Le Amiche (1955) (b/w, Criterion Collection)

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Roman couturier Clelia leaves the big city to work at a boutique in Turin. She moves into a hotel and makes several new friends, but is soon drawn into their extremely unpleasant lives. Clelia enters a doomed relationship with a poor architect`s assistant, sees her new best friend Rosetta commit suicide after being jilted by her married lover, and is eventually fired from her new job when her hysteria over Rosetta`s death interferes with her work. Clelia finally goes back to Rome, and viewers will not blame her a bit. Le Amiche, based on a 1949 article published in La Bella Estate (Tre Donne Sole by Cesare Pavese), is perhaps Michelangelo Antonioni`s first great film. Juggling 10 characters with great aplomb, Antonioni and co-screenwriters Suso Cecchi D`Amico and Alba De Cespedes have created a rich, interlocking narrative which manages to rise above mere melodrama through careful attention to the ebb and flow of interpersonal relationships and a keen sense of balance. The fine supporting cast includes Valentina Cortese, Yvonne Furneaux, and Franco Fabrizi.