To Forget Venice

1979 Italian film

14 April 1979 (1979-04-14)

Running time

110 minutesCountryItalyLanguageItalian

To Forget Venice (Italian: Dimenticare Venezia) is a 1979 Italian drama film written and directed by Franco Brusati. It was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film at the 52nd Academy Awards.^[1]

Plot

For three years, Nicky has resided in Milan with his partner Picchio, away from his sister Marta, a charismatic former opera singer who lives in their parents' villa in Veneto with the elderly governess Caterina. Also sharing the villa are Anna, a distant relative, and Claudia, a timid teacher seeking solace with Marta.

During a visit to the villa, Nicky finds himself immersed in memories of his youth. Upon Picchio's arrival, they discreetly maintain their relationship. The group enjoys a delightful evening at the local trattoria, where Nicky reconnects with a childhood friend, and Marta is invited to sing, despite the strain it puts on her due to her heart condition, which she conceals. They plan a trip to Venice for the following day, but tragedy strikes when Marta suffers a fatal heart attack.

Devastated by Marta's death, Anna and Claudia confront their pasts and fears. Anna, who once had a romantic involvement with Claudia, develops feelings for Picchio, only to be rebuffed. Eventually, with Marta gone, Anna and Claudia muster the courage to leave behind their old lives and accompany Picchio to Milan to begin anew. Meanwhile, Nicky opts to remain indefinitely in his childhood home.

Cast

Mariangela Melato as Anna
Eleonora Giorgi as Claudia
Erland Josephson as Nicky
Nerina Montagnani as Caterina
David Pontremoli as Picchio
Hella Petri as Marta
Fred Personne as Fossino
Armando Brancia as Owner of restaurant

Reception

Critical response

Roger Ebert in 1980, gave it 2.5 stars out of 4 and said "To Forget Venice doesn't feel like a story, it feels like an idea for a story, and that's the problem with it".^[2]

Derek Winnert in 2019 gave it 5 stars out of 5 and said "To Forget Venice [Dimenticare Venezia] is a poignant, telling, superb movie, based on a story by Franco Brusati, which was deservedly Oscar nominated as Best Foreign Language Film in 1979. By rights, it should have won".^[3]

Awards an nominations

Academy Award nominee: Best Foreign Film
David di Donatello: Best Film
Nastro d'Argento: Best Actress (Mariangela Melato)

References

^ "The 52nd Academy Awards (1980) Nominees and Winners". oscars.org. Retrieved 2013-06-08.
^ Ebert, Roger. "TO FORGET VENICE". 4 March 1980. Retrieved 10 July 2018.
^ Winnert, Derek. "To Forget Venice". 18 June 2019. Retrieved 29 November 2019.