De Sica’s early work springs from this glamorous era (1930s–1940s), a period when Vittorio Mussolini, the Duce’s son, wanted to reform Italian cinema by making it more like American slap-happy imports, becoming, in effect, an opiate of the masses. These productions were popular before and during the war, lavishly decorated, often comedic, gushing with sentiment, well-polished, predictable, and a perfect form of escapism to distract the public.. A young woman teaches commercial writing and makes her students practice by writing letters addressed to an imaginary recipient from Vienna. One day, the love letter the woman writes to this non-existent man is accidentally sent by one of her students –and falls into the hands of a real person. More on Wikipedia or Mubi
Watch Maddalena… zero in condotta/ Maddalena, Zero for Conduct (1940) Italian Film
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