Yesterday ("Adelina of Naples")

For this week's Best Shot, we're looking at the anthology romcom Yesterday Today and Tomorrow (Oscar's Best Foreign Language Film Winner for 1964) starring everyone's favorite Italian screen couple Sophia Loren & Marcello Mastrioanni³. I've asked participants to choose a third of the movie to Best Shot, or, one shot from each of the three segments within the film by tomorrow night. If I have time I'll do "Today" and "Tomorrow" but my favorite segment is the first -- which is not to say that it's downhill from there so much as it's the most exuberantly delightful of three distinctive delights.

The first story is about the Sbaratti's, a poor couple who realize that the wife Adelina, pregnant with baby #2, will be sent to prison because they refused to pay their fines and keep avoiding punitive measures like furniture repossession. Her husband Carmine is always unemployed while she sells blackmarket cigarettes on the streets with other poor women. They learn from a reluctant lawyer that Adelina can't be arrested because she's pregnant and thus gets an automatic reprieve. And so this exuberant comedy about a boisterous poor neighborhood morphs into a marital sex comedy as temperamental Adelina & gadabout Carmen attempt to stay pregnant for years on end. Both actors do excellent physical comedy, getting big laughs from gestures and their inimitable chemistry. Time shifts are indicated not by anything as rote as identifying text but the number of children (mostly unnamed) hanging from the couples arms and what their friend happens to be selling in the streets; cherry season? Uh oh, the cops are coming 'round again.

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Hit Me Globe-Hopping: Lush Ireland, Classic Italy, Psychotic Hollywood

Thank you for making the return of Hit Me With Your Best Shot, a success with its first three episodes The Sound of Music, Paris is Burning and The Quiet Man. We hope you'll join us Tuesday night for a special "triptych" episode (inspired by the current anthology craze in film & tv. Have your pick posted anytime before 10 PM on the day of the event and send us the link to be included. 

Tues March 24th - YESTERDAY, TODAY AND TOMORROW (1963)
*SPECIAL EPISODE* Let's look at the anthology romantic comedy from the great Vittoria DeSica starring Oscar's favorite Italians Marcello Mastroianni and Sophia Loren. It won Best Foreign Film for 1964. I saw it for the first time last year and l-o-v-e-d.. There are two options for this episode: pick three shots, one from each mini film OR if you're pressed for time, pick one of the three films within the film to choose a shot from. It breaks down like so if you're instant watching:

Adelina of Naples (00:01-51:30) Sophia is always pregnant, Marcello her perpetually unemployed husband.
Anna of Milan (51:30- 1:13:00) Sophia is a wealthy callow socialite, Marcello her frustrated side piece.
Mara of Rome (1:13:01-1:58:00) Sophia is a flirty call girl, Marcello her favorite client. 

[Netflix Instant Watch | Amazon Instant]

Wed, April 1st - MOMMIE DEAREST (1981)
PLEASE NOTE THE DATE - this is a Wednesday instead of Tuesday, we're moving back to Wednesdays as in previous seasons due to Tuesday schedule difficulties. This is our second annual April Fools Day episode. We had so much fun last year with a 'Bad Movie We Love' and first Razzie Winner, Can't Stop the Music that we're trying to chase that high. Meet Joan Crawford, one of the great stars, by way of the very committed Faye Dunaway (another one of the great stars, whatever this movie did to her career).
[Amazon Instant | iTunes | Netflix -- currently rental only but moves to Instant Watch on this very day if you're running late.]

Complete list of April titles will be announced on March 26th