Le notti bianche (1957)

Director:

Luchino Visconti

Writers:

Fyodor Dostoevsky (novel)
Suso Cecchi D'Amico (story) ...
(more)

Release Date:

28 May 1961 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Romance

Plot:

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

Plot Keywords:

Love | Dance | Unrequited Love | Italy | Prostitution

Awards:

7 wins & 1 nomination

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
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Giorgio Albertazzi	...	La voce narrante (uncredited)
Lys Assia	...	La cantante (uncredited)
Romano Barbieri	...	Il figlio della famiglia amica di Mario (uncredited)
Alberto Carloni	...	Il locandiere (uncredited)
Dino D'Aquilio	...	Un ragazzino (uncredited)
Enzo Doria	...	Il marinaio che balla (uncredited)
Anna Filippini	...	La figlia della famiglia amica di Mario (uncredited)
Carla Foscari	...	(uncredited)
Ferdinando Gerra	...	Il padre della famiglia amica di Mario (uncredited)
Giorgio Listuzzi	...	La guardia di finanza (uncredited)
Leonilde Montesi	...	La madre della famiglia amica di Mario (uncredited)
Sandro Moretti	...	Un giovinastro (uncredited)
Mimmo Palmara	...	L'uomo che gioca a carte con la prostituta (uncredited)
Winni Riva	...	(uncredited)
Sandra Verani	...	(uncredited)

Directed by
Luchino Visconti

Writing credits
Fyodor Dostoevsky		(novel "White Nights/Belye noci") (as Fedor Dostoevskij)
Suso Cecchi D'Amico		(story and screenplay) and
Luchino Visconti		(story and screenplay)

Produced by
Franco Cristaldi	....	producer

Original Music by
Nino Rota

Cinematography by
Giuseppe Rotunno

Film Editing by
Mario Serandrei

Production Design by
Mario Chiari

Set Decoration by
Enzo Eusepi

Costume Design by
Piero Tosi

Makeup Department
Alberto De Rossi	....	makeup artist
Renata Magnanti	....	hair stylist

Production Management
Guglielmo Colonna	....	production supervisor
Pietro Notarianni	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Nando Cicero	....	assistant director (as Fernando Cicero)
Albino Cocco	....	assistant director

Art Department
Mario Garbuglia	....	assistant production designer
Italo Tomassi	....	art department manager (uncredited)

Sound Department
Oscar Di Santo	....	sound technician
Vittorio Trentino	....	sound technician

Camera and Electrical Department
Silvano Ippoliti	....	camera operator
Paul Ronald	....	still photographer

Editorial Department
Eva Latini	....	assistant editor
Ruggero Mastroianni	....	assistant editor

Music Department
Franco Ferrara	....	musical director
The Roland Shaw Orchestra	....	music performers (uncredited)

Other crew
Renato Jaboni	....	production secretary
Lucio Orlandini	....	production secretary
Gabriele Palmieri	....	script supervisor
Rinaldo Ricci	....	assistant to director
Vanda Tuzzi	....	script supervisor (as Wanda Tuzi)
Giorgio Albertazzi	....	voice dubbing: Jean Marais (uncredited)
Dirk Sanders	....	choreographer (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Cinematografica Associati (CI.AS.) (co-production)
• Rank Film (presents) (as La Rank Film Distributors of Italy)
• Vides Cinematografica (as Franco Cristaldi per la Vides) (co-production)

Distributors

• Rank Film (1957) (Italy) (theatrical)
• Rank (1958) (France) (theatrical)
• United Motion Pictures Organization (UMPO) (1961) (USA) (theatrical) (subtitled)
• Cristaldifilm (2000) (worldwide) (all media)
• Cecchi Gori Home Video (2007) (Italy) (DVD)
• Cable Hogue Co. (1988) (Japan) (theatrical) (revival)
• Criterion Collection, The (2005) (USA) (DVD)
• Dolmen Home Video (2007) (Italy) (DVD)
• Homescreen (2007) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Kinokuniya (2004) (Japan) (DVD)

Other Companies

• Istituto Nazionale Luce  publicity

Also Known As:

"White Nights" - , International (English title) (literal title)

Runtime:

Germany:97 min | Italy:107 min | USA:97 min

Country:

Italy | France

Language:

Italian

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15 | West Germany:16 | Netherlands:6 | Portugal:M/12 (Qualidade) | USA:Not Rated

Filming Locations:

Cinecittà Studios, Cinecittà, Rome, Lazio, Italy

Company:

Cinematografica Associati (CI.AS.)

Trivia:

Austrian actress Maria Schell learnt the script in Italian and spoke all her lines in Italian during the shooting, which won her the admiration of the Italian cast and crew. It was subsequently decided not to dub her voice by an Italian actress, which was the usual practice at the time.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Z Channel: A Magnificent Obsession (2004) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Thirteen Women

Strikingly beautiful

Not so much a neo realist film but rather a dreamlike adaptation of a Dostoyevsky short story, this one is a beautiful story of a fairy tale romance and disappointment.

Mastroianni gives a wonderful performance as the third wheel on this love triangle. As he is the point of identification for the viewer, it is really difficult to say whether this one has a happy end or not...

Highly recommended especially for the ingenious combination of neo realist imagery and old world romantic storytelling.