Together (1956)

Together (1956). 52m

“Mrs Mazzetti was certainly influenced by the grand tradition of Italian Neo realism ,particularly Vittorio De Sica (the atmosphere recalls u0026quot;Umberto Du0026quot;.)Her movie was experimental ,but itu0026#39;s accessible to all these who have eyes and ears even to these who do not understand English .u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eTwo dockers,both deaf and dumb ,live in London u0026#39;s East end in the fifties .Together, they stand by each other and their camaraderie helps them to carry on their sad life on a wharf where cranes are more important than human beings and in a boarding-house where their landlady feeds them without any compassion ;the film ,and itu0026#39;s its main originality ,puts us in their shoes :when other people talk ,we do not hear what they say .Both our unfortunate heroes use the sign language ;and in a world of steel and stone, a smile often lights their faces ,cause they retain their Joie De Vivre and their optimism ,in spite of a thankless work in an indifferent ,nay hostile world .Besides ,all the brats on the block laugh at them,call them names .One of the first sequence shows a boy on the watch ,waiting for their punching bags ,and calling his pals to persecute them .Childrenu0026#39;s cruelty has seldom been harder than in u0026quot;togetheru0026quot; ;but they actually copy their parentsu0026#39; attitude.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe grown-ups live in their cocoon where the two buddies are outcasts ;the policeman does not intervene when he sees the brats laugh at them;the landlady feeds them,as though they were animals ,and even a dog is given strokes .Every dog has his day ,they say …u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eBut not these ones,the underdogs .They try to make the best of it,having a drink in a pub,or going to the fair.One of the boy sees a girlu0026#39;s erotic dance on the fairground ,then meets this semi-whore again in the pub.But love is forbidden when you canu0026#39;t communicate with your fellow men (and women) …except in your bed at night when the dream makes every thing possible :the fact that even the holier- than-thou Office Catholique Du Cinema did not condemn this imaginary love- making speaks volumes about the strength of the scene.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe title u0026quot; together u0026quot; ,considering the tragic denouement , is the best possible one ;if they were not together,life would be unbearable for these God-forsaken men.The final tragedy,told with a stunning economy of means ,is all the more awesome : the deaf and dumb man will have cried for help in a selfish crowd …till his last breath .But the crane brings only mud.And his pal still does know that ,from now on, he is alone in the terrifying world of sounds.”