The first night of stillness (La prima notte di quiete) is a 1972 Italian film starring Alain Delon and Sonia Petrovna (born in 1952) and directed by Valerio Zurlini. It is set in Rimini, Emilia-Romagna region (Italy), during the winter season. Argument
Daniele Dominici (Alain Delon) is a literature professor who seems to flee from his past. Recently installed in Rimini, he is a very good looking and cultured man but he does not seem to have a vocation for teaching, which he teaches only to survive. He lives in an apartment with a woman named Monica (Lea Massari), who seems to be his partner, although they do not love each other. However, he keeps it with his salary and with what he earns from bets, since he likes to play. He also likes to write poetry and has written a book: The first night of stillness (in allusion to death), dedicated to a supposed teenage girlfriend who committed suicide. Sonia Petrova in a film frame.
The main story begins when Daniele goes to work at the local Lyceum. There he meets a beautiful twenty-year-old student named Vanina Abati (Sonia Petrova), who can not hide her inner bitterness and sadness. He is strongly attracted to her but can not bear his unhappiness. She is reluctant to start with her teacher but little by little she will open up to him, to the point of falling in love. However, Vanina hides a dark past in which Daniele's new friends are involved, among them Giorgio Mosca, nicknamed "Spider" (Giancarlo Giannini), Marcello (Renato Salvatori), Elvira (Nicoletta Rizzi) and Gerardo Pavani (Adalberto Maria Merli). The latter is Vanina's boyfriend, but she only says to be with him for his money, enduring even abuse and infidelity. Finally, after Gerardo humiliates her in front of everyone, he escapes and receives the help of Marcello, who seems to have affection for him and lends him a small house so that he can consummate his love with Daniele. Gerardo finds out and arrives violently to the place with intentions to recover to Vanina at any price. Unable to do so, he reveals to Daniele Vanina's great secret: his mother is a famous prostitute in the Romagna Riviera and she has followed in his footsteps. After screaming and beating, Gerardo leaves but promises to take revenge. The two lovers plan to flee, so she takes the train, perhaps to Monterchi, where her sister lives. Daniele returns home and separates from Monica, who threatens to commit suicide. In turn, thugs sent by Gerardo (or the mother of Vanina) give a beating to Daniele and break a rib, but is helped by Spider and Marcello. When he wakes up, he decides to go after Vanina but is so stunned that he has a fatal accident on the road, wrapped in an intense fog. The film ends with Spider attending Daniele's funeral, revealing that his father's family owned a lot of money.
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