Il Grido (1957)

A man wanders aimlessly, away from his town, away from the woman he loved, emotionally and socially inactive.

Director:

Michelangelo Antonioni

Writers:

Michelangelo Antonioni (idea), Michelangelo Antonioni (screenplay)

Stars:

Gabriella Pallotta, Steve Cochran, Alida Valli

3 wins & 3 nominations.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Steve Cochran	...	Aldo
Alida Valli	...	Irma
Dorian Gray	...	Virginia
Jacqueline Jones	...	Andreina (as Lyn Shaw)
Gabriella Pallotta	...	Edera, her sister (as Gabriella Pallotti)
Pina Boldrini	...	Lina
Guerrino Campanilli	...	Virginia's father
Mirna Girardi	...	Rosina
Lilia Landi
Gaetano Matteucci	...	Edera's fiancé
Betsy Blair	...	Elvia

Storyline

After living seven years with the mechanic Aldo, having a daughter with him, the simple woman Irma is informed that her absent husband had just died in Sydney. She becomes upset when Aldo proposes to marry her and she tells him that she is going to leave him. Unable to explain how much he loves her, Aldo takes their daughter Rosina and travels with her, meeting different women in different places, trying to establish a new relationship and fill the emptiness of his sentimental life. He visits his former lover Elvia; he meets and lives with the widow Virginia, who owns a gas station; he lives with the prostitute Andreina. But these relationships never complete the needy Aldo.

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Plot Keywords:

italy | mechanic | valley | refinery | gas station | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Did You Know?

Trivia

In Italian, Il Grido (1957) means "The Outcry". The film was released in English-speaking territories as "The Cry".

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Goofs

[All goofs for this title are spoilers.]

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Connections

Referenced in Cinema Paradiso (1988)

User Reviews

Echo of Winterreise

Other reviews to the contrary, if you found Le Notte or L'Eclisse lacked sufficient plot, I doubt you'll enjoy Il Grido. However, unlike later Antonioni, the focus here is not on fear of commitment & loss of passion, but on a classic spurned lover. Like L'Eclisse, Il Grido begins with breakup, magnificently acted & powerfully filmed; we feel each shudder of pain. In fact, both films' power rests on us sharing this experience, second by second, nerve-end by nerve-end. Note Irma's efforts to hold to the fabric of order & routine to keep a lid on Aldo's fury & the careful portrayal of Aldo's frustrations.

Il Grido's opening builds to a very public & final breakup. It initiates Aldo's journey away from Irma & home. I kept thinking of Schubert's song cycle, Winterreise. In both, after rejection the protagonist's world ceases to hold together. Only here the descent isn't into winter but into fog, industrial sprawl, & ever more spartan existence. Even the piano which accompanies Aldo reminded me of lieder.

The opening's not quite picturesque scenery may suggest nurturing home values. Unlike couples in other Antonioni classics, Aldo & Irma have a daughter, & to Aldo their lives seemed fulfilled. The almost picturesque is soon replaced by encroaching industrial sounds & images. Several times we see trees felled as an old order is being swept away. At film's end, the whole town is slated for demolition, & we are asked to contemplate the relation between the Winterreise-like main text of lost love & this subtext of industrial sprawl & oppressive, intrusive government. No clear connection is given, but as in later Antonioni, the images work their effect as much on our subconscious as on our intellect; whether we can verbalize our thoughts or not, we feel this rupture with earlier values & social structures. For me, Il Grido is a more honest film than L'Avventura. If it lacks a bit of the elegant, refined photo compositions of Antonioni's trilogy, it rests on the same detailed, carefully structured cinematography.

Details

Country:

Italy USA

Language:

Italian

Release Date:

9 October 1958 (Portugal)

Also Known As:

The Outcry

Filming Locations:

Francolino, Ferrara, Ferrara, Emilia-Romagna, Italy

Company Credits

Production Co:

SpA Cinematografica, Robert Alexander Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

116 min 103 min (censored)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1