Journey to Italy
I’ve never seen noise and boredom go so well together.
17 August 2023
A couple (Ingrid Bergman, George Sanders) travel to Italy, a trip which makes them re-evaluate their relationship.
As with a lot of Italian neo-realism it’s hard to write about what happens when the plot is so loose. Journey to Italy seems to roll at its own pace, framing the wreck of a broken marriage within the the wreck of ancient Italy.
And yet you are captivated by these two characters and their relationship, quietly duelling and trying to navigate each other’s bitterness. Ingrid Bergman is as beguiling as ever and so George Sanders is left with the arguably trickier role of playing the jealous sarcastic husband, which he takes in his stride.
A beautiful piece of understatement.