The film’s Italian theatrical release followed on April 5, 1972. However, La Vacanza never achieved widespread commercial success. It remained largely unknown outside of Italy for decades, seen only by dedicated cinephiles who sought out rare, poor-quality VHS transfers. The film’s obscurity was compounded by the fact that no official DVD or Blu-ray release has ever materialized, despite announcements in the late 2000s that such a release was forthcoming.
The answer, perhaps, is that Jimmy Page understood La Vacanza better than its critics. It is a film about silence. About the spaces between notes. About the vacation that is really a prison.
However, this is no typical holiday. Graziella’s escape is psychological and sexual. She becomes involved with , a selfish and cynical bourgeois man. The film deconstructs the romantic ideal of a summer fling, presenting a raw and often bleak look at a relationship built on boredom, power dynamics, and mutual exploitation.
However, her freedom is short-lived. Rather than finding a supportive environment, Immacolata encounters neglect and exploitation. Her own family abandons her, eventually selling her out to a ruthless creditor to settle a debt. Escaping her captors, she flees into the rural Italian landscape and crosses paths with (Franco Nero), an independent and sympathetic birdcatcher and poacher.
In the words of one of its most devoted fans, “If Tinto should be known for only one film, it should be this one”. Whether or not one agrees with that assessment, La Vacanza undeniably stands as a singular achievement in Italian cinema—a lost gem that deserves to be found, seen, and celebrated. The Vacation -La Vacanza- - Tinto Brass 1971 -S...
Looking for more context on Tinto Brass's transition from avant-garde to erotica, or perhaps a similar era of Italian cinema? Vacation (1971) - IMDb
Despite its provocative nature, the film was critically acclaimed and won the Pasinetti Award for Best Italian Film at the 1971 Venice Film Festival.
The screenplay was written by Brass in collaboration with Vincenzo Maria Siniscalchi and Roberto Lerici. Lerici, a writer and linguistic researcher, contributed significantly to the film’s dialogue, drawing on the Veneto dialect and the earthy, rustic language of the playwright Ruzante. Most strikingly, the lyrics for the film’s songs were adapted from so-called “schizophrenic poems”—texts written by actual psychiatric patients that Siniscalchi discovered in a Neapolitan journal called Carte Segrete and within a mental institution itself. This direct incorporation of the voices of the mentally ill gives the film a documentary-like authenticity and a profound respect for its subject matter.
The guitar piece, titled “La Vacanza (Theme),” is a 9-minute acoustic dirge. It never appeared on any Led Zeppelin album. Bootlegs of the track are holy grails for collectors. It is a haunting, Eastern-tinged composition played on a Danelectro, full of open strings and dissonant harmonics. It sounds like loneliness distilled. The film’s Italian theatrical release followed on April
Key cast & crew
(released internationally as The Vacation ) is a critically acclaimed 1971 Italian drama film directed by avant-garde filmmaker Tinto Brass . The film stars Vanessa Redgrave and Franco Nero , delivering a stinging critique of societal hypocrisy, capitalism, and mental health institutions . It premiered at the 32nd Venice International Film Festival on September 4, 1971, winning the prestigious Pasinetti Award for Best Italian Film . Long before Brass became famous for erotic cinema, this arthouse gem stood out as a brilliant political satire. Key Film Specifications
: Rather than welcoming her, her impoverished and ignorant relatives reject her, seeing her only as a financial burden. At one point, her own parents even attempt to sell her off to a creditor.
La vacanza was produced by Lion International Film and was, for all intents and purposes, a family affair. It was co-produced by Brass and Franco Nero, and the soundtrack music was composed by Fiorenzo Carpi, with a young Gigi Proietti providing vocals for the closing track. The film’s obscurity was compounded by the fact
One of the most striking aspects of La Vacanza is its extraordinary cast, which bridges the worlds of British and Italian cinema. At the center is Vanessa Redgrave, already an internationally acclaimed actress by 1971, known for her work in films such as Blowup (1966), Isadora (1968), and The Devils (1971). Redgrave delivers a remarkable, unglamorous performance as Immacolata, a character far removed from the elegant, sophisticated roles for which she was typically known. She appears disheveled, exhausted, and utterly stripped of vanity, embodying the physical and psychological toll of institutionalization. Remarkably, Redgrave performed her own Italian dialogue in the film, delivering her lines in broken, accented Italian that adds an extra layer of vulnerability and authenticity to the character. The actress famously chose to attend the Venice Film Festival to present La Vacanza rather than Ken Russell’s The Devils , a testament to her commitment to the project.
, stands as a fiercely political avant-garde masterpiece that captures a critical turning point in Italian cinema. Long before he became known worldwide as a master of erotica with films like Caligula , director Tinto Brass was a radically minded, politically charged filmmaker. La Vacanza is arguably the pinnacle of his early period. It uses dark comedy, surrealism, and biting social commentary to strip away the mask of "civilized" Italian society.
What do you think? Is this a forgotten masterpiece or a frustrating failure? For more deep dives into the world of cult and forgotten cinema, keep exploring with us.