Indiscretion of an American Wife (1953)
"Stazione Termini" (original title)

Prior to leaving by train for Paris, a married American woman tries to break off her affair with a young Italian in Rome's Stazione Termini.

Director:

Vittorio De Sica

Writers:

Truman Capote (dialogue), Luigi Chiarini,

Stars:

Jennifer Jones, Montgomery Clift, Gino Cervi

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 1 nomination.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Jennifer Jones	...	Mary Forbes
Montgomery Clift	...	Giovanni Doria
Gino Cervi	...	Police commissioner
Richard Beymer	...	Paul (as Dick Beymer)

Storyline

A married American woman has gotten involved with another man while visiting relatives in Rome. She decides that the time has come to break off the relationship, and she makes plans to return home to her husband. But she soon realizes that she is not at all sure about what she wants to do, and she continues to agonize over her decision.

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Plot Keywords:

affair | train | cafe | tourist | housewife | 

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

Italy USA

Language:

English Italian French

Release Date:

10 May 1954 (USA)

Also Known As:

Indiscretion of an American Wife

Filming Locations:

Cinecittà Studios, Cinecittà, Rome, Lazio, Italy

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures Corporation, Produzioni De Sica

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Marlon Brando, Louis Jourdan, and Richard Burton were all considered for the Montgomery Clift role.

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Quotes

Giovanni Doria: [Angrily to the police] What is this - a zoo? Are we a couple of monkeys or something?

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Connections

Featured in What's Eating Gilbert Grape (1993)

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Soundtracks

"Rhapsody in Blue"
(uncredited)
Written by George Gershwin
(heard as transition between the two Patti Page ballads)

User Reviews

Two Heartfelt Performances

Like fine wine, "Stazione Termini" seems to grow better and better with age.

Generally "written off" as a lesser De Sica work, this film offers two beautiful performances by Jennifer Jones and Montgomery Clift.

The two, with different types of acting training, sensitively mesh their discrete styles through deeply felt emotions. Highly gifted, vulnerable, and insecure, these top performers reach for the bottom of their feelings in bringing to life two desperate, lonely lovers.

It's been said these thespians enjoyed a close off-screen relationship due to the leading lady's deep infatuation with her co-star, and that she was distraught when he, due to personal circumstances, was unable to mutually respond.

That's not at all surprising, for it's all there in their work in this drama. A deft melding of romance and neo-realism, which marks the distinctive De Sica style, "Stazione" now seems just the right length for its content.

It almost seems to unfold in "quasi-real time," with shots of clocks ticking away before the train leaves at the story's finale to emphasize the time element.

What emerges here is a kind of slice-of-life vignette: two people in love, who must part due to one partner's domestic responsibility. We are allowed to briefly share their intimate, final moments together before their inevitable parting.

Zavattini's script (along with Truman Capote and Ben Hecht's dialogue) nicely capture these fleeting minutes, while the score lushly points up the pathos of a tragic unfoldment. De Sica's unique direction (with Selznick's uncredited contribution) rounds out a small gem of a film whose vintage grows increasingly more sweet and more special with age.