Stromboli (1950)

Director:

Roberto Rossellini

Writers:

Roberto Rossellini (story)
Roberto Rossellini (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

15 February 1950 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

Raging Island...Raging Passions !

Plot:

Karen, a young woman from the Baltic countries, marries fisherman Antonio to escape from a prisoners camp. But the life in Antonio's village, Stromboli, threatened by the volcano, is a tough one and Karen cannot get used to it.

Plot Keywords:

Escape | Fisherman | Volcano | Discomfort | Neorealism

Awards:

1 win & 1 nomination

Cast

Ingrid Bergman	...	Karin
Mario Vitale	...	Antonio
Renzo Cesana	...	The Priest
Mario Sponzo	...	The man from the lighthouse

Also Known As:

Stromboli, terra di Dio (Italy)

Runtime:

107 min | France:103 min | Sweden:106 min | USA:81 min

Country:

Italy | USA

Language:

Italian | English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Certification:

Finland:S | Sweden:15 | USA:Approved (PCA #14334)

Filming Locations:

Farfa, Fara in Sabina, Rieti, Lazio, Italy

Company:

Berit Films

Trivia:

In the promotional material, Howard Hughes played up the parallels between the character she played and the recent indiscreet behavior of lead actress Ingrid Bergman. He re-cut the film behind Rosselini's back and refused to screen it for the press. The film got talked about before it was seen. It was banned outright in Memphis, and the Roman Catholic church urged its priests not to see it. It opened to phenomenal business, earning nearly $1 million in its first day.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Il mio viaggio in Italia (1999)

Poor old Ingrid!!

"Stromboli" is a fascinating examination of suffering, desperation, faith and the desire for redemption. I've never liked Rossellini's films as much as Bresson's but I think the two directors often dealt with the same themes in similar ways, with minor stylistic variations. Where Rossellini used actors and non-actors who gave performances, Bresson used models and types who were instructed to remain impassive. Where Rossellini's films focused on passionate characters and emotional situations, Bresson approached his stories with a scientist's dispassion. I've always found Rossellini's films strange – they are often parables that invest heavily in domestic melodrama and the histrionics of their characters. Nevertheless, I think "Stromboli" is one of his most successful films. Karin suffers so much--a war refugee, internment camp resident and then harried wife and social pariah on a desolate island--that it is easy to see how she is blind to faith. Despite her eventual redemption Rossellini doesn't paint Karin as a saint. Her protestations regarding the social politics of the island develop into a crusade to transgress their customs and protocols, often in self-righteous objection to the constraints placed on her. And her willingness to exploit her sexuality further confirms her all too human (and flawed) nature. The scenes where Karin attempts to seduce the priest and later seduces the lighthouse keeper are brimming with carnal sensuality. Bergman, as always, is excellent.