Il Posto (1961)

100% of critics liked it
(7 reviews)
92% of users liked it
(1,340 ratings)

Better known as The Sound of Trumpets, Il Posto was the first feature-length effort of the highly singular Italian filmmaker Ermanno Olmi. The director has acknowledged that the young protagonist, played by nonprofessional Sandro Panzeri, was based on himself. Bursting with big dreams and plans,… More Better known as The Sound of Trumpets, Il Posto was the first feature-length effort of the highly singular Italian filmmaker Ermanno Olmi. The director has acknowledged that the young protagonist, played by nonprofessional Sandro Panzeri, was based on himself. Bursting with big dreams and plans, Panzeri arrives in Milan, where he goes to work in a big impersonal office. He yearns after a pretty female coworker, but he is most desirous of moving "up" into the desk next to his. By the time he accomplishes this (via the death of another employee), Panzeri is on the verge of being drained of all his individualism -- though Olmi suggests that he still has time to escape his fate. The director attacks the depersonalization of the business world by continuing pointing out how much potential has been sacrified to conformity; for example, the deceased office worker, whom no one noticed in life, is revealed to have been an aspiring writer. Taking a big chance, Olmi allowed his amateur cast to do their own post-dubbing, rather than hiring professionals to dub in their voices. Il Posto is within the realm of neorealism, but with a tad more humor than one finds in other Italian films of that ilk. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 1 hr. 38 min.
Directed By: Ermanno Olmi
Written By: Ettore Lombardo, Ermanno Olmi
Genres: Art House & International, Drama

In Theaters: Oct 27, 1963 Limited
On DVD: Jun 24, 2003
Studio: Cowboy Pictures

Critic Reviews

Dennis Lim, Village Voice
Majestic predecessor of modern-day drone dramas like Office Space and this year's chilling Time Out.
Sean Axmaker, Turner Classic Movies Online
... Olmi paints the anxiety and disappointments, as well as the brief moments of intimacy and communal joy, with a compassion for the people locked into these lives.
Andrew Wright, The Stranger (Seattle, WA)
a [neo-realism] classic that, thanks to a steadily mounting undercurrent of Kafka absurdism, is as easy to actually enjoy as well as admire.
Jurgen Fauth, About.com
A wonderfully true movie, warm and horrifying at once.
Keith Uhlich, ToxicUniverse.com
Neorealism bumps heads with surrealism and class critique ...
Matt Bailey, Not Coming to a Theater Near You
Il Posto is a finely crafted, unassuming, gentle film, but it has the honesty, integrity, and emotional strength to stand with the giants of its era.
Christopher Null, Filmcritic.com
a commentary on the workplace as damning as Brazil but one writ small and humbly

Read all 7 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

Stefanie C

A deceptively simple, emotional film. This coming of age tale captures the fleeting and beautiful nuances of love along with the deadness inherent in corporate work life. An unforgettable ending.
Pierluigi P

A masterpiece that captures and translates emotions in a vivid and compelling way. It made me feel the uneasyness, the echoes of shoes walking through large and empty corridors, eyes staring at you, unfriendly attitudes, unbearable monotony, complete hollowness of life or goals, very… More
A masterpiece that captures and translates emotions in a vivid and compelling way. It made me feel the uneasyness, the echoes of shoes walking through large and empty corridors, eyes staring at you, unfriendly attitudes, unbearable monotony, complete hollowness of life or goals, very brief joy... now I'm really scared...
Tim S

This movie is genius. I love the way that the film that the ordinary seem extraordinary with simple things like camera movements and interesting angles. The story is simple and the cinematography is amazing. The lead actor is great, but it's mostly because of his facial… More
This movie is genius. I love the way that the film that the ordinary seem extraordinary with simple things like camera movements and interesting angles. The story is simple and the cinematography is amazing. The lead actor is great, but it's mostly because of his facial expressions that you sympathize with a lot. It's like Micheal Cera has watched this movie and created a career out of it.

Cast

Sandro Panzeri
as Domenico
Loredana Detto
as Antonietta
Tullio Kezich

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Il Posto (1961)

Critic Reviews

Featured Audience Ratings

Stefanie C

Pierluigi P

Tim S

Cast

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