What? (film)

This article is about the 1972 Roman Polanski film. For the 1963 Mario Bava film, see The Whip and the Body.

What? (Che?, also variously titled Quoi?, Was?, and Diary of Forbidden Dreams) is a 1972 comedy film co-written and directed by Roman Polanski and starring Sydne Rome, Marcello Mastroianni, Hugh Griffith and Romolo Valli.^[2]

What?
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Roman Polanski
Written by	Roman Polanski Gérard Brach
Produced by	Carlo Ponti
Starring	Sydne Rome Marcello Mastroianni Hugh Griffith Romolo Valli Roman Polanski
Cinematography	Marcello Gatti Giuseppe Ruzzolini
Edited by	Alastair McIntyre
Music by	Claudio Gizzi[1]
Distributed by	NPF Planfilm
Release date	December 7, 1972 (1972-12-07)
Running time	110 minutes
Countries	Italy France Germany
Languages	English Italian French

Plot

Set in an unnamed coastal city in Italy, the film tells a story of an American girl, Nancy, who takes shelter in a villa filled with strange guests. There, she gets into a relationship with a retired pimp, Alex.

Cast

• Sydne Rome as Nancy
• Marcello Mastroianni as Alex
• Hugh Griffith as Joseph Noblart
• Romolo Valli as Giovanni
• Roman Polanski as Mosquito (Uncredited)
• Guido Alberti as Priest
• Gianfranco Piacentini as Tony
• Carlo Delle Piane as Young Oaf #1 in Car
• Mario Bussolino as Young Oaf #2 in Car
• Henning Schlüter as Catone
• Christiane Barry as Dresser
• Pietro Tordi as Man-Servant
• Nerina Montagnani as Chambermaid
• Mogens von Gadow as German
• Dieter Hallervorden as German
• Elisabeth Witte as Baby
• John Karlsen as Edward
• Roger Middleton as Jimmy
• Alvaro Vitali
• Francois Perier as Enzo
• Renate Langer as Naked Girl with Hat (uncredited)

Production

In 2017, Renate Langer accused Roman Polanski of raping her in 1972, when she was 15, just before and during the filming of this movie.^[3]

Filming

The film was shot on location in Amalfi, Italy, in a villa owned by the producer, Carlo Ponti. Some of the action was improvised.^[4][5]

Reception

John Simon of the National Review described What? as a 'monstrous fiasco'.^[6] Roger Ebert in the Chicago Sun-Times gave an apparently-reedited version titled Diary of Forbidden Dreams a half star out of four, and said the film confirmed his "long-held suspicion that, when it comes right down to it, there's a nasty streak of misogyny in Polanski."^[7]