Voyage to Italy (1953) by Robert Rossellini
Sunday, September 18, 1983, 7:30 pm
Robert Rossellini’s Voyage to Italy
Italy, 1953, 75 min.There are few films which somehow surmount the rather insular and hypnotic nature of the medium itself and actually produce a direct inspiration for openness. This highly noble home movie starring Ingrid Bergman and George Sanders is a genuinely raw and truthful exploration of a love affair. Rossellini’s stance, so to speak, is pure discovery. Seldom in cinema are we allowed to participate in an exploration of reality which is so naked and disarming. In many ways it is the first modern movie, and in many ways it is the best modern movie. It echoes our history and makes our hearts reverberate with impermanence. Rossellini has said, “If you have no humility, how can you approach the truth? How can you make an error? You can build an opinion, but that is pride. I am never tied to loving one thing or another, I do what is necessary for me to be clear.” — Nathaniel Dorsky.