There's quite a bit of interesting history to 'Stromboli' that goes beyond the film itself. First of course was the scandal of star Ingrid Bergman shacking up with director Roberto Rossellini and having a child out of wedlock with him. Her reputation in the U.S. suffered until she made a comeback in 'Anastasia', winning the Academy Award for Best Actress in 1956. Then there was also the controversy over the international film rights to the English language version of the film which resulted in a court fight between Rossellini and RKO Pictures.
The Criterion Collection features two versions, one dubbed in Italian and the English version which also contains some Italian dialogue. Ingrid Bergman plays Karin, a Lithuanian woman, who finds herself in an Italian camp for displaced persons after World War II. She marries an Italian POW, Antonio, who she meets on the other side of the barbed wire, separating the men from the women in the camp.
The couple ends back up in Antonio's fishing village on Stromboli, a volcanic island, near Sicily. Karin, a high maintenance woman used to material pleasures, resents being on the island for several reasons. First off is the threat of death or injury from the volcano itself, which periodically spews boulders and volcanic ash on the hapless village below. Then there's the hostility of the villagers (particularly the remaining female residents) who chastise Karin for her lack of "modesty." Karin also has trouble with her husband Antonio, who she regards as a simpleton and unpolished. In one telling scene, he pits a ferret against a defenseless pet rabbit, which upsets Karin greatly. Antonio, on the other hand, finds this quite amusing.
Karin doesn't help things for herself when she refuses to listen to the counsel of the village priest, who urges patience, until Antonio can make enough money so they can leave the island. Even worse is when Karin attempts to seduce the priest, which alienates him greatly. Later, Karin flirts with a lighthouse keeper in front of the villagers, which damages her reputation further.
Rossellini used the village locals in most of the scenes. Some of them apparently had spent some time in the U.S. and came back to Stromboli in their later years. As a result, a few are able to speak some English. The scenes where the men are helping Karin and Antonio to fix up their home, felt believable, but I wondered if the scenes of outright hostility by the local populace (particularly the women), wasn't simply an example on Rossellini's part, of forced drama (after all, if the real-life villagers were so hostile to the idea of a narrative that features an interloper that they can't stomach, would they have actually agreed to participate in the film itself?).
Perhaps the best aspect of the film is the on-location cinematography, particularly the excellent scene of the fishermen hauling in the tuna. Karin is juxtaposed with the big fish catch, as she is depicted as a person alienated from nature. Only when she gets into a direct confrontation with nature (after attempting to escape the island and threatened by the volcano) does she finally have an epiphany, accepts her situation and realizes that her arrogant stance, is untenable.
The role of Karin is an unusual one for Ingrid Bergman, as the protagonist here is not exactly very likable. In one respect, the part reflects Bergman's situation in her own life during that time. In marrying Rossellini and now living in his world, she had to fit into a completely different culture then where she came from.
I'm on the fence as to whether there's enough there in Bergman's role of the dissatisfied and stuck-up interloper who eventually finds redemption, to keep one's interest. Yes we 'get' the idea that she's alienated but her complaints go on for a little too long. Nonetheless, 'Stromboli' has all that local 'color' featuring the real-life inhabitants of the island as well a few dramatic scenes which will definitely keep your attention (the volcano eruption, the big tuna catch, etc.). The Criterion Collection also has a number of extras worth watching, including an interview with a prominent Italian film critic.
The Criterion Collection features two versions, one dubbed in Italian and the English version which also contains some Italian dialogue. Ingrid Bergman plays Karin, a Lithuanian woman, who finds herself in an Italian camp for displaced persons after World War II. She marries an Italian POW, Antonio, who she meets on the other side of the barbed wire, separating the men from the women in the camp.
The couple ends back up in Antonio's fishing village on Stromboli, a volcanic island, near Sicily. Karin, a high maintenance woman used to material pleasures, resents being on the island for several reasons. First off is the threat of death or injury from the volcano itself, which periodically spews boulders and volcanic ash on the hapless village below. Then there's the hostility of the villagers (particularly the remaining female residents) who chastise Karin for her lack of "modesty." Karin also has trouble with her husband Antonio, who she regards as a simpleton and unpolished. In one telling scene, he pits a ferret against a defenseless pet rabbit, which upsets Karin greatly. Antonio, on the other hand, finds this quite amusing.
Karin doesn't help things for herself when she refuses to listen to the counsel of the village priest, who urges patience, until Antonio can make enough money so they can leave the island. Even worse is when Karin attempts to seduce the priest, which alienates him greatly. Later, Karin flirts with a lighthouse keeper in front of the villagers, which damages her reputation further.
Rossellini used the village locals in most of the scenes. Some of them apparently had spent some time in the U.S. and came back to Stromboli in their later years. As a result, a few are able to speak some English. The scenes where the men are helping Karin and Antonio to fix up their home, felt believable, but I wondered if the scenes of outright hostility by the local populace (particularly the women), wasn't simply an example on Rossellini's part, of forced drama (after all, if the real-life villagers were so hostile to the idea of a narrative that features an interloper that they can't stomach, would they have actually agreed to participate in the film itself?).
Perhaps the best aspect of the film is the on-location cinematography, particularly the excellent scene of the fishermen hauling in the tuna. Karin is juxtaposed with the big fish catch, as she is depicted as a person alienated from nature. Only when she gets into a direct confrontation with nature (after attempting to escape the island and threatened by the volcano) does she finally have an epiphany, accepts her situation and realizes that her arrogant stance, is untenable.
The role of Karin is an unusual one for Ingrid Bergman, as the protagonist here is not exactly very likable. In one respect, the part reflects Bergman's situation in her own life during that time. In marrying Rossellini and now living in his world, she had to fit into a completely different culture then where she came from.
I'm on the fence as to whether there's enough there in Bergman's role of the dissatisfied and stuck-up interloper who eventually finds redemption, to keep one's interest. Yes we 'get' the idea that she's alienated but her complaints go on for a little too long. Nonetheless, 'Stromboli' has all that local 'color' featuring the real-life inhabitants of the island as well a few dramatic scenes which will definitely keep your attention (the volcano eruption, the big tuna catch, etc.). The Criterion Collection also has a number of extras worth watching, including an interview with a prominent Italian film critic.