Reflections on Two Contemporary Classics

"In viaggio con papà"

I am working on an article that makes reference to Paolo Sorrentino’s "The Great Beauty," so I watched it again over the weekend. I really enjoyed Carlo Verdone’s scenes even more this second time around because the role is such an aberration for him. Being a soft-spoken, failed writer whose last line is “Rome has really disappointed me,” in my opinion, is so different from any of his other roles. I think it was brave of him to accept it. Watching it again, I felt that his presence (and also Sabrina Ferilli’s) added so much authenticity to the film.

Browsing his projects and interviews on YouTube afterwards, I discovered that a complete version of Alberto Sordi’s "In viaggio con papà" was recently uploaded (but taken down shortly thereafter). As I’m on a Sordi marathon after writing my first in-depth article about him recently, I had to watch it. Even without English subtitles, what an experience. Seeing them work their magic together is simply mesmerizing. Sordi’s beautiful, powerful laugh is still resounding in my head today. I also loved seeing Rome in the 1980s. Although the traffic along the Lungotevere hasn’t changed much, it’s romantic to see Verdone and Sordi right in the middle of it. I really adore these two.

Watch this hilarious clip..

"In viaggio con papà" is hard to find the United States. I watched it with the closed captions on and found it hilarious that they couldn't always keep up with the non-stop dialogue between Sordi and Verdone. This film is an absolute treasure.

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