The Easy Life/Il sorpasso (1962)
A
Passing Warning

While Bruno
represents a man attempting to transcend his age and a special brand of overcharged
masculinity, Roberto is different. Roberto is quiet and reserved. He is
ordinary and represents the traditional values of Italian men and families
(Candela). From the onset of the film, Bruno makes Roberto nervous, and he is
uncertain of Bruno’s intentions. Although Roberto is uncomfortable in the
beginning, he eventually begins to relax and gives into Bruno’s influence. The
juxtaposition between Bruno’s fun-loving personality and Roberto’s sheltered
nature provides an organic humor. The film is a highly entertaining comedy, yet
it is also a cautionary tale about economic prosperity and a man that lives
without prudence (Powers). While Il
Sorpasso is a depiction of Italy in the 1960s, the film’s humor and themes
transcend geographical borders and time.

The nuances and
refinement found in Gassman’s performance harmoniously echo Dino Risi’s
directing. Risi’s emphasis on detail is striking. Every frame of the film seems
to come alive with subtly and superior composition. Bruno is wild and
energetic, but Roberto is calm and restrained. Risi’s directing style
demonstrates the same type of relationship. Risi balances each of these forces
with control and elegance. Risi can be loud and over the top, yet much like
Roberto, he remains in the background in quiet contemplation when necessary.
The framing of the characters and the landscape of the film are accomplished
with precision. Everyone and everything in the camera’s lens is carefully
constructed, and Risi gives purpose to both the central characters and the
extras. Risi’s extras are almost just as important as the central characters of
the film. By drawing our attention to these branches of reality and alternate
modes of existence, Risi adds a depth that assists in bringing the film alive. These
details not only provide the audience a greater sense of the world that
surrounds Bruno and Roberto, but also a unique perspective of Italy during the
postwar economic boom (Lopate).
From the moment
the film opens, Risi captivates the audience with visually striking landscapes.
A lively jazz soundtrack blares through the psyche. Although the streets of
Italy are mostly empty, Bruno and his convertible fill the landscape with
energy and excitement. The tone of the film is carefully set. When Bruno stops
the car outside Roberto’s home in the beginning of the film, the audience becomes
a passenger before Bruno and Roberto meet. Bruno and Roberto are strangers, but
Bruno’s overbearing and outgoing personality instantly engulf Roberto’s
existence. Upon meeting one another, Bruno asks Roberto to call a woman that is
waiting for Bruno. Instead of calling the woman for Bruno, Roberto invites
Bruno to use his phone. Roberto is timid and reclusive. He wants to be alone to
study, but Bruno quickly convinces Roberto to take a drive in the convertible.
Bruno’s driving is erratic and dangerous. He roars through the Italian
landscape, furiously honking his horn, and teasing everyone that he passes.
While Bruno mocks everyone that he passes, Risi mocks Bruno’s machismo and
masculinity throughout the entire film. Despite the comedy that Risi uses to
poke fun at his characters and Italy, a deep affection for the characters and country
is apparent in Risi’s work.
As Bruno and
Roberto drive from town to town, Bruno is never in short supply of sarcasm and
practical jokes. He plays jokes on Roberto, the people he meets, and other cars
on the road. At first, Bruno’s behavior and bravado make Roberto uneasy, and he
questions whether he should continue to engage in the car ride with Bruno.
However, eventually Roberto warms up to Bruno, and it is apparent that Roberto
admires Bruno. Bruno’s overbearing personality lures Roberto into Bruno’s way
of life. Bruno charges through the world with the carefree nature of a child.
While Bruno is uninhibited around women, Roberto is shy and nervous around them.
However, as he begins to loosen up and enjoy the ride in Bruno’s convertible,
Roberto starts to enjoy the simple pleasures of life with Bruno.

Until the end of
the film, Bruno seems without consequence, and he often slips away from danger
and authority unscathed. Bruno seems unstoppable until a car crash on the side
of the road prompts him to pull over. A dead body lies on the side of the road.
Instead of taking the serious nature of the car crash to heart, Bruno remains
sarcastic, opportunist, and flippant. He attempts to capitalize on the
situation by soliciting a crying truck driver for the merchandise damaged in
the crash. However, a police officer quickly interrupts Bruno by honking the
convertible’s ridiculous car horn. The police officer writes Bruno a ticket for
his reckless driving. Despite the officer’s citation and the foreshadowing
implored by a dead body on the side of the road, Bruno remains obnoxious. Bruno
begins mocking the police officer, but he is quickly back on the road racing
through life more carefree than ever.
Throughout the
film, it often seems as though there is no stopping or slowing down Bruno. His
vibrant energy never falters. Until we
learn the Bruno has a wife and daughter, it seems that Bruno has led an
entirely laid-back and untroubled life. However, as Bruno’s estranged wife
Gianna reveals to Roberto, Bruno has struggled to find his place in the world.
Underneath the seemingly happy-go-lucky and brash exterior of Bruno, resides a
lonely boy that never matured. In fact, Bruno’s teenage daughter Lilly is more
mature and self-controlled than Bruno. Once Lilly and Gianna are introduced, it
is clear that the lifestyle Bruno leads and the unfaltering masculinity that he
clings to have already resulted in negative consequences. It is obvious that
Bruno has been absent for the majority of Lilly’s life. Meanwhile, it is
apparent that Lilly loves and cares for Bruno, but Lilly generally uses Bruno’s
first name when talking to him. She sees Bruno as more of a friend than she
does a father figure.

Nonetheless, Bruno’s
unfaltering reckless behavior ultimately causes Roberto’s death. After a brief respite
at the beach, Bruno and Roberto decide to end their road trip. Bruno is just as
careless and fearless as even while driving home. Despite Roberto’s fear and
uncertainty of Bruno’s reckless driving in the beginning of the film, in the
end, he relishes in the excitement of speeding through the Italian landscape. Now,
both Bruno and Roberto are screaming and wailing down the highway like two
teenagers on a joyride. As Bruno attempts another il sorpasso (the suiting
title and Italian term for aggressively passing another vehicle,) he drives the
convertible into oncoming traffic, and a semi-truck drives straight at the
convertible (Lopate). Bruno swerves the car away from a semi-truck. He loses
control of the car. The car smashes into a cement barricade. The impact of the
crash throws Bruno from the car as it tumbles down a cliff. Roberto remains in
the passenger seat as the car falls, and he plunges to his death.

Works Cited
Candela, G. “Il Sorpasso.” Arizona State University. G. Homer
Durham Language
and Literature
building, Tempe, AZ. Oct. 2015. Lecture.
Il Sorpasso. Dir. Dino Risi. Perf. Vittorio Gassman
and Jean-Louis Trintignant. Criterion, 2014.
DVD.
Lopate, Phillip. “Il sorpasso: The Joys of
Disillusionment.” Criterion. The
Criterion Collection,
n.d. Web. 20 Nov.
2015
Powers, John. “Two Italys Take a
Road Trip in Il sorpasso.” NPR. NPR, 8 May 2014. Web. 20
Nov. 2015.
Vivarelli, Nick. “Dino Risi.” Variety
11 June 2008: 16. Print.