247. Europa '51 (1952)

Directed By Roberto Rossellini

Synopsis

A woman loses her young son to suicide and trying to understand the reasons why dabbles in communism and Christianity until she comes to a general sense of creating a better life for her fellow humans. This is of course completely out of place in the Italian high society of the time and she ends up in a mental institution while the working classes outside claim that she is a saint.

Review

This is a film that is surprisingly close to Ikiru in theme, a person tries to do what's best due to a sense of abnegation and no one understands her, particularly the fact that she is not doing this out of some ideological, political or religious ideal, much like Mr. Watanabe was doing it simply to feel alive and not for recognition or to take any dividends from it. The lesson to take is that this post-war society is too cynical to presume that goodness can exist without an ulterior motive or insanity.

In this respect the film brings us quite interesting questions, but then it is never as accomplished as Ikiru, Rossellini is too heavy handed in his religious parallels, Bergman plays a Christ like figure that when listened to by the Priest is confronted with his conformity to the established order, playing the part of Caiphas, the Jewish high-priest to her Christ.

All this plays in a quite melodramatic way that does not do many favours for the film, while Ikiru makes you think and cry beyond being a superbly crafted piece of film making, this film just makes you think.

Final Grade

7/10

Trivia

From Wikipedia:

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.


A Making Of, Bergman is then dubbed into Italian for the final film: