China is Near

China Is Near Italian La Cina vicina is a 1967 Italian drama film written and directed by Marco Bellocchio. It is a satirical movie about the struggle for political and social power.

Vittorio is in love with his accountantsecretary Giovanna but, although sympathetic with him, repelled by Vittorios meek and impotent attitude, she rejects his advances and runs a relationship with Carlo, the young and ambitious accountant who also happens to be the treasurer of the local Unified Socialist Party branch. Carlo makes a plan to marry into the rich landed gentry through Elena and the party offers Vittorio a candidacy for the local administration elections. When Vittorio eventually drops his restrained support to Camillos organisation for the sake of his socialist candidacy, Camillo starts to subversively target his brothers campaign.The film was warmly reviewed by Pauline Kael in The New Yorker on its release China Is Near has the boudoir complications of a classic comic opera...Bellochio uses the underside of family life for borderline horror and humor. His people are so awful theyre funny...Bellochio..only twentyeight perhaps only a very young director can focus on such graceless, meanspirited people with so much enjoyment..he probably exhibits the most fluid directorial technique since Max Ophuls.. The film was selected as the Italian entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 40th Academy Awards, but was not accepted as a nominee. ........

Source: Wikipedia