Vulcano

At the same time as Roberto Rossellini was directing his new love Ingrid Bergman on the island of Stromboli, his former love Anna Magnani was filming forty kilometres away on the island of Salina for director William Dieterle. Comparisons are bound to be drawn but as comparisons are not only odious but tiresome I choose to comment upon Dieterle's film as I find that of Rossellini to be rather dull and dreary. By the very power of her personality no film featuring La Magnani could ever be labelled as either dull or dreary! Here she is Maddalena who has been banished to her former home from Naples by the police for the 'crime' of prostitution. Although ostracised by the natives she finds consolation on the island with her younger sister Maria and much younger brother Nino. Enter the handsome diver Donato who promises Maria a new life in the city. Maddalena realises that he is involved in a prostitution ring and so as to save her sister from a fate worth than death she resorts to drastic measures.......Geraldine Brooks is excellent as Maria and is 'dubbed' very well. Rosanno Brazzi has never been better as Donato and great to see as Nino the child actor Enzo Staiola following his scene-stealing performance in 'Bicycle Thieves'. As for La Magnani one word will suffice: Stupenda! The direction of Dieterle cannot be faulted. Although not blacklisted under McCarthyism he was at this time considered a 'leftie' because of his openly anti-fascist views. He had come to America from Germany and had quickly adapted to and thrived under the Hollywood system. This film proves his adaptabilty even further as he has cleverly assumed a 'Neo-Realist' style but has still directed in a traditional manner. No mean feat! After the dramatic, to say the least, finale, we are told that the film has not been about Maddalena, Maria and Donato but about the volcano 'which is eternal'. This serves to remind us, as if we need reminding, that in the face of Mother Nature we humans are all pretty insignificant.

I saw the movie with its original soundtrack: English. This choice was a great mistake.

The stars that I have awarded to the movie are mainly due to the performance of Anna Magnani.

It was surreal and at times disturbing to see the movie hearing all characters speaking in a perfect English: because of the language everything looked like a tale without a precise geographic location. This element detracts a lot of charm to Anna Magnani's performance and to the atmosphere in general.

For instance, Maria was the most surreal character of the tale: a young, fresh and beautiful young girl that with her perfect English seemed closer to the Princess Sissy on holiday than a girl grown up on that island. This added to the story a certain aura of tale, but, in my view, absolutely avoidable and not credible.

For non Italian native speaker, this movie can still have a certain effect, but for an Italian it can be a severe disappointment.

Why isn't this movie better known? The principal actors and actresses are superbly believable; the intertwining of fact and fiction, place and personality, the era and its mōres are woven together as the finest cloth. It is one of those astonishing black and white films that feels like it is in color -- the dark and varied shades of emotions that run through the characters like fire and water, salt and hot seasoning. Plus it is deeply and deliciously melodramatic -- in the finest sense of this word: people drawn as figures who are good or bad & not without the possibility of rich, grey shading; sharp characterization deepened from two-dimensional cameo to three- dimensional sculpture; dialogue with strong emotional appeal and a plot driven by the determinism of forces larger than mere humanity. One major appeal of "Vulcano" is its Queequeg-like primitivism, the sense of "what must be" in a nature-driven world. It is classically Mediterranean. A wonderful film to learn from, too see and see again. Where can one find its likes now? In our world of special effects and neon-bright, digital-driven images we have lost sight of this natural depth. "Vulcano" sees how far down and into the human experience superb, naturalistic acting, story telling, directing, photography and cinema overall could once go with great grace and truth-telling pleasure.

I viewed this film for the first time at the 2004 Tribeca Film Festival. It was explosive! The intrigue, the jealousy, the betrayal, the hate, the love, the MURDER!! It was all there on one tiny island. I cried, I laughed, I cheered, I gasped! It was like an opera, but without the annoying singing. Anna Magnianni didn't have to say a word. Her face said it all. What an amazing actress. It made me realize what a great loss her death has been.

A gentleman, who had worked on the film, and spoke before the viewing, said that Anna had worked on the film while she was getting over a broken heart caused by the loss of her real life love, Roberto Rossilini, to Ingrid Bergman. I loved this film ! God bless the Tribeca Film Festival!

Roberto Rosselini left Magnani for Ingrid Bergman in the late forties:with his new partner,they made "Stromboli" -which was to be followed by greater things such as "Europa 51" .So "Vulcano" :it's no coincidence that this movie was made scarcely a breath after Rosselini's work.It was a duel of titanic actresses,hiding behind vulcanos.They were so talented actresses that they tied.

"Vulcano" is ,like many a Magnani movie like "mamma Romma" a one-woman show:she's probably the most gifted thespian Italy has ever known,and any part she played is worth watching.Besides,the director ,William Dieterle is very competent,being able to tackle classic lit "the hunchback of Notre -Dame,his masterpiece and the best adaptation of this Hugo warhorse,historical biography ("Juarez")and even western (the first scenes of "duel in the sun are reportedly his)- and here to merge into Italian neorealism!The screenplay is pure melodrama ,the story of a hooker who tries to redeem herself by keeping her younger sister out of the wrong track.Two strong scenes :the first when the holier-than-thou old women stop Maddalena (Mary Magdelene?) from coming into the church ,and she replies that God is everywhere;the second on the boat when Maddalena stops operating the pump and holds the bell into her hands.

That said "Stromboli" is much less melodramatic,and closer to neorealism.Both movies feature the expected eruption ,of course!