Classic Film Review- We The Living
The movie was originally released in 1942.
I rarely watch foreign films, but I had to check this one out when I saw it at a Goodwill. Originally released in two films in 1942 (Noi Vivi and Addio Kira), director Goffredo Alessandrini brought to life Ayn Rand’s epic, yet tragic novel We The Living. Though it was originally known as Goodbye, Kira.
After the Russian Revolution, Kira Argounova (Alida Valli) returns to her family home only to discover the Communist government has seized and throw her relatives out on the street. She begins a relationship with tradesman Leo Kovalensky (Rossano Brazzi) and lives with him. However, she begins an affair with a Soviet official named Andrei Taganov (Fosco Giachetti) who falls in love with Kira.
Made in Fascist Italy, the filmmakers never sought Rand’s approval for the film, made it without her consent, and did not give her compensation. Though about liberty, Alessandrini managed to sell it as an anti-Soviet film, Italy’s wartime enemy. He had an ensemble of great Italian actors and actresses including Valli, Brazzi, Giachetti, Giovanni Grasso, and Emilio Cigoli. They all perform their roles well and make the story feel personal.
Instead of a script, the director used a copy of the book and would have the actors perform a particular part of the book, making it one of the most faithful adaptions of a novel.
Tragically, he had to insert pro-Fascist speeches throughout the movie in order to get it past the Italian censors at the time. This frustrated Ayn Rand when she first watched the theatrical version of the movie, prompting her to recut it later.
Though initially given approval, the film was withdrawn from theaters and was considered lost for many years, however, Ayn Rand heard of this film and detested the distortion of her message in the book, as noted above.
When the film company that produced went out of business, Rand sent her lawyers to Italy where they successfully brought it back to the United States. Rand had her friend, filmmaker Duncan Scott, assemble a team to re-edit the film, removing all pro-fascist remarks and re-released it in 1986 as a single movie.
Today, it is an epic classic that follows the novel almost to the letter, though it leaves out some subplots and “sums up” some of the events of the novel. It is one of the most powerful films I have seen from Italian cinema, though granted, I have not seen a lot.
Bottom line, We The Living is a shockingly faithful adaptation of the novel it is based on. It tells the story of Kira who is trying to escape the tyrannical government around her.
PARENTAL WARNING: Minor Language and Thematic Elements of a violent nature
FAVORITE QUOTE: If you write a line of zeroes, it´s still nothing.
Check out the trailer below:
What do you think? Let me know in the comments below and tell me if there is a movie, anime, or novel you would like me to review.