Roberto
Rossellini is considered the godfather of Italian neorealism, having inspired
the movement with his internationally successful Rome Open City (1945). This film and his next, Paison (1946), utilized the bombed out cities devastated by World
War II in order to make films with real locations rather than sets. They also
often used non-actors for the roles, so many saw it as a betrayal when
Rossellini began working with Swedish actress turned Hollywood
star, Ingrid Bergman. The professional relationship quickly became a romantic
one, though never entirely private.
The gossip about
their relationship may have tainted audience perception at the time of release,
or perhaps it was more of the stylistic departure that Rossellini had taken,
but these three films are much more highly regarded today than they were
initially received. The romantic and professional partners in film collaborated
on six films together, with the three most notable included in this fabulous
box set. Stromboli, Europe ’51, and Journey to Italy
have more in common than simply the star and director, also pairing together
quite nicely as a trilogy of films about the difficulties of marriage.
Europe ’51 (1952) plays down the aspects
of marriage compared to the other two films in this set, though it clearly
shows a breakdown in familial bliss when the bourgeois ideology of consumerism
is not enough to keep the family together. The movie begins with a dinner party
which has a couple of socialites too preoccupied to tend to their needy child.
When this neglect leads to a suicide attempt and subsequent death, the child’s
mother, Irene (Bergman), is forced to look at the world differently. Suddenly
aware of the suffering around her, Irene becomes dedicated to a
self-sacrificial lifestyle which inevitably leads to her demise. The final
bleak message of the film is that too much generosity and good will may be
construed as mental illness in the world we live in.
Journey to Italy
(1954) was the most commercially viable of Rossellini’s collaborations with
Bergman, charting the decline of marital bliss between an English husband and
wife (Bergman and George Sanders) on a road trip in the country near Naples
All three movies
are presented with digital restoration and the original monaural soundtrack. Stromboli is presented with a 4K digital
restoration, and also has a 2K digital restoration of the Italian-language
version, Stromboli terra di Dio. Europe ’51 is also available in two versions: a 2K digital restoration of
the English-language version and a high-definition restoration of the
Italian-language version, which is 9 minutes longer and a different cut of the
same material. There is only one version of Journey to Italy
All three films
come with an optional introduction by Rossellini, as well as a plethora of
other features with film critics and filmmakers alike praising the
collaborations between these two international legends, including new interviews
with film critic Adriano Aprà . Stromboli
also has a making-of documentary from 1998 and Europe ’51 has a new interview with film historian Elena Dagrada on the
alternate versions of the film. Journey
to Italy has a commentary track with film scholar Laura Mulvey, as well as
new interviews from a handful of scholars and experts. The second disc has even
more, including an additional short film directed by Rossellini and starring
Bergman, and a documentary about each of them. There are also more interviews
with family members and some home footage.
Entertainment Value:
6.5/10
Quality of
Filmmaking: 9/10
Historical
Significance: 10/10
Disc Features: 10/10
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