Despite having heard about him for years,I have never seen a film involving auteur film maker Federico Fellini.Reading a terrific review on IMDb's European Cinema board,I discovered that I had recently picked up a title co-written by Fellini,which led to me getting ready to take my first glimpse at Fellini's work.
The plot-
Post-war Italy.
Leaving her job, Angela Borghi decides to go and track down her brother Carlo. Travelling on a train to the last city that Carlo lived in, Borghi gets caught in the middle of a gunfight,which leads to American solider Jerry Jackson getting wounded.Finding Jackson dying on the floor,Borghi takes Pity on Jackson and stops the train and gets him to a hospital.
Entering the city with Jackson,Borghi finds out that Carlo worked for local crime lord Pier Luigi.Meeting Luigi,Borghi's is horrified to find out that Luigi has killed Carlo.Being in complete control of the city,Luigi arranges for army supplies to be sold on the black market,in order for him to continue fulfilling the vices of the war- torn residence of the city. Getting Jackson sent to jail after learning that he has fallen in love for Borghi,Luigi decides to make Borghi work in his brothel,where Borghi begins to think that no one will ever show pity on her.
View on the film:
Working as a co-writer,Fellini gives a rough sketch to his future themes,from the central focus on women under extreme conditions, to Borghi and Jackson going on a date which allows Fellini to pay an early visit to the fun fare.Taking an unflinching look at the "casual" racism of the period,the screenplay by co-writer/(along with Fellini/Ettore Maria Margadonna & Tullio Pinelli) director Alberto Lattuada bravely take on the subject in a frank manner, (which led to the film being banded in the US and UK) as Borghi and Jackson fight against being segregated till the tragic end.Keeping Borghi & Jackson's romance bubbling away,the writers thread risqué Pre-Code-style melodrama with outstanding Film Noir,with Borghi being surrounded by crisp,non-restrained one liners in the brothel,and Luigi doing everything to burn the hope that the lovers hold,and place them in a vice grip of Film Noir darkness.
Filmed on the bombed streets of Italy,director Lattuada & cinematographer Aldo Tonti cast a Neo-Realist eye over the destruction,by casting deep,rich shadows and looming shots over Borghi's and Jackson's romance,which leads to the decaying building being given a poetic quality.Along with the Neo-Realist hues,Lattuada also strikes the film with a superb Film Noir and Pre- Code edge,as the light from Borghi's life disappears in Luigi's stylishly low-lit brothel,and Jackson gets locked away in a tough,gritty segregated prison.
Being the first black actor to win at the Cannes Film Fest,appear in the first Bond movie and be involved in the liberation of Italy (where he lived for the rest of his life) John Kitzmiller (who tragically died from cirrhosis of the liver at age 51 on February 23, 1965) gives an incredibly powerful performance as Jackson.Smoothly switching between speaking Italian and English,Kitzmiller allows Jackson's love for Borghi to sink in in a superbly subtle manner,as Kitzmiller crosses Jackson's tenderness for Borghi with the war-torn fury of a Film Noir outsider.Joined by a perky Giulietta Masina, (aka: Fellini's wife) Carla Del Poggio (who was married to Lattuada for 60 years) gives a stunning performance as Borghi,thanks to Poggio reflecting Borghi's fragility in the war trodden landscape,and also wrapping a simmering passion over Borghi's love for Jackson,as they find themselves in a town without pity.
The plot-
Post-war Italy.
Leaving her job, Angela Borghi decides to go and track down her brother Carlo. Travelling on a train to the last city that Carlo lived in, Borghi gets caught in the middle of a gunfight,which leads to American solider Jerry Jackson getting wounded.Finding Jackson dying on the floor,Borghi takes Pity on Jackson and stops the train and gets him to a hospital.
Entering the city with Jackson,Borghi finds out that Carlo worked for local crime lord Pier Luigi.Meeting Luigi,Borghi's is horrified to find out that Luigi has killed Carlo.Being in complete control of the city,Luigi arranges for army supplies to be sold on the black market,in order for him to continue fulfilling the vices of the war- torn residence of the city. Getting Jackson sent to jail after learning that he has fallen in love for Borghi,Luigi decides to make Borghi work in his brothel,where Borghi begins to think that no one will ever show pity on her.
View on the film:
Working as a co-writer,Fellini gives a rough sketch to his future themes,from the central focus on women under extreme conditions, to Borghi and Jackson going on a date which allows Fellini to pay an early visit to the fun fare.Taking an unflinching look at the "casual" racism of the period,the screenplay by co-writer/(along with Fellini/Ettore Maria Margadonna & Tullio Pinelli) director Alberto Lattuada bravely take on the subject in a frank manner, (which led to the film being banded in the US and UK) as Borghi and Jackson fight against being segregated till the tragic end.Keeping Borghi & Jackson's romance bubbling away,the writers thread risqué Pre-Code-style melodrama with outstanding Film Noir,with Borghi being surrounded by crisp,non-restrained one liners in the brothel,and Luigi doing everything to burn the hope that the lovers hold,and place them in a vice grip of Film Noir darkness.
Filmed on the bombed streets of Italy,director Lattuada & cinematographer Aldo Tonti cast a Neo-Realist eye over the destruction,by casting deep,rich shadows and looming shots over Borghi's and Jackson's romance,which leads to the decaying building being given a poetic quality.Along with the Neo-Realist hues,Lattuada also strikes the film with a superb Film Noir and Pre- Code edge,as the light from Borghi's life disappears in Luigi's stylishly low-lit brothel,and Jackson gets locked away in a tough,gritty segregated prison.
Being the first black actor to win at the Cannes Film Fest,appear in the first Bond movie and be involved in the liberation of Italy (where he lived for the rest of his life) John Kitzmiller (who tragically died from cirrhosis of the liver at age 51 on February 23, 1965) gives an incredibly powerful performance as Jackson.Smoothly switching between speaking Italian and English,Kitzmiller allows Jackson's love for Borghi to sink in in a superbly subtle manner,as Kitzmiller crosses Jackson's tenderness for Borghi with the war-torn fury of a Film Noir outsider.Joined by a perky Giulietta Masina, (aka: Fellini's wife) Carla Del Poggio (who was married to Lattuada for 60 years) gives a stunning performance as Borghi,thanks to Poggio reflecting Borghi's fragility in the war trodden landscape,and also wrapping a simmering passion over Borghi's love for Jackson,as they find themselves in a town without pity.