Malinconico autunno

"I Figli Ai Nessuno" "Tormento" "Angelo Bianco" ...You do not change a winning team;so here they are again: Yvonne Sanson and Amadeo Nazarri ,directed by Rafaello Matarazzo.

Movie buffs do not go much for melodrama,except for Douglas Sirk,and in this case,they hail it as a miracle .However,there is not a gulf between the Italian artist and Detlef Sierck.People will laugh at the captain ,operating on the kid,with a little help from his crew ("you are all fathers aren't you?")....guided by a true doctor ...by radio ;if you are honest such a work as "magnificent obsession" has more implausibilities than "Malinconico Autunno".

Personally ,I consider Matarazzo the Italian Sirk.

The fifties were a hard time for unwed moms (check the headmaster's luminous remark);Luca idealizes the father he has never known ;he is a punching bag for his school mates who have strong dads who provide them with protection ;so when a captain ( in full regalia) comes to his rescue ,his dream comes true.People will say Matarazzo is not an "auteur" but the father's theme is recurrent in his filmography:in "Figlio Ai Nessuno" ,he even denies his audience a happy end.Unlike Spanish stuff such as Joselito Jimenez's weepies ,he does not bore his viewer stiff with religion ,millionaire fathers and waifs who find their place back in the high society .

There's an excellent chemistry between Amadeo Nazarri and his Young co-star and they almost out-shadow the female star,which is not so common in melodrama .(see also "Figlio Ai Nessuno")

And look at the last pictures:even the tormented dog has its day!