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Traffic Jam

Traffic Jam (L'ingorgo)

Movie · 1979 · 3 people

Luigi Comencini made the satirical comedy-drama Traffic Jam (Italian title L'ingorgo - Una storia impossibile) in 1979. A co-production of Italy, France, Spain and West Germany, it belongs to the commedia all'italiana tradition. Gaumont is among the producers, and the film is known for its large international ensemble and its place in the 1979 Cannes Film Festival. In French it is Le Grand Embouteillage, in German Stau.

The story draws on Julio Cortázar's 1966 short story La autopista del Sur, though the film does not credit it. On an Italian motorway, hundreds of cars are stuck in one enormous jam. Day ends and night falls with no sign of improvement. The extreme situation and forced closeness of people packed into their vehicles bring out a wide range of behaviour. The Italians include Alberto Sordi, Marcello Mastroianni, Stefania Sandrelli and Ugo Tognazzi; the French, Annie Girardot, Patrick Dewaere, Miou-Miou and Gérard Depardieu; the Spanish, Ángela Molina and Fernando Rey. Harry Baer represents Germany.

Comencini, Ruggero Maccari and Bernardino Zapponi share the screenplay credit. A bitter satire of consumer society, the film paints a pessimistic picture of human nature.

DirectorLuigi Comencini
Production companyGaumont Yapımevi

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Cast

Only cast members with a profile on this site are listed.

Alberto Sordi Alberto Sordi Film actor · died at 82 Marcello Mastroianni Marcello Mastroianni Actor · died at 72 Stefania Sandrelli Stefania Sandrelli Actor · 80 years old

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Through different eyes

Cinephile Looks at script, editing and directing choices; keeps a distance from formula films.

Comencini turns a single location, a jammed motorway, into a stage for an international cast. Seeing Alberto Sordi, Marcello Mastroianni, Ugo Tognazzi, Annie Girardot, Gérard Depardieu and Fernando Rey in one film is an event in itself. The bitter humour of the commedia all'italiana tradition shades here into a pessimistic portrait of people. Yet such a large cast seems to split the story into disconnected fragments, and some characters never get past the sketch stage. The idea, taken uncredited from Julio Cortázar's story, is strong, but the wait as day turns to night sometimes becomes a repetition that tests your patience. Even so, this satire, shown at Cannes, is an interesting document of its era in its attack on consumer society.

History & Society Lens Asks about the period, the social background and what the work reflects.

Made at a time when the car stood for freedom and prosperity, the film turns those same cars into cells. As hundreds of people stay stuck on the motorway, forced closeness strips away their masks and the selfishness behind consumer society comes into view. With Italian, French, Spanish and German actors side by side, the story takes on a European scale beyond any one country. The questions it raised about comfort and modern life at the end of the seventies still echo in today's gridlocked cities. It's a pessimistic film, and anyone looking for a hopeful message about people may come away unsatisfied.

Action & Thriller Fan Puts pace, tension and set pieces first; little patience for slow drama.

It's called Traffic Jam, and sure enough, nothing moves. The idea is interesting: hundreds of cars, people stuck, night falling and no way out. But it's not about chases or suspense, it's about how people treat each other. For 113 minutes it's mostly dialogue and satire. If you want speed, it's a tough sit; the star-packed cast is the reason to give it a shot.

These are not reader reviews: they are short editorial takes written from different viewer perspectives with AI assistance. Reader reviews are below.

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