Aedonerre
I gave this film a 9 out of 10, because it was exactly what I expected it to be.
Hulkeasexo
it is the rare 'crazy' movie that actually has something to say.
Ariella Broughton
It is neither dumb nor smart enough to be fun, and spends way too much time with its boring human characters.
avik-basu1889
Ermanno Olmi is one of those filmmakers whose name does get obscured a bit in popular lists of great Italian filmmakers of all time. However his status as a very influential director can never be questioned as some of the great directors of our times like Mike Leigh and a number of others constantly cite him as a major influence. The first thing that I noticed while watching 'Il Posto' was that Olmi's style of filmmaking and the way he treats his characters is very reminiscent of Italian neo-realism, specially the early works of De Sica. As a matter of fact this film can be easily viewed as a companion piece to 'The Bicycle Thieves'. Bicycle Thieves was set in the immediate backdrop of the devastations of WW2 and followed a poor man desperately trying to track his stolen bicycle in order to retain his precious job in a frail economy. 'Il Posto' is set in early 1960s Italy where the economy is slowly getting back on its feet with industrialisation in the cosmopolitan cities like Milan. The protagonist is a young, wide eyed boy named Domenico who applies for a job. For me these two plot summaries easily juxtapose each other and offer themselves perfectly for a double feature. Olmi also points out the differences in lifestyle, living conditions and people's mindsets between rural Italy and urban Italy in the most visually succinct way. The influence of De Sica is also visible in Olmi's economical use of dialogue and his stress on catching the subtle expression on the characters' faces without them saying much.For me the primary theme of 'Il Posto' is the premature loss of youth. Domenico is nothing but a very young, innocent boy who gets pushed into the unfamiliar corporate world at a very early stage in his life. He has to carry out his family's decision which involves him working and earning with his father while his younger brother is the one who gets to study. This theme of forced premature adulthood gets further underlined in one particular scene at the very beginning of the film. It is the scene where Domenico gets jealous when he sees his brother using his book strap and starts arguing with him, but their mother intervenes and asks Domenico to leave his brother alone as Domenico is too old for such juvenile arguments as he is about to start working. The look on Domenico's face broke my heart. It is a feeling which is universal and very relatable. Actually this scene is very reminiscent of a scene in Satyajit Ray's 'Pather Panchali' where the young siblings Durga and Apu are fighting with each other and then their mother sets them apart and scolds Durga and tells her that she is too old for this. 90% of the film is from Domenico's point of view. We see him discover the new world of industrialisation and corporate culture. The cute young romance that develops between Domenico and a fellow applicant Antonietta is adorable. Antonietta represents the youthful, innocent spirit that Domenico yearns for in his life. But unfortunately the romance is short lived and the hard reality of adulthood will perhaps always keep her at a distance from Domenico. The script for the film written by Olmi and Ettore Lombardo is a comment on the rapid industrialisation in post war Italy as well as the dehumanisation of workers in the corporations. Olmi shoots certain scenes in the office in a way which makes Domenico and the other applicants look very small in proportion to the surroundings. We see departmental stores and construction sites all over Milan. There are also certain scenes involving physical examination being carried out by the officers in the corporation which almost look like a group of people being trained to become faceless nobodies in the organisation. However having said all that, Olmi never treats the officers in the organisation with disrespect. All the officers are not bad people. They actually are helpful in some ways. Olmi is putting the blame on the system but not the people in it.There is a sequence in the film where Olmi leaves Domenico's point of view and gives us an insight into the personal lives of the people who will be colleagues of Domenico once he gets the job. These are old, lovable, shy and introverted men who have devoted themselves to their pointless work in the corporation and have nothing to enjoy and look forward to after going back home from work which somewhat reminded me of the lyrics to the song 'Streets of London' by Ralph McTell. All they can do is fight over desks. In a way, Olmi is showing us what Domenico's future could be like. The film ends on a horrifying/heartbreaking note. We see Domenico sitting in a row with the other employees and observing what his life will probably look like forever. Domenico looks at the mimeograph and we hear the terrible, constant metallic noise of the machine as the end credits appear. We are left to ponder over whether Domenico be able to have a proper life and maybe pursue Antonietta or will he be sucked into this company vacuum and be forced to lead a meaningless, joyless life like his co-workers.Praise has to be showered on two brilliant amateurs Sandro Panseri and Loredana Detto. Panseri plays the character of Domenico with the correct amount of innocence and naivety and makes him extremely relate able to every single viewer. Detto is just adorable. The cute and short romance between them is completely believable. 'Il Posto' is a beautiful, thoughtful film made by someone who clearly understands human beings. This is a film about the loss of youth and the loss of an identity in a fast changing world. This was my first taste of an Ermanno Olmi film, but I'm very sure it won't be my last.
museumofdave
This is a film about ordinary people and it is told in an extraordinary fashion; a young man is not terribly excited to be entering the corporate world--and with good reason. But family and custom and lack of formal education can be persuasive, and so he tests for a position and finds himself in a well-ordered black and white world where individuals count for very little; sounds grim, but director Olmi has a keen eye for the richness of humanity, for the sensitivity of existence, for the quiet celebration of being human. This is a remarkable document, all the more so for being without breathless pacing or minute-by-minute explosions or rounds of gunfire; this is a quiet masterpiece about the richness that can be found by merely observing and the loneliness that is a quintessential part of being human.
