Le notti bianche (1957)

A humble clerk courts a woman who night after night awaits for the return of her lover.

Director:

Luchino Visconti

Writers:

Fyodor Dostoevsky (novel), Suso Cecchi D'Amico (story),

Stars:

Maria Schell, Marcello Mastroianni, Jean Marais

7 wins & 1 nomination.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Maria Schell	...	Natalia
Marcello Mastroianni	...	Mario
Jean Marais	...	L'inquilino
Marcella Rovena	...	La padrona della pensione
Maria Zanoli	...	La domestica (as Maria Zanolli)
Elena Fancera	...	La cassiera
Pietro Ceccarelli	...	Un coinvolto nella rissa (as Lanfranco Ceccarelli)
Angelo Galassi	...	Un coinvolto nella rissa
Renato Terra	...	Un coinvolto nella rissa
Corrado Pani	...	Un giovinastro
Dirk Sanders	...	Il ballerino (as Dick Sanders)
Clara Calamai	...	La prostituta

Storyline

A love triangle, the past invades the present. Mario, a shy man new in Livorno, chats up a crying woman on a bridge. She's Natalia, waiting for a lover gone for a year who promised to return. For three nights, Mario accompanies Natalia, assists her, distracts her, dances with her. He falls in love with her. Can he pull Natalia into his arms, away from the past and from love for a man who will probably never return?

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Plot Keywords:

love | dance | unrequited love | italy | prostitution | 

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

Italy France

Language:

Italian

Release Date:

28 May 1961 (USA)

Also Known As:

White Nights

Filming Locations:

Cinecittà Studios, Cinecittà, Rome, Lazio, Italy

Company Credits

Production Co:

Cinematografica Associati (CI.AS.), Rank Film, Vides Cinematografica

Technical Specs

Runtime:

107 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

"Notti bianche" in Italian translates to "sleepless nights" in English.

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Connections

Version of White Nights (2005)

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Soundtracks

"Thirteen Women"
Written by Dicky Thompson (as Thomson), Gadda and Lidianni
Decca Records Inc. New York U.S.A.
Performed by Bill Haley and the Comets (as Bill Haley and His Comets)

User Reviews

many worlds, one idea

Luchino Visconti's adaptation of Fyodor Dostoyevsky's classic novel fits in perfectly with post-WWII Italy. Marcello Mastroianni and Maria Schell play people from dissimilar backgrounds who meet one night in an Italian town and strike up a relationship.

An important aspect is their backgrounds. He has moved in from out of town, but has quickly gotten to know part of the town. While she has lived in the town her whole life, her grandmother has kept her close and never allowed her to see the other side of the town; she earlier struck up a relationship with another man (Jean Marais), but he left and she doesn't know whether or not he'll return. So then, Marcello Mastroianni and Maria Schell meet on the bridge (the link not only between the two sides of the town, but between the characters' different worlds).

Another representation of contrasts between the separate worlds is shown by the different types of music. In one scene, Maria Schell and her grandmother go to see "Barber of Seville", one of the all-time classic operas. In the restaurant scene, someone plays a Bill Haley song, emblematic of modern music. Luchino Visconti was no fan of rock and roll, but probably felt that it would make for an evocative scene in this case.

But anyway, "Le notti bianche" (or "White Nights") remains an important part of Italy's cinematic history. I hope to see more of Visconti's movie's in the future.