Name: La donna invisibile
Genre: Drama
Released: 1969-09-04
Duration: 1 h 31 min
Rating: 5.7
Cast: Giovanna Ralli, Carla Gravina, Anita Sanders

If Harold Pinter wrote a RED SHOE DIARIES episode

This film had long been a subject of curiosity for me due to the very good score by Ennio Morricone which is available on CD.  That music is basically the best thing the movie has to offer.  Like many would-be "adult" dramas from overseas made in the late '60's to early '80's, it's very slow and static, especially in the dubbed version which I saw.

The slim plot involves Laura, a woman married to a respected college professor, who feels herself becoming so marginalized in her marriage as to be, as the Italian title states, invisible.  Of course, it isn't helped that there's a quasi-predatory redhead with a pixie living in their stately home, ostensibly a cousin, but really just trying to have her way with the husband and wife.  Or that's what she thinks anyway; the underlying theme is that her perceptions are often at odds with the reality of the situation. (Hence the alternate U.S. title of THE FANTASIES OF A SENSUOUS WOMAN)

As implied by the above summary, there are lots and LOTS of silences that I suppose are for dramatic tension, but just play badly.  All of the characters are appropriately affluent, elegant, and bored; there is an even slimmer subplot about student rioting against the bourgeouisie, represented by Laura's professor husband, and how intrigued by the rebellion, she has an afternoon quickie with one such rebel.  Maybe there was more to this that got cut by the American distributor, but ultimately, it gets abandoned. You could say this movie dramatizes the lives of the people who were at the EYES WIDE SHUT orgy outside of that castle.  Unfortunately, those lives are not terribly interesting.

But do buy the soundtrack.  You can't go wrong with the great Morricone.

Italian cinema has deeply influenced world cinema through its socially conscious realism and modernist experimentation, but it also flourished in popular genres like peplum (sword & sandal), giallo thrillers, and broad comedies. Its narratives often weave together politics, contemporary social change, class consciousness, and family dynamics, balancing artistic ambition with entertainment that resonated widely.

Lamberto Maggiorani in Bicycle Thieves (1948)

The psychological drama subgenre features intricate workings of the human mind, emotions, and psychological states. These dramas delve into characters' inner thoughts, perceptions, motivations, and often involve complex narratives and emotional depth, aiming to engage the audience's intellect and emotions simultaneously.

Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)

The drama genre is a broad category that features stories portraying human experiences, emotions, conflicts, and relationships in a realistic and emotionally impactful way. Dramas delve into the complexities of human life, often exploring themes of love, loss, morality, societal issues, personal growth, with the aim to evoke an emotional response from the audience by presenting relatable and thought-provoking stories.

Mahershala Ali and Alex R. Hibbert in Moonlight (2016)

About the fading relationship between a professor and his wife.

The Biggest Movies and TV Coming in September

See which big screen releases you can watch from the comfort of your couch.

Theatrical Releases Coming to Streaming

Get a closer look at these actors from their many TV and streaming series roles.

Streaming Stars, Then and Now

María Elena Arpón in The Fish with the Eyes of Gold (1974)

Love and Death in the Garden of the Gods (1972)

Angelos Antonopoulos and Elena Nathanail in Quest (1972)

Carla Gravina and Giovanna Ralli in La donna invisibile (1969)

Carla Gravina in La donna invisibile (1969)

Carla Gravina, Giovanna Ralli, and Anita Sanders in La donna invisibile (1969)

La donna invisibile

Photos7

Top Cast9

User reviews2

More like this

Related interests

Storyline

Did you know

Top picks

Details

Tech specs

Contribute to this page

More to explore

Recently viewed