Cronaca di un amore

"Cronaca di un amore" was Antonioni's first full-length film. It's a romantic film noir, full of passion, but very far from the Hollywood saccharine romanticism.

It begins almost as a police film: an investigation is being led about Paola Molon. A detective is walking around, asking questions about her.

Seven years ago, Paola (Lucia Bosé) was in love with Guido (Massimo Girotti). Guido was engaged to Paola's best female friend, but there was already love between Guido and Paola. Still, one day a tragic accident happens. And this accident will tear Guido and Paola apart. And now this investigation will reunite them again. Their love is rekindled.

Paola is now married to a wealthy entrepreneur, lives in a mansion, has servants, a car with chauffeur etc.., but Guido' life has been a constant struggle to make ends meet. (Remember that we are in 1950, some years after the end of the war, and Italy was still far away from her economic boom).....

"Cronaca di un amore" shows already Antonioni as an accomplished master. His eye for small details be it in interior or exterior scenes, his ability in directing actors, his sensitive use of land and cityscape - all these qualities are displayed in full force in the film.

Lucia Bosé is an outstanding actress - she is able to portray intense and contradictory emotions just by her facial expressions. Her acting is subtle and powerful. She's a real diva. Giovanni Fusco's soundtrack is a perfect companion to Antonioni's images.

"Cronaca di un amore" is a very beautiful film.

In Milano, when the wealthy and jealous entrepreneur Enrico Fontana (Ferdinando Sarmi) discovers hidden photos of his gorgeous twenty-seven year-old wife Paola Molon Fontana (Lucia Bosé), he hires a Neapolitan detective agency to investigate her past. Enrico, who owns twenty companies, married Paola during the war in March 1943 and her past is unknown to him. Detective Morale Carloni (Gino Rossi) is assigned by his boss to head to Ferrara, where Paola studied the technical school after leaving her hometown in Rovigo. During his investigation, the snoopy Carloni discovers that the teenager Paola dated many youngsters and her best friends were Matilda Calvani and Giovanna Carlini, who died seven years ago two days before her wedding with Guido (Massimo Girotti). He gets the address of Guido with Matilda's father but his wife sends a letter to Guido advising that the police was probing him. Guido travels to Milano, where he meets Paola after seven years to show the letter. When they see each other, their old passion reignites; but Carloni is still chasing the truth about the tragic accident with Giovanna.

"Cronaca di un Amore" is the first feature of the director Michelangelo Antonioni and his debut could not be better. This film noir has a magnificent cinematography in black and white and unusual and sophisticated angles of camera. The story is engaging, with the gorgeous nineteen year-old Lucia Bosé, who was Miss Italy 1947, in the role of a twenty-seven year-old fatal woman married with a rich industrial that left an old passion after a tragic accident and revives her love when they reunite seven years later. The romance is quite a comedy of errors, with the feeling of guilt of Paola and Guido affecting their love. Milano in the after war with few cars on the streets is also impressive. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "Crimes d'Alma" ("Crimes of Soul")

The feature film debut of future Italian cinema star Michelangelo Antonioni is quite conventional and straightforward as compared to his later works, which are generally regarded as masterpieces. Though not in that category, this film ranks as a very well-made melodrama that dares to also include exploration of the darkest of human desires, specifically within the context of marriage and fidelity.

Chance also plays a large role here, helping to reunite former lovers who pick up where they left off, ironically thanks to the woman's husband hiring a private detective to follow her as he suspects she is having an affair. What follows is often high-strung, dense and very moving as Antonioni shows us the most desolate shots of the beautiful city Milan. Many of the establishing shots are long shots of corridors, streets and other walkways that create great sense of alienation, isolation and illicit activities. The ending may require a bit of explaining but still fits the overall tone of elegy and bitter sadness. A powerful and moving Italian melodrama that certainly could be used as a template for American filmmakers today.

To date, there are 13 reviews of this film. Perhaps all the writers saw this movie theatrically. I have the Bo-ying version of USA'a NoShame DVD, and, to say the least, it certainly ranks as the most extraordinary DVD I've ever seen in my life! Presumably, as the original negative was destroyed in a fire in 1989, this DVD has been reconstructed from bits and pieces of the original Italian version and the dubbed English-language version, and then re-sub-titled. A huge effort has been made to make the LOOK of the film consistent -- even when the version used changes -- which it OFTEN does -- right in the middle of a scene! And would you believe that -- with this direct comparison facing us every couple of minutes -- the English-language version is actually superior to the original Italian. The acting is superior and even the syncing is better. (As most of you know, all Italian films are post-dubbed -- and not necessarily by the original actors). But that's not the end of the matter. The sub-titles we see with our eyes often don't fully agree with what we hear with our ears. In at least two cases, the sub-titles (presumably based on the Italian version) are the exact opposite to what we actually hear! And many of the titles also carry extra (rather than less) information. As for the movie itself, I loved it! Beautifully photographed, exquisitely acted, and most engagingly directed. Until now, I was not an Antonioni fan. But anyone who loves streetcars is a friend forever. And there are more streetcars in "Story of a Love Affair" than in any other movie I can think of, except Bunuel's wonderful 1953 homage, "Illusion Travels by Streetcar".

Antononoi's first feature film deals with a jealous husband looking into the past of his wife, Paola, via private investigator, which inadvertently gets her back together with an old lover, Guido, who unlike the rich wife, is a poor, barely scraping by car salesman. Although the two seem to be in love with each other, the difference in economic status and Paola's marriage keep them apart. Also looming over them is the shadow of an "accident" they feel responsible for.

Many have called this a sort of noir, and it's easy to see why. Paola could be seen as bordering the line of a femme fatale, there's the past catching up, the grey morality of the characters, etc. However if one were to watch this alongside noirs like Double Indemnity, Laura, and Out of the Past, they would fine "Story of a Love Affair" feels completely different, and besides these tropes, hardly feels like a noir. It would be safer to say the film has noir elements.

Like a number of Antononoi's later works, the film deals with alienation, as well as the bourgeoise. The disenfranchised characters who easily fall into damning passions is present here. The plot is very intricate and the film is carried by mostly dialogue, as opposed to later films where imagery would play more prominence. Although not as grandiose as the cinematography from films like "The Adventure" and "la Notte", his touches can certainly be seen in this splendidly crafted first film.

Thankfully, the writing and characterization is more than enough to carry things here. The multitude of plot threads, characters and themes are woven masterfully, and while not featuring the most sympathetic characters in the world, they are certainly fascinating ones, and that's enough.

If you can find this and are a fan of these kinds of films, it's well worth checking out.