Europa '51

Infobox Film
name = Europa '51


caption =
director = Roberto Rossellini
producer = Roberto Rossellini
Carlo Ponti
Dino De Laurentiis
writer = Roberto Rossellini
Sandro De Feo
Mario Pannunzio
Ivo Perilli
Brunello Rondi
starring = Ingrid Bergman
Alexander Knox
music = Renzo Rossellini
cinematography = Aldo Tonti
editing = Jolanda Benvenuti
distributor = I.F.E. Releasing Corporation
released = flagicon|Italy December 4, 1952
flagicon|Germany 1953
flagicon|US November 3, 1954
runtime = 113 min.
country = Italy
language = Italian
amg_id = 1:16129
imdb_id = 43511

"Europa '51" (also known as "The Greatest Love") is a 1952 Italian neorealist film directed by Roberto Rossellini, starring Ingrid Bergman and Alexander Knox.

Background

Having a fascination with Francis of Assisi, Roberto Rossellini decided to create a film that placed a person of Francis of Assisi's character in post-war Italy and showed what the consequences would be. [cite web |url=http://www.cinema.ucla.edu/calendar/calendardetails.aspx?details_type=2&id=222#screening_826 |title=Roberto Rossellini: A Retrospective - Series Details - Europa '51 |accessdate=2007-03-13 |work=UCLA Film and Television Archive ]

ynopsis

Irene (Ingrid Bergman) and George Girard (Alexander Knox) are a wealthy couple living in post-war Rome with their son Michele (Sandro Franchina). 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 being an attentive mother. As a result, Michele attempts suicide by falling through a stairwell several stories, fracturing his hip.

At the hospital, Irene promises to never leave Michele and to be more attentive, but he dies soon after from a blood clot. Irene, shocked by her son's death, is bedridden for ten days, before enlisting the help of Andrea Casatti (Ettore Giannini) to help her overcome her grief. Being a communist, he takes her to the poorer parts of Rome and leads her into donating her time and money to help people there. While there, she gives the money for a boy's medical treatment, helps a woman with six children to find a job at a factory (which she has a life changing experience working at for a day in order to fill in for the woman), and cares for a woman of bad reputation who is dying of consumption.

As a result of helping these people, she spends less and less time at home. Her husband comes to the conclusion that she is having an affair with Andrea, which causes her to leave him. In addition, she is picked up by the police after helping a boy who had stolen escape (she had told him to turn himself in).

While in custody, the husband and the authorities decide to put her in a mental institution. At the end of the film, she is up for review on whether she would stay there permanently with the result being that her philosophy of helping people was dangerous for the fragile post-war society. Therefore, she becomes a permanent member of the institution.

Cast

Awards

Ingrid Bergman won the 1953 Silver Ribbon award from the Italian National Syndicate of Film Journalists for her performance. In addition, Roberto Rossellini won the International Award and was nominated for the Golden Lion award at the 1952 Venice Film Festival.

Notes

External links

*
*