APPENDIX

I. PLOT-PRINCIPAL SCENE SYNOPSIS (Based on The Criterion Collection edition, #278, L’eclisse. DVD, 2005).

DVD begins with logo of “Criterion.” Duration: approximately 10 seconds. (Note: film will be considered as “beginning” at commencement of this shot, “zero on clock counter.”

Film Credits. Duration: approximately 2 minutes.

1. [2minutes, 10 seconds (from beginning of film (appearance of “Criterion” logo)]. Riccardo’s home; “Eur” quarter of Southern Rome; dawn. Scene duration: approximately 16 minutes, 40 seconds (longest scene in entire film). Riccardo and Vittoria have spent the evening arguing over their relationship. They have decided to break up. Vittoria departs and walks back to her nearby apartment. Riccardo follows her in his car, catching up to Vittoria as she is walking to her apartment. Riccardo parks his car and accompanies Vittoria to the main door of her apartment building. Riccardo departs, closing main gate of apartment building behind him. Vittoria enters her apartment and gazes out of a window at trees blowing in the wind.
2. [18.50]. Rome, stock market (historic, central Rome); approximately 12.30 (pm) as indicated by clock calendar in stock exchange. Scene duration: approximately 7 minutes, 25 seconds. First of two protracted scenes inside the stock exchange and outside in the adjoining square, Piazza di Pietra. Vittoria takes a taxi to the exchange to meet her mother. Her mother (no given name) introduces Vittoria to the mother’s broker, Piero, immediately before a “minute of silence” for a member of the exchange who has recently died of a heart attack. The scene generally shows the tumult and frenzy of the traders buying and selling stocks on the trading floor. Clock calender indicates Monday, 10 July. Vittoria exits stock market and subsequently briefly meets her mother at the Piazza di Pietra where the mother purchases some pears from a street vendor with the Bar della Borsa in the background.
3. [26.15]. Vittoria’s apartment, Eur, Viale dell’Umanesimo 307; evening. Scene duration: approximately 3 minutes, 33 seconds. Vittoria has obtained a fossil of a plant affixed on a decorative mounting. Vittoria attempts to attach with a hammer and nail the fossil to her apartment wall, awakening her neighbor, Anita. Anita visits Vittoria briefly in the latter’s apartment and informs Vittoria that her (Anita’s ) husband must fly and deliver a plane to Verona. While Vittoria and Anita are conversing, Vittoria receives a telephone call from a neighbor, Marta, who lives in an adjoining apartment building and has apparently glimpsed in a window of Vittoria’s apartment Vittoria and Anita talking. Marta is of Italian heritage, born and raised in Kenya, who is now residing in Italy. Marta invites Vittoria and Anita for a late-night visit to Marta’s apartment, a dwelling entirely decorated with memorabilia and furniture from Kenya.
4. [29.48]. Marta’s apartment, Eur, Viale dell’Umanesimo 315; evening. Scene duration: approximately 6 minutes 38 seconds. After Anita, Marta, and Vittoria briefly converse regarding life in Kenya, Vittoria—in an ellipse—puts on blackface and African garb and performs a lively dance. Marta becomes annoyed with the masquerade, and in another ellipse Vittoria removes the costume and makeup. Marta hears the sound of dogs barking outside the apartment building and realizes that somehow the apartment gate has opened and her dog (as well as other dogs) have escaped. Marta and Vittoria leave Marta’s apartment in search of Marta’s dog at the nearby Palazzo dello Sport in the Eur, a large sport stadium that had been constructed for the 1960 Rome Olympic events.
5. [36.26]. Palazzo dello Sport, Eur; evening. Scene duration: approximately 3 minutes, 25 seconds. Vittoria finds Marta’s black poodle. Vittoria encourages the poodle to stand on its hind legs and do a comic dance with a white poodle. Vittoria then wanders alone on the grounds of the Palazzo dello Sport, listening to the sound produced by a series of flag poles as they sway in the gentle wind. The scene ends with Vittoria standing beneath a large statue of an unidentified human figure that Vittoria regards.
6. [39.51]. Vittoria’s apartment; indeterminate evening. Scene duration: approximately 1 minute, 58 seconds. Riccardo tries to enter the locked front doors of the apartment building. He calls up to Vittoria who hides behind curtains. Vittoria phones an unidentified man named “Franco” expressing concern regarding this unexpected appearance of Riccardo. (After this scene Riccardo is not seen again in the film.)
7. [41.49]. Flight to Verona; daytime. Scene duration: approximately 3 minutes, 12 seconds. Vittoria and Anita are seated in the rear seat of the small cabin of the two engine plane which Anita’s husband is flying to Verona. Unidentified male co-pilot in front seat next to Anita’s husband. Several exterior shots of Rome and Verona are presented. Vittoria exults in the flight, entranced by the clouds which she wishes to fly into. Touchdown on landing strip “8.”
8. [45.01]. Verona, small airport; daytime. Scene duration: approximately 4 minutes, 53 seconds. Vittoria happily wanders the grounds of the airport, finally ending up at the small bar/outdoor terrace of the airport. Several unidentified, white Americans are conversing on the terrace while two inidentified, black men sit silently outside the entrance to the bar. A white American in the bar tries to start a conversation with Vittoria. Vittoria smiles, exits the bar and is rejoined by Anita. (After this scene Anita is not seen again in the film.) Vittoria appears happy and at peace with herself, the scene abruptly ending with a sudden cut to . . .
9. [49.54]. Rome, stock market; Friday, 21 July, 13.09 (as indicated on clock calender). Scene duration: approximately 15 minutes, 19 seconds. Piero and his boss, Ercoli, enter stock market. Later in the scene, Vittoria’s mother enters, followed later by the independent entrance of Vittoria into the exchange. This protracted and frenetic scene portrays the unexpected “crash” of the Italian stock market. Vittoria approaches Piero and in a brief conversation asks Piero how her mother is faring in the crash. Piero responds that Vittoria’s mother may have lost 10 million lira, but then points to an obese, older man who has lost 50 million lira in the crash. This man then is shown walking out a door of the stock market into the Piazza di Pietra, Vittoria and Piero are visible in the background. Vittoria offers Piero her hand; they formally shake hands, and Vittoria then follows the obese trader as he exits into the piazza.
10. [105.13] Piazza di Pietra; midday. Scene duration: approximately 4 minutes, 55 seconds. Vittoria exits the stock market and follows the unidentified man who has lost a large amount of money in the crash. Vittoria follows the man into a pharmacy in the Piazza di Pietra where he buys a mild tranquilizer. Subsequently, Vittoria follows the man as he sits at an outdoor table of the Bar della Borsa café of the piazza, taking the medication, and drawing a small doodle on a piece of paper. The man arises after only several minutes; Vittoria approaches the table and picks up the doodle. She stands outside of the Bar della Borsa studying the doodle. Unbeknownst to Vittoria, Piero is inside the bar. Piero spies Vittoria studying the piece of paper and invites her into the bar. An insert shot shows that the doodle is a simple drawing of small flowers. Vittoria and Piero converse about the crash with Vittoria showing a special interest as to where the money actually goes when the market falls. Vittoria and Piero exit the bar, Vittoria stating that she intends to go to the apartment of her mother which is nearby in central Rome. Piero offers to drive Vittoria in his sports car, an offer Vittoria accepts.
11. [110.08] Apartment of Vittoria’s mother, central Rome; afternoon. Scene duration: approximately 3 minutes, 48 seconds. Vittoria and Piero briefly stand in the bedroom of Vittoria’s mother examining photographs of Vittoria’s family. St. Peter’s Basilica is visible in the background through a window. Vittoria and Piero then go to Vittoria’s childhood bedroom and sit briefly on the bed. Piero tries to kiss Vittoria which she resists. Vittoria’s mother returns and encounters both Vittoria and Piero still in Vittoria’s childhood bedroom. Piero then goes to a sitting room and slumps in a large seat, appearing to doze off.
12. [113.48] Piero’s office, central Rome, on Via Po near Via Salaria; 21 July, evening (early in the scene a wall clock indicates that it is approximately 5.22 pm; later in the scene—after an apparent ellipse—Piero mentions to a client that it is now 10 pm). Scene duration: approximately 6 minutes, 37 seconds. This scene takes place over an extended period of 5 or more hours in Piero’s office during the evening in the aftermath of the market crash earlier in the day. Worried clients are present, desperately appealing for assistance. Piero telephones an unidentified woman (the “Bestiola”) and arranges a date for an unspecified time later that evening. (The wall clock indicates approximately 5.22 pm as the time that Piero makes this call.) Later in the evening after the clients have left, Piero sits exhausted at his desk, the evening sky dark, street lights illuminated as seen through his office window behind him. Piero suddenly remembers his rendezvous with the woman he had phoned earlier in the evening. He rushes to the street below where he finds an attractive, brunette woman waiting for him. Piero complains to her that she has now dyed her hair from blond to black and cancels the date. He then drives to . . .
13. [120.25] Vittoria’s apartment; evening. Scene duration: approximately 4 minutes, 31 seconds. Piero, driving very fast, screeches to a halt, parks his sports car, exits, and initially walks to the gate of the apartment building at Viale dell’Umanesimo 315. He then apparently hears the sound of a typewriter and walks several paces in the direction of the sound to the gate of the adjoining apartment building at Viale dell’Umanesimo 307. It is in this latter building that in a second floor apartment immediately above the front gate Vittoria lives. Vittoria is a translator and is working on a Spanish translation at her typewriter. An unidentified, young, blond woman exits from the front door of Vittoria’s apartment building, opens the metal gate by which Piero is standing, enters a car immediately in front of the building and drives off. Piero stares in the direction of this woman during her entire passage from apartment building door through the front gate and into her car. As the woman passes Piero at the front gate, Piero turns, follows the woman several paces and continues to stare at her as she enters the car and drives off. At no point does the woman appear to return Piero’s gaze. Vittoria is hiding behind a curtain at her apartment window fronting the Viale dell’Umanesimo and observes Piero at the front gate of the building immediately below. Apparently, Piero hears a pedestrian approaching on the otherwise deserted Viale dell’Umanesimo. Piero turns and walks several paces in the direction of the approaching pedestrian, out of view of Vittoria. As the pedestrian approaches, it is apparent that he is a drunken man of approximately Piero’s size and age, dressed in a suit. The drunk and Piero uneventfully cross paths and the drunk continues walking till he stops on the sidewalk beneath Vittoria’s window where she is no longer hiding behind the curtains. Although Vittoria does not call any obvious attention to herself, the drunk turns to observe her at the window, stops, and salutes Vittoria in a drunken manner, “Ciao, Cara!” Vittoria laughs, asking the drunk who he is. The drunk smiles and waves his hand in a gesture of incertitude, walking on out of the frame in the direction of Piero’s car parked in front of the Viale dell’Umanesimo 315 building. Piero now returns to the front gate of Vittoria’s apartment where she is standing at the window, no longer hiding. Piero calls up to her from the sidewalk below, asking in light banter to be let into her apartment. Vittoria pleasantly refuses. Piero then hears the sound of his sports car starting. Piero runs off in pursuit, nearly being struck by the fleeing drunk who has stolen the car. Piero returns to the gate with Vittoria still at her window and asks where the police station is. She replies that she does not know. Piero states that there must be a taxi stand nearby and Vittoria offers to phone for a cab.
14. [124.31] Eur “laghetto” (“little lake”); following morning. Scene duration: approximately 9 minutes, 7 seconds. In an ellipse, Vittoria and Piero have apparently agreed to meet by the Eur lake. They witness Piero’s car containing the dead body of the drunk being hoisted out of the lake. Vittoria and Piero then begin a promenade through the Eur, playing briefly with a water sprinkler and then stopping to listen to piano music emanating from a jukebox at an outdoor café in which only an elderly couple are seated. Vittoria and Piero continue their walk till they find an empty baby carriage with a balloon attached to the carriage by a string, the stroller directly in front of Viale dell’Umanesimo 315 where Piero had parked his sports car the previous evening. Standing beneath the balcony of Marta’s apartment, Vittoria calls up to Marta and asks her to shoot the balloon which Vittoria will untie. From her balcony Marta shoots the balloon with a hunting rifle to which which Vittoria and Piero enthusiastically applaud. (Marta is not seen again in the film.) Vittoria and Piero head in the direction of Vittoria’s adjacent apartment building but Piero asks Vittoria to continue their stroll. Vittoria and Piero continue onward to an uninhabited construction site of a building at a quiet intersection in the Eur (Viale del Ciclismo 19, 00144 Roma). Vittoria and Piero have a brief conversation aside a metal barrel filled with water into which Vittoria throws a small piece of wood that she has broken off the fence of the construction site. Vittoria and Piero then depart in opposite directions. When Vittoria turns around to gaze at Piero departing, Piero is no longer there.
15. [133.38] Vittoria’s apartment; indeterminate date and time; evening of same day as #14 above (?) Scene duration: approximately 36 seconds. Vittoria, while sitting on her bed, makes a phone call; line busy . . . .
16. [134.12] Indeterminate location; Piero’s apartment (?); indeterminate date; same day, evening as #15 above (?) Scene duration: approximately 52 seconds. Piero is lying in bed in his pyjamas reading a Roman, daily newspaper, “Il Giornale d’Italia.” He is speaking but it is initially unclear to whom he is talking. Piero then lowers the newspaper and we see that he is talking to an unidentified party on the telephone. Piero asks the other party to wait (“aspetta . . . ”), puts down the “Giornale d’Italia,” and picks up another Roman daily, “Paese Sera.” He then concludes the telephone conversation and arises to stand by a night table. Piero then pours several drops of an unidentified, apparent medication into an empty glass. The phone rings. Piero says “hello” (“pronto”) three times, each time progressively louder as he apparently does not receive any response from the other end of the line. He appears to be extinguishing a cigarette in an ash tray by the telephone at the same time. Piero hangs up the receiver.
17. [135.04] Vittoria’s apartment; indeterminate date; same evening/time as #16 above (?) Scene duration: approximately 28 seconds. Vittoria is sitting on her bed, phone in hand. She hangs up the receiver.
18. [135.32] Eur Construction site, intersection of Via del Ciclismo and Via della Tecnica, water barrel; indeterminate date; time (Vittoria’s wristwatch, 4.11 pm [?]). Scene duration: approximately 3 minutes, 26 seconds. Vittoria is standing by the wooden fence at the construction site. She approaches the water barrel, places her hand in the barrel, and touches the water and/or stick causing movement of water and stick. Vittoria then turns away from the barrel towards a tree bordering the “zebra-striped” pedestrian crossing of adjacent street. Vittoria picks off a small piece of bark from the tree and rolls it in her fingers against the backdrop of the zebra-striped pedestrian crossing. Vittoria watches a sulkey passing from right to left, camera pan from right to left following Vittoria’s (and our) point of view. The camera pan stops as we now see Piero in the middle of the street standing in front of the passing sulkey (It is unclear whether Vittoria actually sees Piero at this point). Vittoria turns back to the barrel and again places her hand in the barrel. Piero has now joined Vittoria by the barrel, cigarette in hand, remarking, “Sei gìa qui” / “You’re already here.” Piero lights a cigarette and tosses something, presumably the book of matches, into the water barrel. An insert shot shows that the matches have somehow landed beneath the piece of wood floating in the barrel. Vittoria flicks the piece of wood with her hand, separating wood and matches. Vittoria’s wristwatch is poorly visible but appears to indicate approximately 4.11 pm. Piero then suggests that they go to his apartment, a suggestion which Vittoria accepts. As Vittoria and Piero cross the intersection to go to Piero’s apartment, Vittoria turns her back on Piero as she stops in the middle of the street to watch a young, blond man walking nearby in the street. Vittoria rejoins Piero and they are shown crossing the intersection. A nurse pushing a stroller approaches Vittoria and Piero. As the nurse stops to adjust her stocking, we see Piero turn around, apparently to look at the nurse.
19. [138.58] Apartment of Piero’s parents, Ghetto, near Piazza Campitelli; same day as #18 above. Scene duration: approximately 9 minutes, 26 seconds. Vittoria and Piero ascend in an elevator to the front door of the apartment. Piero smiles at Vittoria as he repetitively turns the key several times to open the door. After entering the apartment, Piero fastens the door chain; a black bust of a Pan-like figure playing a flute is seen next to Piero. In the hallway of the apartment Vittoria stands and stares at large painting of a young girl dressed in a white dress and white hat. Vittoria then stands before a window in the hallway next to the painting of the young girl. Through the window Vittoria looks upon the inner courtyard of the large apartment building. Directly across from Vittoria an unidentified woman appears in the window of an apartment; the woman briefly stares in the direction of Vittoria and then retreats into the darkness behind her. Vittoria then walks several paces forward in the hallway to briefly stand near a white bust of a woman’s head. Vittoria then sits on a bench beneath the hallway painting of the young girl in the white dress. Piero asks Vittoria if “you want to sit right there?” She arises and both Vittoria and Piero enter a living room area and stand before a painting (retouched photograph?) of three unidentified children. Vittoria then turns and gazes at a landscape painting of a lake and surrounding mountains. Piero offers Vittoria a drink which she refuses. Vittoria sits on a couch beneath a large painting of a woman dressed in a black dress and black hat. Piero then offers Vittoria a box of chocolates. Both Vittoria and Piero laugh when Piero discovers that the box is empty. Vittoria asks Piero to sit next to her on the couch. She asks him “what did you do last night?” Piero responds, “I had dinner with seven or eight billion lira.” Vittoria replies, “Or was it a call girl?” Piero then remarks, laughing “Who has time to go out with call girls? I’m the call girl.” Vittoria then arises and walks to a closed, shuttered window and peers between the slats. Vittoria then sits down at a nearby small table and briefly plays with a deck of cards. Vittoria then arises and approaches a large cabinet whose doors are made of glass panes. As Piero approaches Vittoria she opens one of the glass paned doors and interposes it between Piero and herself. Vittoria and Piero then kiss three times, their lips pressed against the glass pane that separates them. Piero then abruptly shuts the door of the cabinet, grabs Vittoria and passionately kisses her. Vittoria appears to initially accept Piero’s embrace but then tries to free herself. As Vittoria tries to escape from Piero’s grasp her dress is torn at the shoulder. Piero apologizes. Vittoria then turns away from Piero passing through several rooms until arriving at the apparent boyhood room of Piero(?) Vittoria looks around the room, stops in front of the small bed, staring in the direction of a large model of a ship, beneath which is a travel poster showing a matador and bull and the sentence (in English), “rent a car in Spain.” Vittoria, while perusing the room finds a small novelty pen bearing the photo of a woman. A close up of the pen shows the apparent black one-piece swimsuit (or lingerie) of the woman going up and down as Vittoria manipulates the pen. Vittoria then passes through another room decorated with large representations of playing cards till she arrives at the bedroom of Piero’s parents. Vittoria takes off her necklace. She begins to remove her dress at the shoulder but stops. Vittoria then stares about the room. She approaches and gazes at two portrait photographs—one of an older man and the other of an older woman—hung above the bed ( Piero’s parents[?]). Vittoria then approaches a window and opens the closed wooden shutters. The window looks down upon the Piazza Campitelli. We see two nuns walking past the church in the distance. Several other point of view shots from Vittoria’s perspective are presented as she gazes out the window. One shot is presented from a perspective outside the building of Vittoria standing at the window gazing outside. Piero is then heard from behind a closed door of the bedroom asking if he may enter. Vittoria approaches the door and refuses. Piero then sneaks through another closed door of the bedroom to surprise Vittoria as he quietly approaches her from behind. Vittoria smiles. Piero then tries to kiss Vittoria but she resists. Vittoria and Piero then stand apart, holding and playing with each other’s hands. Standing aside the photo of Piero’s father next to the bed, Piero kisses Vittoria’s hand and then her shoulder. Piero then pulls Vittoria down to the bed where Vittoria lies on her back with Piero lying at her side, his head above her. They kiss each other on the lips.
