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The Forbidden Room
The Forbidden Room
	Italian film poster by Piero Ermanno Iaia
Directed by	Dino Risi
Screenplay by	Bernardino Zapponi; Dino Risi;
Based on	Un'anima persa; by Giovanni Arpino
Produced by	Pio Angeletti; Adriano De Micheli;
Starring	Vittorio Gassman; Catherine Deneuve; Danilo Mattei; Anicee Alvina;
Cinematography	Tonino Delli Colli
Edited by	Alberto Gallitti
Music by	Francis Lai
Production; companies	Dean Film; Les Productions Fox Europa;
Distributed by	Fox/Dean Film
Release dates	20 January 1977 (Italy); 23 March 1977 (France);
Running time	100 minutes
Countries	Italy; France;

The Forbidden Room (Italian: Anima persa) is a 1977 thriller film directed by Dino Risi.^[3]^{[page needed]} It is based on the novel Un'anima persa by Giovanni Arpino.^[1] The film was co-production between Italy and France by Dean Film and Les Productions Fox Europa.^[2]

Plot

Tino (Danilo Mattei) arrives as a guest in the large family home of the Stolz's, Fabio (Vittorio Gassman) and Elisa (Catherine Deneuve) in Venice, eager to take a painting class at art school. He immediately notices the uneasy atmosphere hovering over the huge, partially dilapidated house. His uncle turns out to be a surly and severe man who treats his wife, Elisa, with little respect. She, in turn, seems psychologically submissive and resigned to this controlled existence. To further disturb Tino's stay, there are strange noises coming from the attic, a place he is initially forbidden to visit, but which he then - thanks to the elderly housekeeper - discovers is the secret room where Berth, his uncle's brother, and ex-science professor. The man apparently went mad after the death of Elisa's ten-year-old daughter, Beba, born from her first marriage and to whom he was very attached. But more surprises lay in store.

Cast

Vittorio Gassman as Fabio Stolz
Catherine Deneuve as Elisa Stolz
Danilo Mattei as Tino
Anicée Alvina as Lucia Pandin
Ester Carloni as Annetta
Michele Capnist as Il Duca
Gino Cavalieri as Prof. Sattin

Production

The Forbidden Room was based on the novel L'anima persa written by Giovanni Arpino and published in 1966. Director Dino Risi had adapted a previous novel by Arpino, in Profumo di donna.^[4]

Risi's adaptation of L'anima persa changed the novels location from Turin to Venice and changed the names, features and characteristics of some characters such as Tino's uncle and aunt Galla.^[4]

Release

The Forbidden Room was distributed theatrically in Italy by Fox/Dean Film on 20 January 1977.^[2] In Italy, the film grossed a total of 857,364,083 Italian lire domestically.^[2] The film was released in France on 23 March 1977 as Âmes perdues.^[2]

References

Footnotes

^ ^a ^b Curti 2017, p. 170.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j Curti 2017, p. 169.
^ Lino Miccichè (2000). Una vita difficile, di Dino Risi: risate amare nel lungo dopoguerra. Marsilio, 2000. ISBN 88-317-7432-8.
^ ^a ^b Curti 2017, p. 171.