L'amore (1948)

In the first episode, a heartbroken woman talks to her ex-lover on the phone. In the second, a pregnant woman believes she is carrying the child of Saint Joseph.

Director:

Roberto Rossellini

Writers:

Jean Cocteau (play), Federico Fellini (story),

Stars:

Anna Magnani, Federico Fellini, Peparuolo

2 wins.

Cast

Cast overview:
Anna Magnani	...	The woman (segment "Una voce umana") / Nannina (segment "Il miracolo")

Storyline

A simple woman sleeps with a bum, portrayed by Fellini, under the impression that he is Saint Joseph. She then makes plans to give birth to Jesus Christ and is greeted by derision by the people of her village.

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Plot Keywords:

miracle | pregnancy | purity | peasant | foreign language adaptation | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Details

Country:

Italy

Language:

Italian

Release Date:

8 February 1950 (USA)

Also Known As:

Amore

Filming Locations:

Amalfi Coast, Amalfi, Salerno, Campania, Italy

Company Credits

Production Co:

Finecine, Tevere Film

Technical Specs

Runtime:

69 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

When, in 1952, the "Il Miracolo" segment of the film was released in the United States as "The Miracle", it was the subject of a legal battle in which the Supreme Court ruled for the first time that motion pictures, like books and newspapers, were protected under the First Amendment to the Constitution.

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Connections

Version of The Human Voice (1966)

User Reviews

A much maligned and misunderstood movie

Initially banned in the UK, only the section entitled THE MIRACLE was shown by special permission of the London County Council. Somehow people seem to persist in interpreting the story as a Second Coming narrative, whereas the character played by Anna Magnani only believes she is to bear a "special" child as a reward for her piety. There is not a shred of evidence to suggest she believes she is carrying the Christ-child. Dubbed by the Vatican as "a sacrilegious blasphemy", it is ironic that, as an atheist, the power and emotional intensity of this film brought me the closest I have ever been to what could perhaps be termed a transcendental experience. A masterpiece.