MovieChat Forums > L'eclisse (1962) Discussion > The Water Barrel

The Water Barrel

posted 18 years ago by Yxklyx
8 replies | jump to latest

One thing I didn't catch the first time I saw this. Vittoria tosses a piece of wood into the water barrel and then later Piero tosses his empty matchbook. Both are shown later when they're gone. Nice touch!

Does Alain Delon speak Italian? Did he dub his own voice in the movie or did someone else dub it?

[–] overseer-3 18 years ago

I believe he speaks several languages. There would be no reason to dub him.

[–] leforcat 18 years ago

What happens in the last scene, also, is that, suddenly, the water is running out of the barrel and down in the gutter, obviously after someone/something has punctured the barrel. We never get to see who/what but, since nothing is accidental in an Antonioni film, it must symbolize something, preferably the draining of whatever substance that was holding the relationship afloat up to this point.
In any case, those last five minutes are pure genius.

Gentlemen, you can't FIGHT here, this is a War Room!

[–] dreamonforever1 17 years ago

always like the last 5 minutes or so of this film...
it's like, what the...?! :-)

gregory 010308

[–] mff8785 17 years ago

I'm eager to hear your interpretations of the last five minutes. I had no idea what to make of it.

[–] lameandsurly 16 years ago

I imagine that Delon speaks at least some Italian, but he didn't dub his own voice. One of my college professors mentioned that during the fascist period, Mussolini implemented this policy that all movies released or made in Italy had to be dubbed by Italian actors (this was to create more jobs for Italians), and apparently that policy is still in effect. If you watch Delon's lips carefully during the Italian movies he made in the 1960's, you'll notice that he's saying the French equivalent of the dialogue. In fact, so many of his movies are dubbed that I didn't hear his real voice until I downloaded "paroles, paroles", haha.

[–] poetcomic1 10 years ago

Fellini dubs everyone - its an Italian thing. When you see what a great job Anthony Quinn did in La Strada and won prizes even though his voice was dubbed - the Italian's must have a genius for it.

[–] chuck-526 12 years ago

Did he dub his own voice in the movie or did someone else dub it?

Someone else.

Another possible "explanation" is that Delon's Italian had an objectionable accent, and all the characters were expected to project "un-accented" voices. The idea of "Italy" as _one_ country is quite new, and it wasn't all that long ago that sometimes a person from one part of the country couldn't even understand a person from another part of the country. The government (and not just under Mussolini:-) took an active role in encouraging some sort of "standard Italian".

Also, the first neo-realist films after WWII were shot on location, but couldn't afford synchronized location sound recording, so sound was added back at the studio -- i.e. they were dubbed very extensively. Rather than dying out, this practice actually spread, probably partly because it became increasingly typical for a film to use actors from different countries. As a result, many films made in southern Europe before very roughly 1975 have _no_ "real" sound track (sometimes you can choose among different dubs, but there's just plain no such thing as UNdubbed). If you watch lips closely in for example in Il gattopardo/The Leopard, you'll see (if I remember right) _four_ different languages being spoken on set.

[–] kenny-164 11 years ago

all the thematic material found in this film makes one constantly question whether more, or perhaps too much, can or should be read into it.

But certainly it is of interest that the wood and matchbook both float, yet are different, and as the water later begins to drain from the barrell, the two things draw down with the level. A metaphor for Piero and Vittoria? Probably.