Europa '51
| Europe '51 | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Directed by | Roberto Rossellini |
| Produced by | Roberto Rossellini Carlo Ponti Dino De Laurentiis |
| Written by | Roberto Rossellini Sandro De Feo Mario Pannunzio Ivo Perilli Brunello Rondi |
| Starring |
Ingrid Bergman Alexander Knox |
| Music by | Renzo Rossellini |
| Cinematography | Aldo Tonti |
| Edited by | Jolanda Benvenuti |
| Distributed by | I.F.E. Releasing Corporation |
|
Release date
|
4 December 1952 (Italy) 1953 (Germany) November 3, 1954 (U.S.) |
|
Running time
|
113 minutes |
| Country | Italy |
| Language | English, Italian |
Europe '51 (Italian: Europa '51, Italian pronunciation: [euˈrɔpa tʃinkwanˈtuno], also known as The Greatest Love) is a 1952 Italian neorealist film directed by Roberto Rossellini, starring Alexander Knox and Ingrid Bergman as a woman who's declared insane after her son's suicide.
Long fascinated by Francis of Assisi, Roberto Rossellini decided to create a film that placed a person of the saint's character in post-war Italy and showed what the consequences would be. The film's sets were designed by Virgilio Marchi, a veteran Futurist architect.
Industrialist George Girard (Alexander Knox) and his wife Irene (Ingrid Bergman) are a wealthy couple living in post-war Rome with their son Michele (Sandro Franchina), and they host so many parties that their son feels neglected. During a dinner party, Michele constantly tries to get his mother's attention, but Irene is more interested in being a good hostess to her guests than an attentive mother, and as a result Michele attempts suicide by falling several stories down a stairwell, fracturing his hip.
At the hospital, Irene promises never to leave Michele and to be more attentive, but he dies soon after from a blood clot. Irene is bedridden for 10 days for depression, and when she finally comes out of it, she enlists the help of her cousin Andrea Casatti (Ettore Giannini) to help her overcome her grief. Andrea is a publisher and a Communist, and determines she needs to see "the other Rome," and takes her to the poorer parts of the city.
...
Wikipedia