6 - Viaggio in Italia: Ingrid Bergman and a New Cinema of Psychological Introspection

Summary

The history of the Italian critical reception of Viaggio in Italia reflects a singular chronicle of incomprehension, whereas in France the film was greeted with exaggerated, sometimes delirious praise. Attacks upon the film in Italy surpassed previous levels of invective. For example, one article advised Rossellini to find another means of employment:

The only possibility still remaining to Rossellini in considering himself a great director is that of definitively retiring from the screen and of removing from circulation his last four or five films. To change one's profession in certain circumstances is, without a doubt, the wisest thing one can do.

Another venomous review found fault with every detail of the film:

Viaggio in Italia does nothing but confirm the absolute, progressive, and irremediable decadence of Rossellini. It is sad to have to say of a director who has given us notable, even if overrated, films such as Roma città aperta and Paisà what we have to say. But it is also incomprehensible how an artist can reach similar disequilibria in his work, stooping to such infamies as Viaggio in Italia. In this film, there is no subject, no dialogue, no script, no direction. It is a jumble of images that revolve around emptily, tediously, without the slightest glimmer of interest.… Viaggio in Italia is more than an ugly film. It is a true and proper insult to the intelligence of the audience.