tone of the film was just right, in my opinion, somewhat walking the tightrope between the various emotional tensions inherent in the storyline at various points.
This film is just an example of good cinematic storytelling, allowing the viewer to see the emerging storyline from a diversity of character perspectives. The storyline has a few interesting twists, and the rather downbeat ending was rather unexpected, but left me pleasantly speculating about where the story went from there.
It is a very engaging, and compelling period piece set in the late 19th Century textile worker's strike in Turin, Italy. The storyline is very believable, if not totally historically accurate.
The acting by the whole cast was somewhat inspired, very sincere, and believable. Marcello Mastroianni gives an exceptionally strong performance in a role that is quite different than the several others I seen him portray, that of a somewhat mild mannered, reflective, teacher cum labor organizer, who doesn't seem to be quite sure of himself on some level. This is certainly a departure from the glib, debonair, self assured, upper crust character that I've become accustomed to in the other films that I've seen him in. Yet,for me, his role in this film confirmed for me the breadth of his acting ability, and furthers my belief that he is one of the great actors of all time. Mastroianni is the dramatic lynchpin in this film, and carries the storyline to its conclusion.
The cinematography in this film is really great, giving the viewer a variety of interesting "looks", as a result of diverse camera positions, and camera angles.
The period sets and period costumes are very good. The huge indoor factory setting is amazing, and made me wonder where they got all that antique machinery.
The dramatic tone of the film was just right, in my opinion, somewhat walking the tightrope between the various emotional tensions inherent in the storyline at various points.
This film is just an example of good cinematic storytelling, allowing the viewer to see the emerging storyline from a diversity of character perspectives. The storyline has a few interesting twists, and the rather downbeat ending was rather unexpected, but left me pleasantly speculating about where the story went from there.