Ettore Scola explores enduring friendships and lost ideals in 'C’eravamo tanto amati'

A scene from "C'eravamo tanti amati"

Mixing both tragedy and humor, Ettore Scola’s 1974 film “C’eravamo tanto amati” (“We All Loved Each Other So Much”) follows 30 years in the lives of three men and the woman they each adore. By examining how his generation changed after the war, Scola makes a film that reflects its era. Scola explores the moral, political and emotional evolution of Italy’s postwar generation and, in doing so, creates a film that is a chronicle of its time and a love letter to cinema.

The story begins in the aftermath of World War II. Three friends — Antonio (Nino Manfredi), Gianni (Vittorio Gassman) and Nicola (Stefano Satta Flores) — emerge from the Italian Resistance with a shared dream of justice, equality and social renewal. They are united by their hope that the sacrifices of war will lead to a better world. But the decades that follow prove to be challenging as Italy undergoes massive social changes, from the postwar economic boom to the political turmoil of the ’70s. Although their lives go in different directions, they remain bound by friendship and their adoration of Luciana (Stefania Sandrelli), a struggling actress whose beauty and vitality symbolize both their youthful dreams and the Italy that seems unattainable.

Antonio, a hospital porter, holds onto his socialist beliefs but grows more bitter as he faces poverty and hypocrisy. Gianni, who once shared those ideals, gives up his values to marry into a wealthy family and become a successful lawyer, losing his moral compass. Nicola, a film critic, devotes himself to art and politics, but ends up feeling let down by both as they are overtaken by commercialism and modernity. Their personal disappointments reflect the country’s struggles. The war and its battles have become a distant memory, and the ideals of resistance that once brought them together now belong to the past.

Scola tells his story with a hint of irony, drawing from his generation’s commedia all’italiana movement. He uses a mix of present-day scenes, flashbacks, and moments when characters speak directly to the camera. This approach allows the film to shift easily between different moods, from comedy to sadness to political satire. The style reflects the spirit of Italian cinema, which Scola both honors and questions in the film. These different moods lend the film documentary-like qualities and nostalgic moments, as he recreates scenes such as the iconic one in the Trevi Fountain from Federico Fellini’s “La Dolce Vita” with equally iconic cameo appearances. One of those cameos featured Vittorio De Sica, who passed away just weeks before the film’s premiere. It was likely one of the last times he appeared on-screen, and Scola dedicated the film to him. All these elements come together to form a strong bond with the viewer, taking us along on the characters’ emotional roller coasters.

Scola’s script, co-written with the legendary duo known as Age & Scarpelli, balances wit and tenderness. Every scene — from the dinner parties of the bourgeoisie to the quiet, poignant reunions between old friends — carries a double edge of comedy and heartbreak and speaks to the deep affection among the characters who, in real life, worked together for many decades and were A-listers and beloved personalities of their day.

Visually, Scola and cinematographer Claudio Cirillo create a mosaic of Italy’s changing landscape, from the rubble-strewn streets of the ’40s to the contemporary consumerism of the ’70s when the film was made. The black-and-white sequences are juxtaposed with color scenes that suggest modernity’s moral dilution.

By the film’s conclusion, when the aging friends reunite and confess their disappointments, they come to terms with the fact that their youthful dreams have collapsed, but their friendship, however tattered, remains a fragile link to the past. This theme makes the film relevant half a century after it was made because it speaks to the disillusionment of any generation that once believed the world could be changed.

The original film was restored in 2016 and is available to stream on the Criterion Channel.

- Written by Jeannine Guilyard for Fra Noi Magazine. Click here to subscribe.

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