What? (film)
1972 film by Roman Polanski
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
What? (Che?, also variously titled Quoi?, Was?, and Diary of Forbidden Dreams) is a 1972 comedy film co-written and directed by Roman Polanski and starring Sydne Rome, Marcello Mastroianni, Hugh Griffith and Romolo Valli.[2]
Gérard Brach
Marcello Mastroianni
Hugh Griffith
Romolo Valli
Roman Polanski
| What? | |
|---|---|
Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Roman Polanski |
| Written by | Roman Polanski Gérard Brach |
| Produced by | Carlo Ponti |
| Starring | Sydne Rome Marcello Mastroianni Hugh Griffith Romolo Valli Roman Polanski |
| Cinematography | Marcello Gatti Giuseppe Ruzzolini |
| Edited by | Alastair McIntyre |
| Music by | Claudio Gizzi[1] |
| Distributed by | NPF Planfilm |
Release date |
|
Running time | 110 minutes |
| Countries | Italy France Germany |
| Languages | English Italian French |
Plot
Set in an unnamed coastal city in Italy, the film tells a story of an American girl, Nancy, who takes shelter in a villa filled with strange guests. There, she gets into a relationship with a retired pimp, Alex.
Cast
- Sydne Rome as Nancy
- Marcello Mastroianni as Alex
- Hugh Griffith as Joseph Noblart
- Romolo Valli as Giovanni
- Roman Polanski as Mosquito (Uncredited)
- Guido Alberti as Priest
- Gianfranco Piacentini as Tony
- Carlo Delle Piane as Young Oaf #1 in Car
- Mario Bussolino as Young Oaf #2 in Car
- Henning Schlüter as Catone
- Christiane Barry as Dresser
- Pietro Tordi as Man-Servant
- Nerina Montagnani as Chambermaid
- Mogens von Gadow as German
- Dieter Hallervorden as German
- Elisabeth Witte as Baby
- John Karlsen as Edward
- Roger Middleton as Jimmy
- Alvaro Vitali
- Franco Pesce
- Renate Langer as Naked Girl with Hat (uncredited)
Production
Filming
The film was shot on location in Amalfi, Italy, in a villa owned by the producer, Carlo Ponti. Some of the action was improvised.[3][4]
Reception
John Simon of the National Review described What? as a 'monstrous fiasco'.[5] Roger Ebert in the Chicago Sun-Times gave an apparently-reedited version titled Diary of Forbidden Dreams a half star out of four, and said the film confirmed his "long-held suspicion that, when it comes right down to it, there's a nasty streak of misogyny in Polanski."[6]
On Rotten Tomatoes, it holds a rating of 15% from 13 reviews.[7]
