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Viaggio in Italia (1954)

Drama | 79 minutes
3,46 138 votes

Genre: Drama

Duration: 79 minuten

Alternative titles: Journey to Italy / Voyage in Italy

Country: Italy / France

Directed by: Roberto Rossellini

Stars: Ingrid Bergman, George Sanders and Leslie Daniels

IMDb score: 7,3 (13.630)

Releasedate: 7 September 1954

Viaggio in Italia plot

British couple Katherine and Alexander Joyce travel to Naples to view a house they inherited from an uncle. Along the way, they realize that they have very little to say to each other, and when they arrive in Naples, they accuse each other of flirting with others. Their marriage is sinking deeper and deeper into crisis.

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Full Cast & Crew

Actors and actresses

Katherine Joyce

Alexander 'Alex' Joyce

Natalie Burton

Paul Dupont

Un'amica di Judy (uncredited)

Un'amica di Judy (uncredited)

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avatar van Dievegge

Dievegge

  • 3166 messages
  • 8191 votes

In a film with a traditional plot, there is a hero with a goal in mind, who then has to overcome all sorts of obstacles to achieve that goal. That is not the case here. The house inherited from a sugar uncle that they want to sell is only the reason why a wealthy British couple takes this trip to Naples. In the middle section, we follow the two spouses separately. The woman makes cultural excursions; the man goes in search of superficial entertainment on the island of Capri.

A motif is the contrast between stillness and movement. At the beginning they race along Italian roads; at the end they are held up by the procession. During Katherine's visit to the museum the statues seem more alive than the people, especially the muscular Hercules and the group with the bull. In Pompeii we see people suddenly overcome by death, a registration of one moment in time, a bit like a photograph. As a result, Katherine is confronted with the insignificance of her own existence.

We see a contrast of cultures: the well-organized British versus the southern carpe diem and dolce far niente. The Catholic culture is present at the funeral, the procession at the end and the popular belief in miracles. We also see the poverty of the common people. A communist poster appears on screen, we see pregnant women and women with a child. In contrast, there is the childlessness of the British marriage.

The marital crisis between Alexander and Katherine shows similarities with the crisis between director Roberto Rosselini and actress Ingrid Bergman, who would divorce a few years later. The controversial ending seems to indicate that Rosselini wanted to give his marriage another chance, against his better judgment.

One downside is that it is never explained why Ingrid Bergman speaks with a Swedish accent, but that does little to detract from the lived-in quality with which she portrays her character.

dutch flagTranslated from Dutch · View original

avatar van Kiekerjan

Kiekerjan

  • 119 messages
  • 106 votes

An excruciatingly slow characterization of two people in a dysfunctional marriage. Both parties show signs of neurotic behavior that they try in vain to hide behind nonchalance and sarcasm. As a viewer, you try to find a symbolic meaning behind every word, image and contradiction in order to give the thin story some more depth. Does the donkey pulling the cart symbolize the struggle to keep the marriage alive? Do the ruins of Pompeii reflect their crumbling love? This so-called cradle of Nouvelle Vague and modernist view of intimacy is hard to digest these days and leaves too much to the imagination. The sound quality is also terrible; voices sound canned and are not always in sync with the movements of the mouth. Not for me for the time being, although I do recognize potential in this approach.

dutch flagTranslated from Dutch · View original

avatar van Fransman

Fransman

  • 3022 messages
  • 2267 votes

High marks here for this rather dated film from 1954. The beautiful and successful Ingrid Bergman had gotten stuck with the Italian director Roberto Rossellini and then of course they had to make films together. This is one of them. About an English couple in good standing but in a bad marriage who are on their way to Naples to see a house they have inherited. A film about people arguing is always annoying.

Berman is not at her best in this film. Rossellini has paired her with a rather emphatically present George Sanders, which gave me the creeps. The couple comes to the conclusion that they should get a divorce. Sanders meets a strange woman late at night who wants something and with whom a normal man would cheat, but not Sanders. In the end, an unbelievable happy ending is added.

Actually a dragon of a film. Beautiful images of Naples and Pompeii, but of course that's not what you watch a film for. Another bright spot, the beautiful (and rare) Austin Sheerline convertible they drive. If you pay attention you can see how unnaturally they turn the steering wheel. That's not how you drive a car. That car just stands still. No, this film doesn't get a passing grade.

dutch flagTranslated from Dutch · View original