Il Sorpasso

Il sorpasso (lit. '"The overtaking" '), also titled The Easy Life in English, is a 1962 Italian road comedy film starring Vittorio Gassman, Jean-Louis Trintignant and Catherine Spaak. Co-written and directed by Dino Risi, it is considered Risi's masterpiece^{[according to whom?][citation needed]} and one of the best examples of the commedia all'italiana film genre. In 2008, the film was included in the Italian Ministry of Cultural Heritage's 100 Italian films to be saved, a list of 100 films that "have changed the collective memory of the country between 1942 and 1978."^[2]

Il sorpasso
Italian film poster
Directed by	Dino Risi
Written by	Rodolfo Sonego
Screenplay by	Dino Risi Ettore Scola Ruggero Maccari
Produced by	Mario Cecchi Gori
Starring	Vittorio Gassman Jean-Louis Trintignant Catherine Spaak
Cinematography	Alfio Contini
Edited by	Maurizio Lucidi
Music by	Riz Ortolani
Production companies	Fair Film Incei Film Sancro Film[1]
Distributed by	Incei Film
Release dates	6 December 1962 (1962-12-06) (Italy) 22 December 1963 (1963-12-22) (U.S.)
Running time	108 minutes
Country	Italy
Language	Italian

Plot

During the Ferragosto national holiday, Bruno, a man in his late thirties, recklessly drives through the streets of Rome in a flashy, expensive^[3] Lancia Aurelia. Roberto, a timid and straitlaced law student, agrees to let Bruno use his phone, as Bruno is late for a meeting with friends; however, they have already left without him. Complaining that he was "only" an hour late, he insists on buying Roberto an apéritif to thank him. Tired of studying, Roberto accepts. They begin a road trip through Lazio and Tuscany along the Via Aurelia.

Roberto soon learns the essentials of Bruno's character: exuberant, coarse, charismatic, devil-may-care, impulsive, and immature. Bruno drives recklessly, constantly attempting "il sorpasso" — i.e., aggressively honking, tailgating, and speeding to pass cars in front of him. Roberto has nothing in common with Bruno but is drawn to him. Bruno encourages Roberto to smoke, party, drink more, and ask out the woman he has a crush on.

Roberto begins to doubt the tenets of his upbringing when he and Bruno stop to visit Roberto's relatives. Bruno points out to Roberto that his aunt has cuckolded his uncle, and one of the relatives is openly nostalgic for fascism.

At the same time, Roberto learns that Bruno is actually a failure in life and is running low on money. In the evening, Bruno impulsively visits his estranged wife Luciana and daughter Lilli. Over the course of a tense evening, Roberto learns that Bruno and Luciana impulsively got married in their early twenties; that Bruno is not involved in his daughter's life; that Bruno is withholding an annulment from Luciana; and that Bruno stole 600,000 lire ($960, or about $10,000 in 2025) that Luciana had collected to bribe the monsignor to approve the annulment. Luciana bitterly tells Roberto that one day is enough to understand Bruno, as he has no hidden depths. Bruno is shocked to learn that Lilli is about to marry Bibi, an older man who is more successful than him. He also hypocritically complains that Lilli has started smoking. He tries to seduce Luciana, but she angrily pushes him off the bed. With no place to stay, Bruno takes Roberto to sleep on the beach.

The following day, Luciana, Lilli, and Bibi visit the beach for a cruise outing. Bruno hits on a young woman, who is actually Lilli in disguise. However, Lilli does not humiliate him, and Luciana invites Bruno and Roberto on the cruise, which Bruno takes as an invitation to reconnect with Lilli. He suggests that Lilli spend more time with him, but she avoids the question. Roberto hangs out with the women of the group, who compliment his personality, but due to his shyness, nothing comes of it. He attempts to call his crush as Bruno suggested, but chickens out. Although Roberto has wrestled with his admiration and dislike for Bruno throughout the trip, he finally resolves to be more like Bruno.

Bibi explains to Bruno that he does not expect Lilli to love him, but will take good care of her anyway. In response, Bruno shocks Bibi by asking for a loan. Rebuffed, Bruno goads Bibi into betting 50,000 lire on a ping-pong match. He wins, but the gravely offended Bibi takes Luciana and Lilli on the boat and leaves without him. Bruno is briefly devastated, but quickly reasserts his carefree demeanor, revealing it to be a mask.

On the drive back, Roberto adopts Bruno's mannerisms, shouting at other drivers and encouraging Bruno to drive more aggressively. Another driver gets road rage and refuses to yield. Bruno recklessly pursues the car through blind turns on a cliffside road. To avoid an oncoming truck, he swerves off the cliff, killing Roberto. When a police officer arrives and asks Bruno about the man who died, Bruno realizes that although Roberto told Luciana his last name, he has already forgotten it.

Cast

• Vittorio Gassman - Bruno Cortona
• Jean-Louis Trintignant - Roberto Mariani
• Catherine Spaak - Lilli Cortona
• Claudio Gora - Bibi
• Luigi Zerbinati - commendatore
• Franca Polesello - commendatore's wife
• Luciana Angiolillo - Bruno's wife
• Linda Sini - Aunt Lidia
• Nando Angelini - Amedeo

Reception and legacy

According to Antonio Monda, the film was initially ignored by audiences and critics but became a word-of-mouth hit, as the film's road-trip structure appealed to "an emerging middle class craving travel ... in [a] period of economic boom".^[3] It was one of two highest-grossing Italian films in Italy for the year ended 30 June 1963 along with Sodom and Gomorrah.^[4] Critical appraisal took longer to improve, but Monda writes that today, the film is generally considered an "undisputed classic of Italian cinema; nobody would be ashamed to mention it in the same breath as an Antonioni or Visconti film, although at the time that would have been inconceivable."^[3]

The movie is considered one of the best examples of commedia all'italiana.^{[by whom?][citation needed]}

Film critics^[who?] frequently acknowledge that the story offers a poignant portrait of Italy in the early 1960s, when the "economic miracle" (dubbed the "boom" — using the actual English word — by the local media)^{[citation needed]} was starting to transform the country from a traditionally agricultural and family-centered society into a shallower, individualistic and consumerist one.

Martin Scorsese cited the film as "the model" for his film The Color of Money,^[5] highlighting its "relationship of the 'mentor' and the untutored youth, corrupted along the way".^[6] Alexander Payne added that he borrowed elements of the film for his Academy Award-winning film Sideways.^[7]

Soundtrack

The soundtrack includes original themes by Riz Ortolani, and Italian 1960s hits such as "Saint Tropez Twist" by Peppino di Capri, "Quando, quando, quando" performed by Emilio Pericoli, "Guarda come dondolo" and "Pinne fucile ed occhiali" by Edoardo Vianello and "Vecchio frac" by Domenico Modugno.

Awards

• Nastro d'Argento for Best Actor Vittorio Gassman
• Mar de Plata Film Festival Ástor Award for Best Director Dino Risi