Golden Age Masterpiece: Luchino Visconti’s 1957 “White Nights”

Photo Credit: Archivio Luce Cinecittà

Luchino Visconti’s 1957 film, “White Nights” (“Le notti bianche”), offers a thoughtful and poignant exploration of themes such as loneliness, desire and emotional vulnerability. Based on Fyodor Dostoevsky’s novella of the same name, it transports the tale from 19th-century St. Petersburg to a dreamy mid-20th-century Italian setting. While Visconti remains largely faithful to Dostoevsky’s narrative, his characteristic style infuses the film with emotional depth, striking visuals, and a focus on class and societal constraints.

The story follows a young man named Matteo, played by Marcello Mastroianni, who lives a solitary life in a small Italian town. One evening, he encounters a beautiful young woman named Natalia, portrayed by Austrian-Swiss actress Maria Schell, who is also feeling isolated. Although she is initially reluctant, Natalia eventually confides in Matteo about her love for a man who has promised to return and marry her, but he has been absent for some time. Over the course of four nights, Matteo and Natalia grow closer, with Matteo falling in love with her, despite the fact that she remains emotionally tied to another man.

Visconti’s adaptation retains the central themes of loneliness and the search for connection found in Dostoevsky’s short story. The story also explores the tension between idealized love and the stark realities of emotional neediness. The characters’ inner turmoil is revealed as each desires what they cannot have, Matteo longing for a woman who is in love with another and Natalia longing for a man who might never return. The film presents love as something painfully unattainable.

An authentic masterpiece of the Golden Age of Italian cinema, “White Nights” employs the talents of Federico Fellini’s frequent collaborators, cinematographer Giuseppe Rotunno and composer Nino Rota. The cinematography is one of the standout features of the film. Visconti and Rotunno’s use of light and shadowcreates a dreamlike atmosphere as a perfect backdrop for long, hypnotic scenes that follow the characters through the charming Italian town. With its narrow, empty streets; foggy canals; and deserted squares that enhance the feeling of isolation, the town is portrayed with a sense of melancholic beauty.

Photo Credit: Archivio Luce Cinecittà

Mastroianni and Schell’s performances are key to the film’s emotional impact. Mastroianni succeeds in portraying Matteo’s sensitivity. At the same time, Schell’s portrayal of Natalia balances fragility and resilience as she staves off Matteo’s advances, reflecting the complexity of a woman caught between cherished memories and the potential for new love. Both characters struggle unsuccessfully to move beyond the emotional anchors holding them in place.

The film moves slowly by today’s standards, but this almost meditative rhythm allows the audience to immerse themselves in the characters’ struggles and the consequences of their choices and actions. While some viewers might find the pacing too slow, it’s important to bear in mind that Visconti needed that extra leeway to fully plumb the depths of the emotions he’s intent on exploring.

“White Nights” shares similarities with other works by Visconti, such as his 1960 masterpiece, “Rocco and His Brothers.” Both films explore themes of class, desire and the human condition. However, “White Nights” takes a more intimate and personal approach, focusing on the internal conflicts of its protagonists rather than the forces in society that buffet and shape them.

Enhanced by Visconti’s direction, Rotunno’s cinematography, and intense performances by Mastroianni and Schell, “White Nights” is a beautifully crafted and timeless film about love, longing and despair. It remains a favorite among arthouse cinephiles and continues to be embraced by new generations of aficionados.

As proof of that, a new restoration of the film was recently shown on the big screen in New York City as part of the Museum of Modern Art’s retrospective, “Marcello and Chiara Mastroianni, A Family Affair.” It was presented on opening night by Mastroianni’s daughter, Chiara, an actress in her own right.

It’s also worth noting that Natalia and Matteo’s love affair in “White Nights” inspired a storyline in Chiara’s new film, “Marcello Mio.” Directed by the French filmmaker Christophe Honoré, it enjoyed its North American premiere at MoMA’s retrospective.

Click here to stream “White Nights” on The Criterion Channel.

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