The Children Are Watching Us
Encyclopedia
The Children Are Watching Us is a 1944 Italian
drama film
directed by Vittorio De Sica
.
To distance herself from Roberto, Nina and Andrea agree to go on vacation with their son to a nearby beach hotel. The vacation occupies their time, seemingly happy with the prospect of a reunion. After Andrea says that he must go back home to his job, he suggests that Nina stay with Pricò a few extra days that they may enjoy their time. After leaving, Nina is again pursued by Roberto who shows up unexpectedly at a hotel dance, at first successfully keeping him away. But after yielding to him once again, Pricò is dismayed by her lack of faith. After Pricò runs away, he is eventually brought back by the police officers while the hotel residents quickly start their own rumors as to the cause of his departing.
After Pricò and his mother return to their home town, Nina tells him outside their home to go on up and that she'll be up after going on an errand. When Pricò goes to see his father upstairs, he and his father realize the truth of why Nina is not there. Again distressed at the elopement of his wife, Andrea enrolls Pricò in a boarding school. While his son is away, Andrea kills himself in despair. When Pricò is told of the death at the school, both his mother and faithful maid are there to comfort him. Though very young, Pricò understands the nature of his mother, refusing to go to her for comfort in favor of his maid. The film ends with Pricò walking off, refusing to acknowledge his mother.
Cinema of Italy
The history of Italian cinema began just a few months after the Lumière brothers had patented their Cinematographe, when Pope Leo XIII was filmed for a few seconds in the act of blessing the camera.-Early years:...
drama film
Drama film
A drama film is a film genre that depends mostly on in-depth development of realistic characters dealing with emotional themes. Dramatic themes such as alcoholism, drug addiction, infidelity, moral dilemmas, racial prejudice, religious intolerance, poverty, class divisions, violence against women...
directed by Vittorio De Sica
Vittorio de Sica
Vittorio De Sica was an Italian director and actor, a leading figure in the neorealist movement....
.
Plot
As the movie begins the viewer is introduced to Pricò, a young Italian boy who lives with his parents in a middle-class household. His mother, Nina, takes him to a local park where he enjoys his time out while watching a puppet show, but is also concerned with a handsome lover named Roberto (with whom Nina has shared a past romance) courting his mother while he is assumed to not be paying attention. As the boy returns home, the family has dinner while Pricò reflects on his day in the park. Later that night, after his mother puts him to bed, she runs off with the stranger, leaving Pricò's father distressed at the idea of having to raise his son himself. While their neighbors share a number of rumors concerning the disappearance of Nina, it is quickly agreed that she ran off with another man. While concerned with her disappearance, Nina quickly returns to the home after a few days for the sake of their son. While the father, Andrea, is not entirely pleased with this arrangement, he relents so that his son may grow up in the same house as his mother.To distance herself from Roberto, Nina and Andrea agree to go on vacation with their son to a nearby beach hotel. The vacation occupies their time, seemingly happy with the prospect of a reunion. After Andrea says that he must go back home to his job, he suggests that Nina stay with Pricò a few extra days that they may enjoy their time. After leaving, Nina is again pursued by Roberto who shows up unexpectedly at a hotel dance, at first successfully keeping him away. But after yielding to him once again, Pricò is dismayed by her lack of faith. After Pricò runs away, he is eventually brought back by the police officers while the hotel residents quickly start their own rumors as to the cause of his departing.
After Pricò and his mother return to their home town, Nina tells him outside their home to go on up and that she'll be up after going on an errand. When Pricò goes to see his father upstairs, he and his father realize the truth of why Nina is not there. Again distressed at the elopement of his wife, Andrea enrolls Pricò in a boarding school. While his son is away, Andrea kills himself in despair. When Pricò is told of the death at the school, both his mother and faithful maid are there to comfort him. Though very young, Pricò understands the nature of his mother, refusing to go to her for comfort in favor of his maid. The film ends with Pricò walking off, refusing to acknowledge his mother.
Cast
- Emilio CigoliEmilio CigoliEmilio Cigoli was an Italian film actor and voice actor.He appeared in 41 films between 1935 and 1980, mostly in supporting roles. However, he found great success as a dubber, eventually doing voice work for over 7000 films...
- Andrea - il padre - Giovanna Cigoli - Agnese - la governante
- Olinto CristinaOlinto CristinaOlinto Cristina was an Italian film actor. He appeared in 75 films between 1932 and 1957. He also was a renowned dubber in Italian post-synchronized versions of foreign films, providing his voice for actors such as C. Aubrey Smith, Sig Ruman, Frank Morgan or Lionel Barrymore...
- Il rettore - The Chancellor - Luciano De Ambrosis - Pricò
- Jone Frigerio - La nonna (as Ione Frigerio)
- Mario Gallina - Il medico
- Maria Gardena - La signora Uberti
- Zaira La Fratta - Paolina
- Armando MigliariArmando MigliariArmando Migliari , was an Italian film actor. He appeared in 103 films between 1914 and 1965.He was born in Latium, Italy and died in Rome, Italy.-Selected filmography:* La Damigella di Bard...
- Il commendatore - Guido Morisi - Gigi Sbarlani
- Nicoletta Parodi - Giuliana
- Dina Perbellini - Zia Berelli
- Isa Pola - Nina - la madre
- Adriano Rimoldi - Roberto - l'amante di Nina
- Tecla ScaranoTecla ScaranoTecla Scarano was an Italian film actress. She appeared in 34 films between 1937 and 1966.She was born and died in Naples, Italy.-Selected filmography:* Shoot Loud, Louder.....
- La signora Resta (Mrs. Resta)