Nero, who was Redgrave’s real-life lover at the time, brings a raw, animalistic energy. He is stripped of the typical "leading man" gloss. He is dirty, sweaty, and inarticulate. His performance grounds the film’s surreal elements in a gritty reality.
In contrast to the husband, Osvaldo represents the earth, nature, and instinct. In typical romantic tropes, the arrival of the lover would be the solution to the heroine's misery. However, Brass subverts this. Osvaldo is not a romantic hero; he is opportunistic, somewhat brutish, and grounded in a harsh reality. Immacolata projects her desire for freedom onto him, but she ultimately finds that the "primitive" life is just as imprisoning as the aristocratic one. She is trapped between two worlds that do not understand her.
Even in 1971, Brass’s signature visual language was fully formed, though more restrained than it would later become. Cinematographer Silvano Ippoliti bathes the film in a golden, hazy light that feels both nostalgic and suffocating.
La vacanza stands as a thoughtful, somber study of a woman pushed to the margins by love and society. It’s rewarding for viewers interested in character-driven European cinema and the socio-cultural anxieties of 1970s Italy.
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La Vacanza (1971), directed by Tinto Brass, remains one of the most enigmatic and politically charged works of early 1970s Italian cinema. Starring Vanessa Redgrave and Franco Nero, the film is far removed from the stylized erotica that Brass would later become famous for, instead serving as a gritty, satirical critique of societal norms and institutional power. Plot Summary: A Leave of Absence from Sanity
The story follows Immacolata (Vanessa Redgrave), a peasant woman who has been committed to a mental asylum by her former lover, a Count, after he tires of her and returns to his wife. The film begins with Immacolata granted a one-month "vacation"—an experimental leave to determine if she can reintegrate into society. Her return to "civilization" is anything but welcoming:
Betrayal by Family: Her own parents reject her and eventually attempt to sell her to a creditor to pay off a debt.
Life on the Fringes: After escaping her family, she finds temporary solace with a poacher named Osiride (Franco Nero) and a group of gypsies and misfits, including an eccentric Englishman named Gigi (Corin Redgrave).
Tragic Conclusion: The "vacation" spirals into a series of bizarre and increasingly violent encounters, culminating in a tragic clash with the authorities. Production and Artistic Style The Vacation -La Vacanza- - Tinto Brass 1971 -S...
Shot primarily on location in the Po Delta region, the film utilizes a cinéma vérité style, featuring direct sound and regional dialects (Venetian and Milanese).
Collaborative Effort: Brass, Redgrave, and Nero reportedly funded the low-budget 16mm production themselves after collaborating on the film Dropout (1970).
Experimental Score: The soundtrack, composed by Fiorenzo Carpi, features haunting lyrics written by actual inmates of mental institutions, heightening the film’s themes of marginalized sanity. Critical Reception and Legacy
La Vacanza premiered at the 1971 Venice Film Festival, where it famously provoked a near-riot. While the audience responded with shouts of "Schifo" (disgusting) and "Basta" (enough), the film was paradoxically awarded the prize for Best Italian Film.
Critics today view it as a key work in Brass’s "political" phase, showcasing a "modern fairy-tale" structure that challenges the conventions of the time. It stands as a stark reminder of a period in European cinema when directors used the medium to aggressively deconstruct social and legal institutions. Cast and Crew Highlights Director / Editor Tinto Brass Immacolata Meneghelli Vanessa Redgrave Osiride (The Poacher) Franco Nero Gigi (The Englishman) Corin Redgrave The Judge Leopoldo Trieste Cinematographer Silvano Ippoliti Vacation (1971) - IMDb
La Vacanza (1971), directed by Tinto Brass , is a surrealist social drama that critiques the blurred lines between individual madness and societal sanity. Released during Brass's more politically and experimentally charged era, the film stars Vanessa Redgrave Franco Nero and won the Pasinetti Award for Best Italian Film at the Venice Film Festival. Core Narrative The story follows Immacolata
(Vanessa Redgrave), a peasant woman who was committed to a mental asylum after being discarded by her lover, a local Count. She is granted a one-month experimental leave—the "vacation" of the title—to see if she can reintegrate into society.
