Journey to Italy (1954)

An unhappily married couple attempts to find direction and insight while vacationing in Naples.

Director:

Roberto Rossellini

Writers:

Vitaliano Brancati (story and screenplay), Roberto Rossellini (story and screenplay)

Stars:

Ingrid Bergman, George Sanders, Maria Mauban

3 wins.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Ingrid Bergman	...	Katherine Joyce
George Sanders	...	Alexander 'Alex' Joyce (as Georges Sanders)
Maria Mauban	...	Marie (as Marie Mauban)
Anna Proclemer	...	La prostituta
Paul Muller	...	Paul Dupont
Anthony La Penna	...	Tony Burton (as Leslie Daniels)
Natalia Ray	...	Natalie Burton (as Natalia Rai)
Jackie Frost	...	Betty

Storyline

Catherine and Alexander, wealthy and sophisticated, drive to Naples to dispose of a deceased uncle's villa. There's a coolness in their relationship and aspects of Naples add to the strain. She remembers a poet who loved her and died in the war; although she didn't love him, the memory underscores romance's absence from her life now. She tours the museums of Naples and Pompeii, immersing herself in the Neapolitan fascination with the dead and noticing how many women are pregnant; he idles on Capri, flirting with women but drawing back from adultery. With her, he's sarcastic; with him, she's critical. They talk of divorce. Will this foreign couple find insight and direction in Italy?

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Plot Keywords:

married couple | capri | pompeii | italy | husband wife relationship | 

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Taglines:

A Dramatic and Unusual Love Story!

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

Italy France

Language:

English Italian

Release Date:

8 September 1954 (Italy)

Also Known As:

Strangers

Filming Locations:

Naples, Campania, Italy

Company Credits

Production Co:

Italia Film, Junior Film, Sveva Film

Technical Specs

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

George Sanders, in his 1960 autobiography, wrote at length about the making of this film, which he found an exasperating and unpleasant experience. He spoke witheringly about Roberto Rossellini, whom he characterized as being more interested in scuba-diving than in film-making. Although the tone of his remarks is one of amusement, it became known that Sanders (who had admired earlier Rossellini films) had been deeply affected by exposure to a style of film-making quite foreign to his previous experience, and had spent the shoot feeling frustrated and angry, often bursting into uncontrollable tears.

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Goofs

After deciding to leave Pompeii, and walking down the stairs for the exit, the arm and shoulder of a crew member appear in the lower right side of the screen.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Alexander 'Alex' Joyce: Where are we?
Katherine Joyce: Oh, I don't know exactly.

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Connections

Referenced in La última película (2013)

User Reviews

"Tell me. I want to hear you say it."

JOURNEY TO ITALY is a film about a failed marriage, unpleasant past, the empty present and uncertain future. The couple comes to Italy, in order to sell their inherited property. However, staying in Italy becomes a conflict of character and both spouses go into seclusion, unaware of the beauty of life and attractions that surround them ...

This movie is a combination between the social neo-realism and the psychological drama. The story is difficult to understand. It contains genuine periods of loneliness and anxiety. Characterization is very good and is based on changes in mood, emotions and the life logic. The symbolism of the Italian landscape and culture has probably stirred the passions of the majority of viewers. Although the couple is emotionally and spiritually depleted, and their marriage is jarring and painful and they can not resist the colorful images that surround them. The main protagonists are symbolically faced with marital problems such as infidelity and sterility. The final scene in the film, which contains a religious ceremony, symbolically shows that the protagonists must find more faith in love and preservation of marriage. Frankly, I would not agree.

Ingrid Bergman as Katherine Joyce is a lonely woman, who would like to run away from her unfaithful husband, but to her almost everything in this world is no longer interesting. Ms. Bergman is quite good in this role. However, it is obvious that she has no such lightness and passion for performance. George Sanders as Alexander 'Alex' Joyce is really a great choice for this role. The actor that barely shows emotions. Sarcasm and cynicism in the air.

For the Italian cinematography this movie is really something new. I do not experience it as a turning point. This is a very solid psychological drama.