Life Long Learning “The Night Full of Rain”

I thank Jack Guren for filling in this cinematic movie gap, assuming I’d know who Lina Wertmuller was, when I sheepishly replied, ‘never heard of her.’ Call me chagrined. His Wertmuller comment came after a Wertmuller memory was sparked by an aborted attempt at watching the remake of Rebecca, which was such a far cry from Hitchcock’s original that we abandoned ship.
I searched and missed his specific “Swept Away” and “Seven Beauties” (nominated for best foreign film) reference and instead wound up with “The Night Full of Rain” from 1978. Candice Bergen and Giancarlo Giannini star as a battling when opposites attract (and I mean battling, ugh ptsd flashback from my youth)…must be the 70’s was the couples’ conflict decade, “The Way We Were”, “Woman Under the Influence” as further evidence.
Wertmuller definitely has a unique modernist style, in this film, for instance, she employs flashy cinematography, a groovy if not disturbed soundtrack, religious statue allusions, and a modern day Greek chorus who debate what makes love and relationships work. Is it comfortable repetition or passionate fire? Can both possibly co-exist? According to this film, passion is fueled by disagreement which means sex is better with someone with whom you could never cohabitate. And Lina, I have to concur!