Stromboli

Dir: Roberto Rossellini

1950

****

Stromboli is a beautiful example of classic Italian neorealism and has been hugely influential over the years. It’s conclusion was so powerful and its content so ahead of its time for the era, it’s such a shame that everyone seems to remember more about what happened behind the camera, rather than the final piece itself. The film came about thanks to a letter that Ingrid Bergman wrote to Roberto Rossellini, in which she told him how much she admired his work and wanted to make a movie with him. She and Rossellini ended up creating a joint production company for the film, Societ per Azioni Berit (Berit Films, sometimes written as Bero Films), and she also helped Rossellini to secure a production and distribution deal with RKO and its then owner, the infamous Howard Hughes, thus securing most of the budget together with international distribution for the film. Originally, she had approached Samuel Goldwyn, but he bowed out after having seen Rossellini's film Germany, Year Zero and hating it. The terms of Rossellini's contract with RKO stated that all footage had to be turned over to RKO, who would edit an American version of the film, based on Rossellini's Italian version. However, the US version was eventually made without the director's input. Rossellini protested, and claimed that RKO's 81 minute version was radically different from his original 105 minute version. Rossellini obtained support from Father Félix Morlión, who had been involved in the screenwriting. He sent a telegram to Joseph Breen, director of MPPDA's Production Code Administration, urging him to compare the original script with the RKO version, as he felt that the religious theme he had written into the screenplay had been lost. The conflict eventually led to Rossellini and RKO taking legal action against each other over the international distribution rights to the film. The exact outcome is unknown, but it can be noted that the unrestored RKO version of the film, as distributed, is 102 - 105 minutes long. It lists credits that were missing in the first RKO version, but it still has 1950 as the production year, and the same MPAA number as the 81 minute version. This indicates that the differences were resolved rather quickly. However, resolved or not, this had an impact on the rest of the directors career, with fewer people happy to invest and make contracts with him. Not that the contract altercations was what people remembered though. Stromboli is perhaps best remembered for the extramarital affair between Rossellini and Bergman that began during the production of the film, as well as their child born out of wedlock a couple of weeks before the film's American release. Their affair caused such a scandal in the United States that church groups, women's clubs and legislators in more than a dozen states around the country called for the film to be banned and Bergman was denounced as "a powerful influence for evil" on the floor of the US Senate by Colorado Senator Edwin C. Johnson. Furthermore, Bergman's Hollywood career was halted for a number of years, until her Oscar-winning performance in Anastasia. In the film Bergman plays Karin, a displaced Lithuanian in Italy, who secures release from an internment camp by marrying an Italian ex-POW fisherman, (Mario Vitale), whom she meets during her time in the camp. He promises her a great life in his home island of Stromboli, a volcanic island located between the mainland of Italy and Sicily. She soon discovers that Stromboli is very harsh and barren, not at all what she expected, and the people, who are all very traditional and conservative, show hostility and disdain towards this foreign woman who does not follow their ways. Karin becomes increasingly despondent and eventually decides to escape the volcano island. It is a no thrills drama in fairness but I believe that is what makes it feel so authentic. The film features documentary-like segments about fishing and an actual evacuation of the town after an eruption of the volcano which is clumsily edited in my opinion but Bergman and Vitale’s performances more than make up for any misgivings. The truth is that it was meant to be somewhat muted and humdrum. It was a  piece of realism, so everyone in 1950 wanting a bit of escapism were always going to struggle with it. While promoting the film, Howard Hughes played up the parallels between the character she played and the recent indiscreet behavior of Bergman. I understand why he did this but it was a pretty nasty move. He re-cut the film behind Rosselini's back and refused to screen it for the press. The film got talked about before it was seen. It was banned outright in Memphis, and the Roman Catholic church urged its priests not to see it. As a result of the public tempest, the movie opened to phenomenal business, earning nearly $1 million on its first day. Hughes argued that this was Bergman and Rosselini's fault and that he was protecting his investment but it’s a particularly sorry affair looking back at it. People also forget that Bergman and Rosselini were in love and married soon after. A sad story but a wonderful film, without Stromboli we wouldn’t have some of my favorite films and thankfully it is now regarded as the masterpiece that it is.