20. [148.24] Eur hillside with unusual building in background; indeterminate date. Scene duration: approximately 2 minutes, 6 seconds. Both Vittoria and Piero are lying several feet apart on their backs. A brief conversation ensues regarding their relationship.
21. [150.30] Piero’s office, Via Po; indeterminate date (approximately 10 September, 1961). Scene duration: approximately 8 minutes, 47 seconds. There is relatively little audible speech in the entire scene, although a complex series of movements by the actors rivaling the choreography of dance continue throughout. Vittoria and Piero are alone, lying on a black couch, embracing each other in a playful and happy manner, particularly with an intertwining of limbs. They continue to amuse themselves by pantomiming several unidentified couples they have seen. Vittoria and Piero arise from the couch and stand by an open, window-paneled door leading to a small balcony. Vittoria briefly wraps herself with the translucent white curtain of the door. They stand on opposite sides of the open door and kiss, the glass separating their lips. Their playful frolicking continues, both now wrapped together in the curtain, then tumbling together to the floor as their antics proceed, Vittoria play-acting the part of a tigress. A buzzer rings. (The front door?) Vittoria and Piero stop their playful activity, arise, and adjust their clothing. The buzzer rings a second time. Vittoria utters: “È tardi. Per te, non per me.” / “It’s late. For you, not for me.” (Author’s [dsr] translation as opposed to the Criterion version DVD sub-title: “For your sake, not mine.”) Vittoria and Piero walk through several rooms of the office complex to the foyer and front door where they embrace, their faces side-by-side, initially gazing away from we the audience. Vittoria then turns her head in the direction of we and “the fourth wall,” mouthing an inaudible word, perhaps “amore,” just as her lips turn past Piero’s ear as he continues motionless to stare away from us. (Can Piero hear a whisper that we the audience cannot?) Vittoria and Piero continue to hold their heads side by side in an embrace, a wide, most happy, smile suddenly illuminating Vittoria’s face as she turns her gaze towards us. Vittoria and Piero then break their embrace and utter their final words to each other, a mutual agreement to meet at 8 o’clock that very evening at the usual “place,” as well as tomorrow and all days to come. Vittoria briefly, barely touches Piero’s lips with her fingers. They again embrace, again with their heads side-by-side, but this time with both of their faces looking directly out towards us, initiating eye contact--particularly Piero--with us through the lens of the camera. Piero carefully opens the door and checks if anyone is there. No one. Vittoria exits and briefly turns around to gaze at Piero. Vittoria then briskly walks down the building’s stairwell, the elevator shaft of which is covered with wooden beams and construction material undergoing repair of some kind. Piero takes several steps outside of the office door and watches Vittoria depart. (She does not return his gaze.) A shot of Piero is then presented as he reenters the office and begins replacing multiple phones which have been taken off their hooks, a small smile on his face. The camera returns to a shot of Vittoria, now slowly descending the stairs as she approaches the landing and front door of the office building. Vittoria pauses on the stairs. Telephones are now beginning to ring. Piero sits at his desk and shuffles through several papers on his desk. The wind is entering through an open window gently blowing papers and bulletins attached to the wall. Piero leans back in his chair, pensive (the last shot of Piero in the film). Shot of Vittoria, still paused on the stairs. She briefly looks back and up over her shoulder and then slowly heads toward the front door of the building. Vittoria quickens her pace at the moment she exits through the front door of the building onto the sidewalk. She turns left and walks down the sidewalk, bumping into an unidentified pedestrian, not going gently into that night. Vittoria then stops within several meters of the front door of Piero’s office building in front of the metal grill of a shop-window. (The same exact site where Piero had previously met the Bestiola?) Vittoria turns around and walks several paces towards the street, stopping to peer up at large trees behind the tall wall of the villa Giorgina across the street. Vittoria then again turns around and looks up, apparently in the direction of Piero’s office which is above her. Vittoria then looks down in the general direction at we the audience briefly holding her gaze, the smallest of smiles on her face,” then breaks the gaze to look to her right and begin walking down the sidewalk of Via Po off-screen left and out of L’eclisse.
22. [158.17-205.45] Eur; late afternoon/early evening, approximately 10 September, 1961. Scene duration: approximately 7 minutes, 28 seconds. This “coda” consists of 57 shots of various sites in the Eur. Duration of the shots are brief with some variation in length. Instrumental music is present throughout the scene but no dialog. The majority of shots are stationary with no camera movement; occasional dolly/tracking shot or pan. Neither Vittoria or Piero appear.

SHOT 1: Panoramic view of Eur beginning with a view of nursemaid pushing baby

carriage followed by a subsequent pan screen right to left of water sprinkler in

foreground, “fungo” water reservoir and construction site in background. Pan stops

when water barrel appears in distance/screen left.

SHOT 2: Pile of metal tubing/building material next to fence of construction site, in disarray.

(Stationary shot.)

SHOT 3: Fence and water barrel of construction site. Barrel on close examination may be

seen and heard to be leaking water (Stationary shot.)

SHOT 4: Close-up of interior of water barrel. Match book floating in barrel (broken piece

of wood not visible). Slight pan upwards from barrel to partial view of zebra-

striped pedestrian crossing at intersection of Viale della Tecnica and Viale del

Ciclismo.

SHOT 5: Half-constructed building with mat-covering and protruding horizontal metal rods

(Stationary shot.)

SHOT 6: Close-up of metal rods above tops of trees below. (Stationary shot.)

SHOT 7: Close-up of metal rods, clouds. (Stationary shot.)

SHOT 8: Pan screen right to left following passage of sulkey on Viale della Tecnica,

the sulkey passing zebra-striped pedestrian crossing, eventually intersecting with

nursemaid pushing baby carriage in background.

SHOT 9: Shadow of leafless tree. (Stationary shot.)

SHOT 10: Asphalt surface of street, center of shot in sunlight flanked on both sides by

shadow(?) versus white line of zebra-striped pedestrian crossing(?) versus

other(?). (Stationary shot.)

SHOT 11: Tracking shot left to right passing small cabin-like structures on Viale

della Tecnica on opposite side of street from construction site.

SHOT 12: Zebra-striped pedestrian crossing. Sudden appearance of unidentified adult male in

suit viewed from behind as he crosses Viale della Tecnica in direction of water

barrel. Slight compound pan from screen right to left and upwards following

passage of man.

SHOT 13: Match-on-action, bridging shot; cut to different camera angle of same man crossing

Viale della Tecnica, walking past water barrel, and heading up Viale del

Ciclismo. (Stationary shot.)

SHOT 14: Trees whose branches are blowing in wind. (Stationary shot.)

SHOT 15: Ants on bark of tree. (Stationary shot.)

SHOT 16: Panoramic, aerial shot above Viale della Tecnica with above-mentioned

cabins near center screen. Pan from screen right to left ending on water barrel in

center of screen.

SHOT 17: Bus partially hidden by trees, departing and accelerating from apparent bus stop.

(Stationary shot.)

SHOT 18: View of construction site from across Viale della Tecnica. (Stationary shot.)

SHOT 19: View of water barrel. Both matchbook and piece of wood are now visible, but not

touching. (Stationary shot.)

SHOT 20: Close-up of rupture of barrel; leaking water now very evident. Camera dollys

backwards to follow course of rivulet of water from leaking barrel flowing down

sidewalk and into sewer opening. Small piece of wet paper at margin of sidewalk

above sewer opening.

SHOT 21: View of open front gate of Viale del Ciclismo 10. Building attendant/doorman

stands on sidewalk, screen right, with hands clasped behind back. An

unidentified, older woman who is sitting is apparent on close inspection in

background near the front door of the building. (Stationary shot.)

SHOT 22: Medium shot of unidentified older woman apparently waiting impatiently at

bus stop. (Stationary shot.)

SHOT 23: Medium shot of an unidentified young woman standing, looking about. In

background there is an unidentified person standing on a balcony. (Stationary shot.)

SHOT 24: Full-shot of same woman of Shot #23 where we now see her entire body. We

are now able to see that the woman is standing in the street just off the sidewalk of

an intersection. She is well attired and carrying a large purse. (Stationary shot.)

SHOT 25: A municipal bus approaches the intersection where the woman of Shots # 23 and #24

is now barely apparent, continuing to stand at the same spot as in Shots #23/24. The bus

begins to make a left turn at the intersection. (Stationary shot.)

SHOT 26: Close-up of wheel of bus as camera then performs a following-shot of the bus as it

completes the left turn.

SHOT 27: Bus enters from screen left and stops. Bus door opens and an unidentified adult

woman and then a man descend. Woman exits screen right. The man is reading

a newspaper; he holds the paper with both hands in front of him such that the

headline of the front page is easily discernible to the viewer (“LA GARA

ATOMICA” / “THE ATOMIC RACE”). Slight dolly backwards of camera as man

slowly exits screen left, the front page of the newspaper remaining in focus in close-

up.

SHOT 28: Close-up, “over-the-shoulder” shot of inner pages of newspaper which man of Shot

# 27 is reading. Again, large print easily discernible: “LA PACE È DEBOLE” /

“PEACE IS WEAK.” There is a following-shot of the man—a compound shot with

the camera making a slight dolly forward and tilt upward—as the man walks with

his back to the viewer down the street. In the distance in the background are a group

of children playing.

SHOT 29: Long-shot of children playing in distance. Pan from screen right to left stopping

on view of water sprinkler spraying water.

SHOT 30: Shot of sprinkler in the foreground. In the background a man (“city

public works employee”) enters frame from screen right, bends down, and

manipulates a valve which turns off the sprinkler. Man then begins walking

towards sprinkler. Unidentified bicyclist seen approaching in extreme upper right

corner of frame (Stationary shot.)

SHOT 31: Close-up of water droplets on leaves of apparent bush (near sprinkler?), some

droplets falling to ground . (Stationary shot.)

SHOT 32: Long-shot of large tree consuming the majority of the center and left half of frame.

White building with sharp, angular, geometric appearance with multiple

balconies in screen right. Vertical pole (street light?) just left to center of screen

extending from bottom to top of frame. (Stationary shot.)

SHOT 33: Close-up of balconies and windows of building of Shot #32. (Stationary shot.)

SHOT 34: Extreme close-up of balconies of building of Shot #32. (Stationary shot.)

SHOT 35: Extreme close-up of top portion of building of Shot #32. (Stationary shot.)

SHOT 36: Contrail of jet aircraft in center of frame accompanied by sound of jet. Two leafless

trees against background of dark clouds across entire bottom portion of frame.

Large, vertical pole in screen left extending from bottom to top of frame (light

tower of nearby outdoor bicycle stadium?). (Stationary shot.)

SHOT 37: Tighter, extreme-close up of image of Shot #35; now with view of the heads of

two adults on roof (man and woman?). Figure on screen left (man with dark hair?)

is pointing slightly upwards towards screen left. (Stationary shot.)

SHOT 38: Stationary view of tree lined street; metal front gate of an apartment building along

entire bottom, horizontal ribbon of frame; small portion of apartment building with

balconies in frame left; small lamppost by front gate; large street light in distance

visible above large prominent trees that take up much of the frame. The back of the

head of a blond-haired woman enters from screen left; a tracking-shot follows the

woman as she walks down the vacant street. The street becomes recognizable as the

woman continues several paces and suddenly turns around to face the camera (to

observe if there is any on-coming traffic prior to crossing the street?). The woman

is unidentified. As she turns, the water barrel and a sign above the barrel of

the half-constructed building site are visible in the far background adjacent to the

woman’s head. We are now able to orient ourselves and appreciate that the woman

has been walking along the Viale della Tecnica towards the Viale del Ciclismo.

It is when she reaches the latter street that she turns right into the Viale del

Ciclismo at the corner of the intersection just opposite the building site, and begins

to cross the Viale della Tecnica in the direction of the outdoor bicycle stadium.

SHOT 39: Extreme close-up of interior of water barrel at construction site. View of the

matchbook with its front cover now upright. The broken piece of wood lies

partially on top of the matchbook. Three (spent?) matches touch the matchbook

and piece of wood, all of which are slowly, passively circling clockwise in the

moving water of the barrel. (Stationary shot.)

SHOT 40: Extreme close-up of water flowing on sidewalk. (Stationary shot.)

SHOT 41: Even more extreme close-up of water flowing on sidewalk (magnification of Shot

#40?) showing small pieces of dirt dissolving and being swept away. (Stationary

shot.)

SHOT 42: Extreme close-up of partial view of a human face showing left angle of jaw and

bottom portion of left earlobe. (Stationary shot.)

SHOT 43: Extreme close-up of different, partial view of same face, showing left eye covered

by eye glasses bearing apparent reflection of Eur intersection. (Stationary shot.)

SHOT 44: Extreme close-up of the entire face of man of shots #42 and 43, head and eyes

slightly turned towards screen left (“character’s right side”). A sign at the

construction site is barely visible in the background, partially obscured by the

man’s head and foliage of tree. (Stationary shot.)

SHOT 45: Medium-shot of man of Shots # 42-44. He exits screen right, the camera moving

with slight tilt downwards as man exits. The camera lingers momentarily on the

sign and water barrel in center screen.

SHOT 46: Water flowing down sidewalk. Portion of the fence of the construction site visible

in extreme upper left portion of the frame. (Stationary shot.)

SHOT 47: Extreme close-up of crack in asphalt of sidewalk. (Stationary shot.)

SHOT 48: Medium shot of baby in carriage looking upwards at nursemaid. Nursemaid then

rolls carriage with baby off screen left. (Stationary shot.)

SHOT 49: Wide, long distance-shot towards dark clouds and setting Sun with the outdoor

bicycle stadium and its large light towers visible in lower left of screen. (Stationary

shot.)

SHOT 50: Close-up of the head of an unidentified, middle-aged woman seen through the

vertical bars of a metal grill. The woman, in partial profile, makes a movement of

her head and eyes, looking slightly up and to her right. (Stationary shot.)

SHOT 51: Shot of streetlight (precise location uncertain) set against background of

cloudy sky. Partial view of a tree in lower right portion of frame. Streetlight

flickers on as it becomes lit. (Stationary shot.)

SHOT 52: Two man walking in middle of an apparent Eur street, walking away from camera.

Illumination becoming increasingly darker. Car approaches men and swerves to

avoid hitting them. (Stationary shot.)

SHOT 53: Intersection of Viale della Tecnica and Viale del Ciclismo with half-constructed

building and area of the water barrel in the lower right of frame. (Stationary shot.)

SHOT 54: Different view of intersection of Viale della Tecnica and Viale del Ciclismo.

A municipal bus enters the frame and makes left turn into Viale del Ciclismo next

to construction site. (Stationary shot.)

SHOT 55: Bus has completed left turn and has stopped on Viale del Ciclismo near intersection

with Viale della Tecnica. Shot opens with bus stopped, screen right, with

multiple, unidentified passengers descending. View of passengers walking towards

above intersection. Slight dolly forward and pan left of camera following

passengers from behind as they walk next to the construction site towards its corner

with the water barrel and cross Viale della Tecnica at zebra-striped pedestrian crossing.

SHOT 56: Twilight. Wide shot of the entire half-constructed building with a small lamp

providing illumination to a limited area of the water barrel and sign. After several

seconds, there is a slow pan to the right stopping on a whole view of a large street

light (lamp and pole) on the Viale della Tecnica.

SHOT 57: Extreme close-up of the lamp of the streetlight with a slight pulsation of its intense,

white light and “halo.” The word “FINE” in white, block letters appears to screen

left of the lamp, slowly increasing and then stabilizing in size. After several

seconds the image of the lamp and its halo dissolves and disappears, leaving only

the word “FINE” against a black background. The word “FINE” then gradually

dissolves and disappears leaving a completely black screen. Loud music continues,

reaches its crescendo, and then abruptly stops.  The rest is silence. (It is at this point when the screen is

black and the music ceases that I have considered the film as ending at 2 hours, 5

minutes, 45 seconds.)