Year: 1949
Director: Raffaello Matarazzo
Country: Italy
Language: Italian
Melodramas are not for the faint of heart. With themes of love, betrayal, sacrifice and suffering they can be undeniably heartbreaking; leaving you in a pool of your own tears. Various national cinemas have contributed to this genre, notably American Director Douglas Sirk. His All That Heaven Allows has been a remarkable success worldwide. Italian Director Raffaello Matarazzo is not as well known as Sirk, but he certainly packs a punch straight to the gut.
In this film, Yvonne Sanson is Rosa Carrisi, a devoted wife of a mechanic (Gugleilmo Aniello) who finds herself in a trap laid out by ex-lover Emilio (Aldo Nicodemi). She must have an affair with him, or else the ex-lover will tell her husband that they are having an affair anyways and split their family apart forever.
Director Matarazzo creates a somewhat conventional, yet thoroughly entertaining melodrama which stirs our hearts and captures our minds. He takes us to satisfying highs and dizzying lows, on a journey that brings us through every human emotion that can be felt. Over the course of 90 minutes, Matarazzo makes you care about Rosa's Italian family and makes you long for them to reconcile. When the story gets bleak, you beg for a happy resolve to their miserable conflict.
Ultimately the film is very satisfying and gives you a greater outlook on Mankind. With this Matarazzo claims that there is great hope in the world. At the heart of Chains lies a feminist political message about the inequalities of women compared to men. Though it is assumed Rosa was cheating, and she should be punished for that, why is it worse than a man killing her "lover" out of rage? Why is a jealous man excused from any wrong doings?
In conclusion, Chains is a very well made film that contains incredibly thought provoking self reflective themes. It is a criticism of mankind, yet it also eventually becomes a profound statement of mankind's righteousness. It is very well acted; even the children can tug at your heartstrings. The score is perhaps the greatest aspect of all, creating the tense atmosphere of the film. Chains is truly a hidden Italian gem
. Praise it! 5/5
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