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Storia di Piera

The Story of Piera (Storia di Piera)

Movie · 1983 · 3 people

Storia di Piera (The Story of Piera), a biographical drama, was made in 1983 as a co-production of Italy, France and West Germany. Directed by Marco Ferreri, it was shot in Italian and runs 107 minutes. The film was shown in the main competition at that year's Cannes Film Festival, was up for the Palme d'Or, and brought Hanna Schygulla the festival's Best Actress prize. In France it is known as L'Histoire de Piera and in Germany as Die Geschichte der Piera.

The screenplay draws on the autobiographical book of the same name that actress Piera Degli Esposti and author Dacia Maraini wrote together and published in 1980; the book tells Degli Esposti's own life story. Ferreri, Degli Esposti and Maraini adapted it for the screen as a trio. At the heart of the narrative are Piera's childhood and her difficult bond with her mother. The cast is led by Isabelle Huppert, Hanna Schygulla and Marcello Mastroianni, with Angelo Infanti, Tanya Lopert, Bettina Grühn, Renato Cecchetto and Maurizio Donadoni also among the players. Schygulla's award-winning performance at Cannes was as Eugenia.

The producers were Erwin C. Dietrich, Luciano Luna and Achille Manzotti. Filming took place in Sabaudia, Latina and Pontinia.

DirectorMarco Ferreri

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Cast

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Hanna Schygulla Hanna Schygulla Actor · 82 years old Marcello Mastroianni Marcello Mastroianni Actor · died at 72 Ayşe Nene Actor · died at 77

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Through different eyes

Cinephile Looks at script, editing and directing choices; keeps a distance from formula films.

Marco Ferreri handles Piera Degli Esposti's autobiography not along the straight line of a classic biopic but through the fraught dynamics of a mother-daughter bond. Adapting the text together with Degli Esposti and Dacia Maraini gives the film a tone that is at times deeply personal and at times scattered. Bringing Isabelle Huppert, Hanna Schygulla and Marcello Mastroianni into one cast is a statement in itself, and Schygulla's Cannes prize for the role of Eugenia is its reward. Yet the storytelling sometimes skims the surface of its characters' inner lives instead of deepening them, and it cannot hold its rhythm across 107 minutes. Competing for the Palme d'Or shows the film's ambition; even if the result does not always live up to it, it remains a bold example of European art cinema.

History & Society Lens Asks about the period, the social background and what the work reflects.

The Story of Piera tells a woman's coming of age through family relationships, above all the fraught bond between mother and daughter. Its source, an autobiographical book written jointly by actress Piera Degli Esposti and author Dacia Maraini, gives the film a dimension in which female experience is conveyed in women's own voices. Made in the early eighties as an Italian-French-West German co-production, it reflects the co-production tradition of European cinema at the time. Shooting in Sabaudia, Latina and Pontinia lends the story a texture of Italy away from the big cities. An engaging work for anyone wanting to think about family, identity and women's place in society.

Family Viewer Asks whether the whole household can watch it; cares about humour and heart.

This film is not suited to family viewing. It is about a girl growing up and her difficult relationship with her mother. It is a heavy drama aimed at adults. It may be too much for both children and teenagers. It is not for anyone looking for a fast, fun film. It suits adults who love European cinema, especially those curious about strong performances by women.

These are not reader reviews: they are short editorial takes written from different viewer perspectives with AI assistance. Reader reviews are below.

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