
Marco and his son Toto work in a Venetian gondola yard and maintain the old traditions of gondoliers. When a newly-arrived businessman decides he wants to buy the yard and demolish it, Marco and company want to fight to preserve their way of life. The businessman, however, knows Marco is badly in debt and uses this to try to leverage Marco out of business. Can tradition win out in the face of naked commercialism?
Directed by Francesco De Robertis, The Simple Life leans on a strong ensemble — Luciano De Ambrosis, Giulio Stival, Maurizio D'Ancora — to carry a story that balances spectacle with character.
The film landed with audiences for its craft and performances, and remains one of the most talked-about drama titles of 1946.
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Carlo and Elisa are a successful couple. He’s a university professor and writer facing a creative block; she’s a brilliant, sharp-witted journalist, known for her internationally published editorials. They live in Rome, moving between accomplishments and routine, affection and something that might be fading. In search of new energy, they travel to Morocco with their lifelong friends, Anna and Paolo, and their thirteen-year-old daughter Vittoria—bright, curious, a little eccentric. Tensions soon rise.
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