The Shadow of the Day (Italian: L'ombra del giorno) is a 2022 Italian film written and directed by Giuseppe Piccioni, starring Riccardo Scamarcio and Benedetta Porcaroli, set in Italy in 1938. Piccioni wrote the screenplay with Gualtiero Rosella and Annick Emdin. It is produced by Scamarcio through his Lebowski production company, in association with Rai Cinema.
| The Shadow of the Day | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Giuseppe Piccioni |
| Screenplay by | Giuseppe Piccioni Gualtiero Rosella Annick Emdin |
| Produced by | |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Michele D'Attanasio |
| Edited by | Esmeralda Calabria |
| Music by | Michele Braga |
Production companies |
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Release date |
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Running time | 128 minutes[1] |
| Country | Italy |
| Language | Italian |
| Budget | €3.1 million |
Premise
editLuciano (Scamarcio) runs a restaurant in a small Italian town. He is a decorated veteran of World War I, but was badly wounded and walks with a limp. He seems to sympathize with the Fascist regime but he is not a member of the party, and although he reprimands his kitchen staff for political insubordination he does not report them. A young educated Jewish woman Anna (Porcaroli) arrives at his restaurant begging him for work, but things get complicated when her husband, on run from the regime, arrives.[2]
Cast
edit- Riccardo Scamarcio as Luciano
- Benedetta Porcaroli as Anna
- Lino Musella as Osvaldo
- Vincenzo Nemolato as Giovanni
- Sandra Ceccarelli as Madre Corrado
- Valeria Bilello as Amelia
- Waël Sersoub as Emile
Production
editWriter-director Giuseppe Piccioni wrote the screenplay with Gualtiero Rosella and Annick Emdin. Riccardo Scamarcio stars and produces. The film was made on a €2.8 million ($3.1 million) budget, and produced by Scamarcio through Lebowski in association with RAI Cinema.[3]
Filming
editIn January 2021, principal photography was announced to be concentrated in the Italian city of Ascoli Piceno.[4] Filming began in March 2021.[5] Filming locations include the Caffè Meletti which overlooks the Piazza del Popolo, the Via delle Stelle, the garden of Palazzo Saladini Pilastri, Tufillo Bridge and the Riserva Naturale Regionale Sentina.[6]
Release
editThe film had a premiere in the city of Ascoli Piceno on 23 February 2022, and was released national wide in Italy on February 24, 2022.[7][8]
Reception
editPeter Bradshaw in The Guardian described it as “involving” and praised the performances of the lead actors. Bradshaw commented that it showed a “traditional kind of moviemaking, robustly made“.[9]
References
edit- ^ "Shadow of the Day". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved November 11, 2023.
- ^ Brown, Hannah (April 21, 2023). "New Italian film about love in fascist Italy, shows the complex lives of Italian Jews and gentiles". Jerusalem Post. Retrieved November 11, 2023.
- ^ Vivarelli, Nick (February 12, 2022). "RAI Com Takes World Sales on 'Shadow of the Day,' Starring Riccardo Scamarcio (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved November 11, 2023.
- ^ Traini, Marco (January 19, 2021). "Scamarcio in Ascoli to shoot a film directed by Piccioni. Project under construction". Centropagina.it. Retrieved November 11, 2023.
- ^ "Ascoli, Generic casting for the film 'The shadow of the day' directed by Giuseppe Piccioni starring Riccardo Scamarcio". ascoli.cityrunours.it. February 22, 2021. Retrieved November 11, 2023.
- ^ "Press conference of L'Ombra del Giorno at Caffè Meletti. Piccioni and Scamarcio enthusiastic about Ascoli, next week we will shoot at Sentina in San Benedetto del Tronto". Farodiroma. April 17, 2021. Retrieved November 11, 2023.
- ^ "The shadow of the day, from Thursday 24 February at the cinema". MYmovies.it. February 15, 2022. Retrieved November 11, 2023.
- ^ "L'ombra del giorno' preview Actors in the dining room and dinner of the Thirties". il Resto del Carlino. February 23, 2022. Retrieved November 11, 2023.
- ^ Bradshaw, Peter (November 9, 2023). "The Shadow of the Day review – old-fashioned romantic drama with war lurking on the horizon". The Guardian.