What? (film)

What?
Directed by	Roman Polanski
Written by	Roman Polanski and Gérard Brach
Starring	Marcello Mastroianni, Sydne Rome, Hugh Griffith, Romolo Valli, Dieter Hallervorden, Carlo delle Piane, Mogens von Gadow
Music by	Claudio Gizzi[1]
Release date(s)	December 7, 1972
Running time	110 min.
Country	Italy, France, Germany
Language	English, Italian, French

What? (Che?, also variously titled Quoi?, Was?, and Diary of Forbidden Dreams) is a 1972 comedy film written and directed by Roman Polanski, starring Marcello Mastroianni, Sydne Rome and Hugh Griffith.^[2]

Plot

Set in an unnamed coastal city in Italy, the movie tells a story of an American girl, Nancy (Sydne Rome) who, after a rape attempt, takes shelter in a villa where strange guests go around. There she gets into a relationship with a retired pimp, Alex (Marcello Mastroianni).

Nancy's adventures have been paralleled to those of Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, although turned into erotic ones. Critics have also pointed out the movie's lack of connectiveness and the excessive absurdity of several situations.

Cast

• Marcello Mastroianni as Alex
• Sydne Rome as Nancy
• Hugh Griffith as Joseph Noblart
• 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
• That Guy as random guy

Notes

This is one of a number of Polanski's films in which he gave himself a role.

Production

The movie was shot on location in Amalfi, Italy, in a villa owned by the producer, Carlo Ponti. Some of the action was improvised.^[3]

References

1. ^ Exclusive Interview with Composer Claudio Gizzi
2. ^ "NY Times: What?". NY Times.com. http://movies.nytimes.com.offcampus.lib.washington.edu/movie/116467/Che-/details. Retrieved 2009-03-25. ^{[dead link]}
3. ^ Rabin, Nathan (October 28, 2009). "Polanski-tastic Sick-Fuck Case File #149: What?". The A.V. Club. Onion. http://www.avclub.com/articles/polanskitastic-sickfuck-case-file-149-what,34678/. Retrieved November 1, 2009. 

External links

• What? at the Internet Movie Database