Story of a Love Affair (1950)

Paola is a young, beautiful woman married to a wealthy entrepreneur. She meets her former lover Guido after seven years, but their relationship is marked by tragic events.

Director:

Michelangelo Antonioni

Writers:

Michelangelo Antonioni (story), Michelangelo Antonioni (screenplay)

Stars:

Lucia Bosé, Massimo Girotti, Ferdinando Sarmi

2 wins.

Cast

Credited cast:
Lucia Bosé	...	Paola Molon Fontana
Massimo Girotti	...	Guido
Ferdinando Sarmi	...	Enrico Fontana
Gino Rossi	...	Carloni, the detective
Marika Rowsky	...	Joy, the model
Rosi Mirafiore	...	Barmaid
Rubi D'Alma	...	Paola's friend
Anita Farra
Carlo Gazzabini	...	(as Carlo Gazzapini)
Nardo Rimediotti
Renato Burrini
Vittorio Manfrino
Vittoria Mondello	...	Matilde
Franco Fabrizi	...	Fashion show presentator
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Gino Cervi

Storyline

Paola (Lucia Bose) is the beautiful and jealously-guarded younger wife of a shady factory owner, Enrico Fontana (Ferdinando Sarmi). In order to investigate her romantic history he hires a private detective, which ironically brings Paola back into contact with former lover Guido (Massimo Girotti), with whom she resurrects a lost passion. Dogged by the suspicions of their respective mates, they are drawn closer to each other in the face of adversity, and begin to plot Enrico's demise. But when the challenge of being together falls away, will the passion start to wane? A masterpiece of intensity and finely-wrought emotion.

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Plot Keywords:

italy | passion | private detective | directorial debut | infidelity | 

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Taglines:

Where Antonioni begins...his first feature film

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Romance

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

Italy

Language:

Italian

Release Date:

30 April 1975 (USA)

Also Known As:

Paula

Filming Locations:

FERT Studios, Turin, Piedmont, Italy

Company Credits

Production Co:

Villani Film

Technical Specs

Runtime:

98 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Award: Best director award at the Punta del Este Film Festival (1951).

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Goofs

After Paola says, "Leave me alone," the camera moves to follow her as she collapses onto her bed. In the upper right corner of the frame, a white drape can be briefly seen before it is pulled out of the path of the camera.

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Connections

Referenced in Antonioni: Documents and Testimonials (1965)

User Reviews

This DVD is an absolute must for all really keen movie fans!

To date, there are 13 reviews of this film. Perhaps all the writers saw this movie theatrically. I have the Bo-ying version of USA'a NoShame DVD, and, to say the least, it certainly ranks as the most extraordinary DVD I've ever seen in my life! Presumably, as the original negative was destroyed in a fire in 1989, this DVD has been reconstructed from bits and pieces of the original Italian version and the dubbed English-language version, and then re-sub-titled. A huge effort has been made to make the LOOK of the film consistent -- even when the version used changes -- which it OFTEN does -- right in the middle of a scene! And would you believe that -- with this direct comparison facing us every couple of minutes -- the English-language version is actually superior to the original Italian. The acting is superior and even the syncing is better. (As most of you know, all Italian films are post-dubbed -- and not necessarily by the original actors). But that's not the end of the matter. The sub-titles we see with our eyes often don't fully agree with what we hear with our ears. In at least two cases, the sub-titles (presumably based on the Italian version) are the exact opposite to what we actually hear! And many of the titles also carry extra (rather than less) information. As for the movie itself, I loved it! Beautifully photographed, exquisitely acted, and most engagingly directed. Until now, I was not an Antonioni fan. But anyone who loves streetcars is a friend forever. And there are more streetcars in "Story of a Love Affair" than in any other movie I can think of, except Bunuel's wonderful 1953 homage, "Illusion Travels by Streetcar".