Blonde in Black Leather (original title: Qui Comincia l'Avventura - "Here Begins the Adventure") is a 1975 comedy film by Carlo di Palma, starring Monica Vitti and Claudia Cardinale.
The titular character (Vitti) is a seemingly independent and free-spirited woman who comes across a dissatisfied laundry worker (Cardinale), who yearns for her lifestyle and decides to run away with her. Vitti's character, claiming she's on a journey to save her lover, reluctantly agrees to let her come along on the condition that they separate in Naples.
Note: Both main characters suffer from No Name Given, so for practicality's sake, they shall henceforth be referred to as Monica and Claudia. If the actresses need to be talked about, use their last names.
Provides examples of:
- Accidental Kidnapping: After losing the motorcycle, Monica and Claudia steal a car. They discover a little boy named Tex lying on the backseat, who wants to be kidnapped so he can get away from his family. They give him back anyway.
- Ambiguously Bi: Monica becomes attached to Claudia to the point where she can't imagine continuing her journey without her. Claudia stays with Monica and provides a source of comfort to her even after being disillusioned with her time and time again. OTOH, in one scene they frolic with circus artists, and Claudia is married (though she leaves him at the start).
- Broken Pedestal: Claudia starts out idolizing Monica, but becomes increasingly disillusioned with the chasm between Monica's tales of daring-do and reality.
- Cloudcuckoolander: Monica.
- Compressed Vice: Claudia becomes The Gambling Addict for a short portion of the mafia plot.
- Conservation of Ninjutsu: Claudia beats up an entire mafia group by herself.
- Consummate Liar: Monica.
- Cool Helmet: Monica keeps her helmet and wears it even after losing her bike. It seems to function as a Security Blanket.
- Drama Queen: Monica turns very fretful and pessimistic after losing her bike.
- Drives Like Crazy: Monica, though she only does it for the lulz, not because that's the only way she can drive.
- Fanservice
- A Fool and His New Money Are Soon Parted: Monica and Claudia win millions of lire by gambling but lose it soon after.
- Hell-Bent for Leather: Monica, of course. It's in the (English) title.
- Loveable Rogue: Both main characters.
- Memento MacGuffin: Monica plays her bike up as being this from her lover. Actually, the bike belongs to her boss and losing it means she has to work for free to pay it off.
- Miles Gloriosus: Monica loves telling lengthy tales of her imaginary exploits, but nearly trips over herself when things get really dire.
- Milking the Giant Cow: Monica is prone to this when telling her stories. She tries to exploit it to steal food and fails hilariously.
- Naïve Newcomer: Claudia, but she gets over it fast, even if Monica doesn't think so.
- No Name Given: The main characters go unnamed through the course of the movie. Monica lampshades it when she's looking for Claudia ("What's her name again?") and has to resort to Hey, You!.
- "Not So Different" Remark: At the end, Claudia discovers that she and Monica have the exact same origins (working a dead-end job and being sexually harrassed by their bosses/husbands).
- Race Against the Clock: Monica's goal is to be in a certain place at a certain hour, which she calls 'Hour X'.
- Random Events Plot: Monica and Claudia get themselves in increasingly bizarre situations that have literally no bearing in the ultimate goal of their journey.
- Red Oni, Blue Oni: The movie first pegs Claudia as the naive red oni and Monica as the cool and mature blue oni. As it goes on, it turns Claudia into a savvy and levelheaded blue oni and Monica into a constantly-on-the-verge-of-a-mental-breakdown red oni.
- Road Trip Plot
- Sexy Soaked Shirt: Claudia has her work uniform completely wet and almost see-through from working in the laundry.
- Tsundere: Monica could give any anime tsundere a run for her money. She keeps telling Claudia what a bother she is and how better off she'd be without her, but when she actually does go away, Monica frantically runs around calling for her and practically begs her to come back when she finds her. And then promptly goes back to being dismissive of her when she does come back.
- She acts like this to Tex as well. When Claudia spots her petting Tex's head, Monica says, "What?! I'm just making sure he doesn't run away!"
- Wacky Wayside Tribe: Tex, the mafia, the circus troupe.
- Walking the Earth: Supposedly, this is what Monica and Claudia end up doing at the end.
- We Need a Distraction: Double subverted. Monica attempts to use her wild mannerisms to distract a family to steal their food. It doesn't work. When they leave it turns out Claudia successfully used Monica doing her thing as a distraction so she could steal food.
- What Does This Button Do?: Claudia attempting to figure out the workings of Monica's bike. She accidentaly turns it on and Monica has to run after her.
- Wide-Eyed Idealist: Claudia suggests to Monica that they could go around freeing people of their dull ways of life.
- Wise Beyond Their Years: Tex. He orchestrates a kidnapping, builds a campfire and cooks, and is a philosopher in the making ("Loneliness makes one hungry.").
