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Matinee: 'See You in the Future'
23 July 2022
Saturday matinees long ago let us escape from the ordinary world to the island of the Swiss Family Robinson or the mutinous decks of the Bounty. Why not, we thought, escape the usual fare here with Saturday matinees of our favorite photography films?
So we're pleased to present the 458th in our series of Saturday matinees today: See You in the Future.
Well, it's been a while so we don't feel sheepish about indulging our god-given right to be silly once in a while. And this 4:35 tribute to the Fiat 500 on its 50th anniversary is so silly that we had to watch it more than once.
Directed by Ago Panini with photography by Paolo Caimi, it follows a well-dressed young man in 1950s Italy as he returns home in his green Fiat 500 one afternoon, puts on a record of Come Prima, a popular song of the era, and falls asleep with Shakespeare in his lap.
The whole thing is, surprisingly, in English, including the version of Come Prima (sung, we're guessing, by Mario Lanza, shortly before his death in 1959).
We see the young man in his white suite and hat leave his apartment only to find himself, amusingly, in the modern world.
He's mystified by skyscrapers and selfie sticks, mistakes antiques for the latest versions and wrestles with some canes at an outdoor market before he picks up a movie camera (we're guessing it's a Bolex 8mm), marveling at the new technology.
One thing that isn't anachronistic, though, is the attraction a nearby woman feels for him. He's not one to let an opportunity pass, so he buys the camera and chases after her.
Until he comes across a modern green Fiat 500. He stares in wonder until the woman invites him for a ride. It's her car, it turns out.
"OK," he says.
We won't tell you what happens next (because we're, uh, going to watch it again right now). But some things, as you might guess, are timeless.
Even if they're silly.