MartinHafer
In 1928, King Vidor directed a terrific silent film, "The Crowd". It was about a young couple who live in a big and impersonalized city and it portrays their struggle to maintain their sanity in such a world. In so many ways "Il Posto" is like an updated Italian version of this silent classic.Ermanno Olmi directs this movie is a sparse and almost documentary style--with very subdued performances and a heightened sense of it just being everyday life. There is no pretty soundtrack, the lighting is often very naturalistic and the acting is very simple and low-key. Some may dislike this, as it does make the movie much slower and less exotic than a typical film--even a typical Italian film. I see it as a further evolution of the Italian Neo-realism style of film making--something that can be super-effective.Domenico and Antonietta are two very young people (to me they appear about 17) that seek out jobs at a mega-company--one that is very bureaucratic and impersonalized. They not only interview for the jobs but go through very exhaustive testing until they learn that they do have jobs. Much of the film portrays all the many steps needed to obtain the jobs. Unfortunately for Domenico, the job he wants as a clerk is filled, so he takes a job as an office boy until something better is available.For 93 minutes the film tells the story of these young people. However, there really are never any fireworks or excitement--just a straight telling of this period in their lives. Not surprisingly, the young and not particularly flashy actor and actress that starred in this film had very limited film careers--Loredana Detto (Antoinetta) only appearing in this film and Sandro Panseri (Domenico) only having three credits. They just seemed like ordinary folks--a strength in this movie but not something that will usually cause an acting career to flourish.Overall, this is a well-made but not particularly exciting film. I can respect the subdued style but wish the film had just a bit more energy--though I can understand that would have most likely not been the sort of film they had envisioned. Its mundane nature IS the point of the film--that life can be very ordinary and monotonous. It just makes for a tough viewing experience, however. If you are very patient, the film is well worth your time.
jotix100
Ermanno Olmi was a documentary maker in Italy during the 1950s. His roots were in the neo-realism movement that he, like most film fans, greatly admired and cherished their realistic stories. His arrival in the scene as an important voice was cemented with "Il Posto", a film that established him as a man to be reckoned with.We had seen a restored copy of this magnificent film when it was shown at New York's Film Forum about four years ago and recently, we decided to take another look of the Criterion DVD, a wonderful transfer that will probably open his work to movie lovers all over. "Il Posto" is a great film because it doesn't pretend to be otherwise. Mr. Olmi, working on the screen play with Ettore Lombardo created a picture of the Italy during the boom after their defeat in WWII, as the country was getting back to the business of reconstruction.It was about this time that cities like Milan and Turin, in the north of the country, became the centers for manufacturing and commerce. It is in this context that we are taken to meet Domenico Cantoni and his family. They have come to Meda, a suburb of Milan, in search of better paid jobs. In the case of Domenico, scoring a position in one of those giant companies it means steady income and a job for life.Domenico is a clever young man and passes his math test with flying colors. This is the moment when he first sees another young woman, Magali, who is also taking the test. Domenico likes what he sees, but he is too shy to do anything that will make Magali think less of him. When he receives a notification for further tests and interviews, it appears he has been accepted by the firm. This, in turn, turns to be a situation that changes his hopes for developing some sort of relationship with Magali as they are assigned to two different areas of work. Domenico can't even see Magali during his lunch time because they are assigned to different shifts.As Domenico, who aspires to be an accountant within the firm, is assigned to be a messenger apprentice, something he clearly doesn't deserve, but he must accept, we follow him around different areas within the company. We are taken to watch the people in one typical accounting department, where older employees bide their time until they can retire. Domenico, who hopes to finally hook up with Magali at the company's New Year's party, is once again disappointed when she never arrives. Instead, he must spend a night surrounded by the same people he will be working with. The final sequence of the film shows how Domenico is able to move to the spot where he will probably spend the rest of his life, in which he, being the youngest, is suddenly the center of the department's ill will.Sandro Panseri makes a fantastic Domenico. This non-professional actor registers in his face all what is going in his head without great gestures, or other affectations. Domenico conquers the viewer's heart because he is genuine and because we realize the goodness in his soul. Loredana Detto, who appears as Magali also makes an impression."Il Posto" is blessed by Pier Emilio Bassi's music score and by the black and white cinematography of Roberto Barbieri and Lamberto Caimi. The film is a triumph for Ermanno Olmi, who captured the ambiance and the gist of that era in a wonderful film that will live forever.
