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Title: Journey to Italy (1954)
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| Complete credited cast: | |||
| Ingrid Bergman | ... | Katherine Joyce | |
| George Sanders | ... | Alex Joyce | |
 |
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 |
Married for eight years with no children, Brits Katherine and Alex Joyce are driving to Italy, their ultimate destination just outside of Naples to sell the villa they have just inherited from his uncle, the villa where they will be staying during their time there. On the drive, they come to the realization that this trip marks the first time that they have truly been alone together, and as such don't really know one another in the true sense. While in Italy, they end up mainly embarking on pursuits separate from each other - Katherine preferring the cultural, Alex preferring "company" including with some acquaintances they didn't know were in Naples until running into them on their first night in the city - and on the few occasions when they do spend time together, there is a tension and an underlying increasing want on both sides to hurt the other emotionally in their individual beliefs of what the other is thinking or has done in their time apart. As their marriage slowly falls ... Written by Huggo
Journey To Italy is one of those films with recognisable names in front and behind the lens and appears to be very acclaimed, most notably ranking very high in They Shoot Pictures Don't They's top 1000, yet I don't personally know anyone who's a fan. Besides Martin Scorsese, I can't name anyone who vouches for it. In starting the film, it's difficult to see why it deserves such a noteworthy position. It's quite haphazardly produced with clunky framing, editing and exposition in its script. I suppose it's a necessary evil essential to all films but it didn't seem to have much life to it. Perhaps it was ahead of its time in some regard. Fortunately I love Ingrid Bergman and I felt her performance was remarkably subdued, particularly in her reaction shots. A lot internally going on there. Very whole-hearted compared to George Sanders who relies on bulky screen presence.
The plot continues and dwindles as we follow the two characters independently exploring their impulses, Bergman inquiring the remains of Pompeii and Sanders experimenting with infidelity. It's difficult to be invested in such a neutral relationship, especially when the cameras don't really pick up the beauty of the scenery. The film hits fever pitch late and we swiftly come to the predictable conclusive moments and that's when something incredible happens. The film, or the version I watched, is a short 80 minutes and it must be all set to build to these final minutes. It becomes movie magic, both emotional in the characters and the suddenly electrifying camera-work. Even though the catalyst is something you can see coming, the film feels worth it for that satisfying sense of love in the end. It's a shame the film is so unbalanced and it could've delivered more treats along the way, but I guess I can kind of see what Marty sees in it.
7/10