Europe ’51
Europe ’51 • 1h 49m
Directed by Roberto Rossellini • 1952 • Italy
Starring Ingrid Bergman, Alexander Knox
In the English-language version of this film, Ingrid Bergman plays a wealthy, self-absorbed Rome socialite racked by guilt over the shocking death of her young son. As a way of dealing with her grief and finding meaning in her life, she decides to devote her time and money to the city’s poor and sick. Her newfound, single-minded activism leads to conflicts with her husband and questions about her sanity. The intense, often overlooked EUROPE ’51 was, according to Rossellini, a retelling of his own THE FLOWERS OF ST. FRANCIS from a female perspective. This unabashedly political but sensitively conducted investigation of modern sainthood was the director’s favorite of his films.
Up Next in Europe ’51
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Europa ’51
Directed by Roberto Rossellini • 1952 • Italy
Starring Ingrid Bergman, Alexander KnoxIn the Italian-language version of this film, Ingrid Bergman plays a wealthy, self-absorbed Rome socialite racked by guilt over the shocking death of her young son. As a way of dealing with her grief and findin...
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Roberto Rossellini on EUROPE ’51
The following introduction by director Roberto Rossellini was shot for “Roberto Rossellini Presents,” a 1963 French television series that broadcast his films. It was directed by Jean-Marie Coldefy.
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Adriano Aprà on EUROPE ’51
In this 2011 interview, film critic Adriano Aprà discusses how, in EUROPE ’51, director Roberto Rossellini was working in a more didactic mode than in his earlier films, one that anticipated his later television work.