Upon her release, she finds the "normal" world just as oppressive and irrational as the institution she left: Family Betrayal
: Her family rejects her and eventually sells her to a creditor to pay off debts. Bizarre Allies Nero, who was Redgrave’s real-life lover at the
: She escapes and finds companionship with social outcasts, including a birdcatcher/poacher named (Franco Nero) and a group of gypsies. Tragic Cycle
: Despite her quest for freedom, her journey is marked by criminal encounters and further imprisonment, ultimately suggesting that true freedom is impossible within a "mad" civilization. Thematic & Stylistic Highlights Anti-Establishment Critique : Like Brass’s other early work (e.g.,
), the film uses madness as a metaphor for non-conformity. It portrays the clergy, the police, and the upper class as the truly "insane" forces that enforce order through cruelty. Experimental Direction : While less frenetic than Brass's earlier films like Nerosubianco
, it still utilizes quick cuts, zoom shots, and surrealist visual metaphors. For instance, to emphasize Immacolata's status as a "misfit," her relatives are played by little people. Vanessa Redgrave's Performance
: Often cited as one of her most unglamorous and powerful roles, Redgrave portrays Immacolata with a raw, earthy intensity. Surrealist Tone
: Critics often compare the film's atmosphere to the works of Luis Buñuel, blending folk-style music with bizarre, dreamlike scenarios. Key Production Details Tinto Brass
Vanessa Redgrave, Franco Nero, Leopoldo Trieste, Corin Redgrave Cinematography Silvano Ippoliti Pasinetti Award (Venice Film Festival, 1971) or more details on Tinto Brass’s shift toward the erotic genre in later years? Vacation (1971) - IMDb
Before he became the high priest of Italian erotica, Tinto Brass was a radical provocateur of the avant-garde. His 1971 film La Vacanza (The Vacation)
remains one of his most politically charged and surrealist works—a sharp departure from the "peek-a-boo" style he’d later perfect. Letterboxd The Core Premise: A "Vacation" Into Chaos The film stars Vanessa Redgrave La Vacanza (1971), directed by Tinto Brass ,
as Immacolata, a peasant woman committed to an insane asylum after an affair with a local Count soured. She is granted a one-month "experimental leave" to prove she can reintegrate into society.
However, as she moves through rural Italy, she finds that the "sane" world—populated by neglectful family, exploitative landowners, and a bizarre assortment of eccentrics—is far more unhinged and restrictive than the asylum she left behind. Letterboxd Why This Film Matters The Anti-Institution Message : Like much of 1970s European cinema, La Vacanza
explores the idea that society itself is a "poorly run insane asylum". It critiques how power structures (the church, the law, and the family) use the label of "madness" to control those who don't conform. A Powerhouse Trio : This was a self-financed "labor of love" for Vanessa Redgrave Franco Nero
, and Brass. Redgrave’s performance is deliberately unglamorous and raw, winning the Pasinetti Award for Best Italian Film Venice Film Festival Avant-Garde Aesthetics
: Brass uses fragmented editing, surrealist vignettes (like a "medieval fable" enacted mid-film), and a haunting folk-inspired soundtrack with lyrics allegedly written by actual mental institution inmates. Political Satire
: The film doesn't shy away from class struggle, featuring a climax involving striking factory workers that borders on the hallucinatory. Viewing Context
If you are coming to this expecting the polished softcore of Così fan tutte , you might be disappointed. La Vacanza grim, earthy, and impenetrable
at times. It is a "socially conscious diatribe" that captures the feverish, revolutionary spirit of the early '70s.
Looking for more context on Tinto Brass's transition from avant-garde to erotica, or perhaps a similar era of Italian cinema? Vacation (1971) - IMDb
The Vacation (Italian: La vacanza) is a 1971 drama directed by Tinto Brass. It follows the story of a young woman whose life unravels after a romantic betrayal, tracing her emotional and social descent amidst Italy’s changing cultural landscape. The film blends intimate character study with period detail, showcasing Brass’s developing visual style before his later, more explicit work.
The Vacation is a scathing critique of the Italian upper class. The husband (played by Leopoldo Trieste) represents the impotent intelligentsia. He is cultured, polite, and wealthy, but he treats his wife like a fragile artifact. The villa is a cage of gold, filled with meaningless conversations and oppressive silence. Brass suggests that this "civilized" world is actually decaying and rotting from the inside.