The Vacation -la Vacanza- - Tinto Brass 1971 -s... -
But the vacation unravels immediately.
See it if you can. But do not expect to return relaxed.
The "vacation" spirals into a series of bizarre and increasingly violent encounters, culminating in a tragic clash with the authorities. Production and Artistic Style
The film features a distinctive, hypnotic soundtrack by Fiorenzo Carpi , which incorporates Italian folk-song influences to enhance the surreal atmosphere. The Vacation -La Vacanza- - Tinto Brass 1971 -S...
The film was shot almost entirely on location in the Po Delta and the Mesola Wood, using real locations that look like a primordial swamp. However, the most haunting element of the production comes from the music. Composer Fiorenzo Carpi was asked to adapt lyrics that were actually written by patients in a psychiatric hospital. Sung off-screen by voice actor Gigi Proietti, songs like La voglia di scannarli tutti quanti (The Urge to Slaughter Them All) and Gente che piange e ride (People Who Cry and Laugh) serve as an eerie Greek chorus for the story.
Rapid cuts and fragmented sequences that mirror the protagonist’s fractured state of mind. Political Subtext:
Understanding the film requires some context about Tinto Brass's work and the era in which "La Vacanza" was made. Being familiar with his thematic preoccupations and directorial choices will enhance the viewing experience. But the vacation unravels immediately
: Despite its difficult subject matter, the film won the Pasinetti Award for Best Italian Film at the 1971 Venice Film Festival.
La Vacanza (The Vacation), released in 1971, stands as a defining moment in the career of Italian director Tinto Brass. Starring and Franco Nero , this film is often cited as one of Brass's personal favorites—second only to L'Urlo —and showcases a departure from his earlier, purely experimental, and chaotic editing style towards a more grounded, yet equally surreal, narrative.
Looking for more context on Tinto Brass's transition from avant-garde to erotica, or perhaps a similar era of Italian cinema? Vacation (1971) - IMDb The "vacation" spirals into a series of bizarre
The screenplay was written by Brass in collaboration with Vincenzo Maria Siniscalchi and Roberto Lerici. Lerici, a writer and linguistic researcher, contributed significantly to the film’s dialogue, drawing on the Veneto dialect and the earthy, rustic language of the playwright Ruzante. Most strikingly, the lyrics for the film’s songs were adapted from so-called “schizophrenic poems”—texts written by actual psychiatric patients that Siniscalchi discovered in a Neapolitan journal called Carte Segrete and within a mental institution itself. This direct incorporation of the voices of the mentally ill gives the film a documentary-like authenticity and a profound respect for its subject matter.
The plot officially begins during —a trial one-month experimental leave granted to Immacolata to see if she can properly re-integrate into regular society. What follows is a surreal journey through the North-Eastern Italian countryside:
But the vacation unravels immediately.
See it if you can. But do not expect to return relaxed.
The "vacation" spirals into a series of bizarre and increasingly violent encounters, culminating in a tragic clash with the authorities. Production and Artistic Style
The film features a distinctive, hypnotic soundtrack by Fiorenzo Carpi , which incorporates Italian folk-song influences to enhance the surreal atmosphere.
The film was shot almost entirely on location in the Po Delta and the Mesola Wood, using real locations that look like a primordial swamp. However, the most haunting element of the production comes from the music. Composer Fiorenzo Carpi was asked to adapt lyrics that were actually written by patients in a psychiatric hospital. Sung off-screen by voice actor Gigi Proietti, songs like La voglia di scannarli tutti quanti (The Urge to Slaughter Them All) and Gente che piange e ride (People Who Cry and Laugh) serve as an eerie Greek chorus for the story.
Rapid cuts and fragmented sequences that mirror the protagonist’s fractured state of mind. Political Subtext:
Understanding the film requires some context about Tinto Brass's work and the era in which "La Vacanza" was made. Being familiar with his thematic preoccupations and directorial choices will enhance the viewing experience.
: Despite its difficult subject matter, the film won the Pasinetti Award for Best Italian Film at the 1971 Venice Film Festival.
La Vacanza (The Vacation), released in 1971, stands as a defining moment in the career of Italian director Tinto Brass. Starring and Franco Nero , this film is often cited as one of Brass's personal favorites—second only to L'Urlo —and showcases a departure from his earlier, purely experimental, and chaotic editing style towards a more grounded, yet equally surreal, narrative.
Looking for more context on Tinto Brass's transition from avant-garde to erotica, or perhaps a similar era of Italian cinema? Vacation (1971) - IMDb
The screenplay was written by Brass in collaboration with Vincenzo Maria Siniscalchi and Roberto Lerici. Lerici, a writer and linguistic researcher, contributed significantly to the film’s dialogue, drawing on the Veneto dialect and the earthy, rustic language of the playwright Ruzante. Most strikingly, the lyrics for the film’s songs were adapted from so-called “schizophrenic poems”—texts written by actual psychiatric patients that Siniscalchi discovered in a Neapolitan journal called Carte Segrete and within a mental institution itself. This direct incorporation of the voices of the mentally ill gives the film a documentary-like authenticity and a profound respect for its subject matter.
The plot officially begins during —a trial one-month experimental leave granted to Immacolata to see if she can properly re-integrate into regular society. What follows is a surreal journey through the North-Eastern Italian countryside:
