Le notti bianche (1957)

User Rating:

7.7/10   

Director:

Luchino Visconti

Writers:

Fyodor Dostoyevsky (novel)
Suso Cecchi d'Amico (story) ...
(more)

Release Date:

28 May 1961 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Romance

Plot:

A humble clerk courts a woman who night after night awaits for the return of her lover.

Plot Keywords:

Love | Dance | Snow | Prostitution | Modern Day Adaptation

Awards:

6 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

Maria Schell	...	Natalia
Marcello Mastroianni	...	Mario
Jean Marais	...	Tenant
Marcella Rovena	...	Landlady
Maria Zanoli	...	Maid (as Maria Zanolli)
Elena Fancera	...	cashier
Lanfranco Ceccarelli
Angelo Galassi
Renato Terra
Corrado Pani
Dirk Sanders	...	Dancer
Clara Calamai	...	Prostitute
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Giorgio Albertazzi	...	Narrator (voice)
Lys Assia	...	Singer - Scusami
Romano Barbieri	...	Son
Alberto Carloni	...	Innkeeper
Pietro Ceccarelli
Anna Filippini	...	Daughter
Carla Foscari
Ferdinando Gerra	...	Father
Giorgio Listuzzi	...	Police Man
Leonilde Montesi	...	Mother
Sandro Moretti	...	Young Man
Winni Riva
Sandra Verani

Directed by
Luchino Visconti

Writing credits
Fyodor Dostoyevsky		(novel "White Nights/Belye noci") (as Fedor Dostoevskij)
Suso Cecchi d'Amico		(story and screenplay) and
Luchino Visconti		(story and screenplay)

Produced by
Franco Cristaldi	....	producer

Original Music by
Nino Rota

Cinematography by
Giuseppe Rotunno

Film Editing by
Mario Serandrei

Production Design by
Mario Chiari

Set Decoration by
Enzo Eusepi

Costume Design by
Piero Tosi

Makeup Department
Alberto De Rossi	....	makeup artist
Renata Magnanti	....	hair stylist

Production Management
Guglielmo Colonna	....	production supervisor
Pietro Notarianni	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Nando Cicero	....	assistant director (as Fernando Cicero)
Albino Cocco	....	assistant director

Art Department
Mario Garbuglia	....	associate to production designer
Italo Tomassi	....	manager of art department (uncredited)

Sound Department
Oscar Di Santo	....	sound technician
Vittorio Trentino	....	sound technician

Camera and Electrical Department
Silvano Ippoliti	....	camera operator
Paul Ronald	....	still photographer

Editorial Department
Eva Latini	....	assistant editor
Ruggero Mastroianni	....	assistant editor

Music Department
Franco Ferrara	....	musical director
The Roland Shaw Orchestra	....	music performers (uncredited)

Other crew
Renato Jaboni	....	production secretary
Lucio Orlandini	....	production secretary
Gabriele Palmieri	....	script supervisor
Rinaldo Ricci	....	assistant to director
Vanda Tuzzi	....	script supervisor (as Wanda Tuzi)
Dirk Sanders	....	choreographer (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Rank Film (presents) (as La Rank Film Distributors of Italy)
• Cinematografica Associati (CI.AS.)
• Vides Cinematografica (as Franco Cristaldi per la Vides)

Distributors

• Rank Film (1957) (Italy) (theatrical)
• Rank (1958) (France) (theatrical)
• Cristaldifilm (2000) (worldwide) (all media)
• United Motion Pictures Organization (UMPO) (1961) (USA) (theatrical) (subtitled)
• Cecchi Gori Home Video (2007) (Italy) (DVD)
• Cable Hogue Co. (1988) (Japan) (theatrical) (revival)
• Criterion Collection, The (2005) (USA) (DVD)
• Dolmen Home Video (2007) (Italy) (DVD)
• Homescreen (2007) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Kinokuniya (2004) (Japan) (DVD)

Other Companies

• Istituto Nazionale Luce  publicity

Also Known As:

Nuits blanches (France)
White Nights

Runtime:

Germany:97 min | Italy:107 min | USA:97 min

Country:

Italy | France

Language:

Italian

Color:

Black and White

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Netherlands:6 | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15 | West Germany:16

Filming Locations:

Cinecittà Studios, Cinecittà, Rome, Lazio, Italy

Company:

Rank Film

Movie Connections:

Featured in Z Channel: A Magnificent Obsession (2004) (TV)

Soundtrack:

O' Cangaceiro

many worlds, one idea

Luchino Visconti's adaptation of Fyodor Dostoyevsky's classic novel fits in perfectly with post-WWII Italy. Marcello Mastroianni and Maria Schell play people from dissimilar backgrounds who meet one night in an Italian town and strike up a relationship.

An important aspect is their backgrounds. He has moved in from out of town, but has quickly gotten to know part of the town. While she has lived in the town her whole life, her grandmother has kept her close and never allowed her to see the other side of the town; she earlier struck up a relationship with another man (Jean Marais), but he left and she doesn't know whether or not he'll return. So then, Marcello Mastroianni and Maria Schell meet on the bridge (the link not only between the two sides of the town, but between the characters' different worlds).

Another representation of contrasts between the separate worlds is shown by the different types of music. In one scene, Maria Schell and her grandmother go to see "Barber of Seville", one of the all-time classic operas. In the restaurant scene, someone plays a Bill Haley song, emblematic of modern music. Luchino Visconti was no fan of rock and roll, but probably felt that it would make for an evocative scene in this case.

But anyway, "Le notti bianche" (or "White Nights") remains an important part of Italy's cinematic history. I hope to see more of Visconti's movie's in the future.