Roberto Rossellini was a central figure of Italian Neo-realism (perhaps the most innovative and influential movement in cinematic history) after his film, 'Roma, citta aperta' kickstarted the movement in 1945. 'Viaggio in Italia', however, is quite a different film to the Neo-realist projects that had dominated Italian cinema for several years, and it featured a Hollywood star in Ingrid Bergman, whom Rossellini had conducted a controversial affair with before marrying.
The story is that of a wealthy English couple, Katherine and Alexander (Bergman and George Sanders), as they travel to Italy to sell the house of his uncle. During the course of their journey they discover the uneasy discomfort at the centre of the marriage and their actual disinterest in one another. As they follow their seperate paths, she explores Italian history, connecting with the country and the remarkable historical and natural phenomena of the area surrounding Naples, whilst he stays in Capri in pursuit of a French woman with her own marital problems, before their marriage disintegrates entirely and then almost as suddenly, begins to rebuild itself.
What's good about the film is its story - a subtle exploration of two characters and their relationship, not only with each other but the world that surrounds them and places varying pressures on them. Unfortunately, on a technical level the film was rather disappointing and I was left slightly confused by the film's strong reputation.
George Sanders' acting, firstly, is fairly unevocative and unengaging. To be fair, he plays an emotionally detached man with a sense of arrogance and disinterest that isolates him within this foreign environment. But we've seen Marcello Mastroianni play this sort of character so much better in 'La Dolce Vita' by Rossellini's counterpart, Federico Fellini, and I can't help thinking the film would be much stronger with a performance like that. Bergman's performance is better but she is still not an appealing character, rather vague and emotional, betraying the melodrama the Neo-realist films could sometimes be guilty of. Neither are particularly helped by the dialogue, which is not quite as subtle as the story itself, and doesn't really portray anything of interest. I've read much about the great chemistry between the two of them and the intensity of their relationship falling apart, but I just didn't believe in in that much and felt unmoved. I was much more struck by the scenes they spend apart.
Technically the editing is very poor, with the poor continuity seemingly betraying poor planning or control from Rossellini. One scene in particular, taking place in a car, features several uncomfortable jumps, not following the accustomed rules of editing but not used in an innovative way, say as in Godard's later 'A bout de souffle', either. These peculiar edits sit uncomfortably within the rest of the film, which, unlike the earlier Neo-realist films, strives for a rather polished look. Having said that, the camera movement is often brilliantly fluid with complex tracking shots and overall the effect and atmosphere is not lost.
The film has several moments of intensity and effectiveness. Katherine's visits to various places of interest are always powerful, from the catacombs of the dead where the locals adopt a skeleton to care for as though it were their own lost loved one, to the volcanic openings that swell with steam when softly blown upon with heat. These remarkable moments metaphorically suggest the inner workings of organisms, relationships and love, in a much better way than any narrative would, and they are beautifully photographed, making this an aesthetically pleasing film focusing on the most special (and exotic) aspects of Italian and Neapolitan culture.
The film is heralded as brilliant for its depiction of 'nothing', simply a sense of boredom and emptiness which pervades its character's lives. It's particularly evocative of Antonioni's films in the 60s, and the relationship between characters and their surroundings, suggesting an emotional affinity, is very much an Antonioni trait. Also, as before mentioned, its influence can be seen on Godard, or even on Jim Jarmusch's 'Stranger Than Paradise'. I feel, however, that all of those films that followed also surpassed 'Viaggio in Italia'. Why should 'Stranger Than Paradise', Jarmusch's first proper feature, be so much more technically assured than Rossellini's twentiy-fourth? And how does Antonioni convey emotional detachment with so much more interest and intelligence? Even earlier Rossellini films have been better technically, even if the thematic power of this film makes it one of his best.
I won't say the film is bad, it's not, in some ways it's incredible, but I will say it was a disappointment considering the reputation afforded it. I would definitely recommend the films of Antonioni, Godard and Jarmusch, as well as other New Wave directors who clearly loved and were inspired by the film. I acknowledge the film would also have seemed much more fresh and exciting at the time of its release, but now it does seem a bit of a relic and not really as timeless as Antonioni's 'L'eclisse' or Godard's 'Le Mepris', which can easily be compared stylistically and thematically to 'Viaggio in Italia'. It's still worth seeing mind, it's just personally I didn't find what I was hoping for...much like Katherine and Alexander.
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