- Release year: 1961
- Director: Valerio Zurlini.
- Producers: Charles Delac and Maurizio Lodi-Fè.
- Screenplay by: Leonardo Benvenuti, Piero De Bernardi, Enrico Medioli, Giuseppe Patroni Griffi, and Valerio Zurlini.
- Cinematography by: Tino Santoni.
- Music by: Mario Nascimbene.
Synopsis: after getting abandoned at a road stop, a girl tries to find the lover who left her as she fights off a sea of men who try to take advantage of her.
Shotgun Commentary: an accurate reminder of 60s sexism.
Review
Girl with a Suitcase (original title: La ragazza con la valigia, 1961) is a feature that follows Aida Zepponi (Claudia Cardinale). Aida is a young girl who abandons her life for a boy who pretends to be in the movie business. When she finally admits to herself that she’s been tricked by said boy, she decides to stay close to the address he gave her to find him.
Back to the future
This film is surprisingly classified as a romance, and even a comedy in some websites. IMDb gets closer to reality by also adding the “drama” tag. However, the fact remains that this movie is generally classified as a romance, a fact that does nothing but highlight why having more women in the industry is vital.
Roughly summarised, this is a film where the protagonist, a young woman that barely looks of age, is harassed by men who only want to take advantage of her. Every single man she encounters ends up trying to get in her skirts, using money, influence, empty promises, and even lies to try and manipulate her.
Now, from a reactionary, male point of view, this is apparently a romance story. Well, for anyone who still needs to hear this in 2025, if you tell a woman that tale, she’ll probably classify it as drama, if not pure horror. One finds it very hard to find the comedy in a narrative where a woman is forced to beg for a job to men who are only interested in using her body and discarding her without a second thought. The same as it is hard to see any sort of romance in a relationship of that nature, where the power imbalance is so striking it resembles more extortion or slavery than intimacy of any sort.
In the name of… love?
Some of you who have watched the film might have been swayed by Lorenzo Fainardi’s (Jacques Perrin) storyline. The “good boy” who helps her because he is in love… But does he, though? Let’s get a bit more into it. Lorenzo is the younger brother of the scoundrel who leaves Aida in the dust during the first sequence.
When Aida finds their house and rings to ask for her rascal lover, Lorenzo accepts money from him to lie to her about his existence. This premise could have been the sort of white lie/shameful act that takes place in many romantic comedies, whoever, this starting point evolves way differently from the way other rom-coms like Sabrina (1954) or 10 Things I Hate About You (1999) do. Examples that have taken place both before and after this 60s movie, and that confirm that there is nothing romantic about this storyline.
Why is Lorenzo different from liars like Linus Larrabee or Patrick Verona? Simple, he feels entitled to control Aida. In his mind, sending her gifts and lending her money is a way to buy her. In his sixteen-year-old mind, she has to fall in love with him if he does all this. This mentality leads to jealousy, aggression, and stalking. In conclusion, no, not a love story.
Mirror, mirror…
Still, Girl with a Suitcase is a great film when classified in the proper genres. It preserves the image of the 60s Italian society, acting as a mirror for that moment in time. While unflattering, it helps one understand the present of Italy and its people. It is a picture of its culture and how it has evolved. The story is told beautifully and the cast is full of Italian stars like Claudia Cardinale or Gian Maria Volontè.
All in all, Girl with a Suitcase is not the easiest film to watch for female audiences expecting a love story, as it is anything but. However, as a period drama with horror tints, it is quite good. If you have ever wondered about how Italy looked like in the 60s, this is a great way to find out.
Radiance’s Blu-ray of Girl with a Suitcase will be out the 28th of April. Link and details below!
LIMITED EDITION BLU-RAY SPECIAL FEATURES
- 4K restoration of the film from the original camera negative by the Cineteca di Bologna in collaboration with Camelia and Titanus
- Interview with assistant director Piero Schivazappa (2006)
- Interview with screenwriter Piero De Bernardi (2006)
- Interview with film critic Bruno Torri on Zurlini’s career (2006)
- Visual essay about the film by Kat Ellinger (2024)
- Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Filippo Di Battista
- Limited edition booklet featuring new writing by Giuliana Minghelli and an overview of the US critical reception by Cullen Callagher.
- Limited edition of 3000 copies, presented in full-height Scanavo packaging with removable OBI strip leaving packaging free of certificates and markings
Find the Radiance release right here!
Advice to take from this movie:
- If you watched this film and thought, “What a beautiful love story”… Yeah, you might want to get that checked.
- Don’t lie. Especially to the people you care about.
- Never turn down a free meal.
What’s your take? Have you watched Girl with a Suitcase? Don’t hesitate to let me know your thoughts in the comments section below, or leave a message in my contact page! For more reviews and cinema-related articles, check out the rest of my blog! 😀