Another aspect of my Catholic upbringing that I recall from my childhood days are Lenten Services which, apart from this obscure Italian movie emanating from the twilight years of the great German director G. W. Pabst, I do not think I have really ever seen dealt with in the cinema. For the uninitiated, Ash Wednesday inaugurates a period of solemnity, penance and contemplation for devout Christians all around the world that effectively ends on Easter Sunday. During this time, one is expected to give up on some of his daily cravings especially for sweets and dessert – equivalent to the 40 days of fasting that Jesus Christ spent in the desert by himself. Likewise, Christians are called to Church for special meetings called Lenten Services – that are generally sorted by category: married couples, singles, senior citizens, professionals, religious societies, social clubs, etc. – in which they reflect on The Gospel and how it applies to the world today. Well, VOICE OF SILENCE brings together several Italians to one such meeting for professionals presided over by an elderly priest (Eduardo Ciannelli): politician Jean Marais, candle manufacturer Aldo Fabrizi, former soldier Daniel Gelin, a pulp novelist and even a thief! Gradually, we come to realize that each member of the congregation has his own personal demon to confront – Marais cannot bring himself to forget (or forgive) that one of his sabotage missions while with the Resistance caused the death of 3 innocent civilian bystanders; Fabrizi's trade is being threatened by a loss in demand due to the introduction of synthetic candles; Gelin is not only tubercular but, having been given up for dead, cannot bear the humiliation of seeing his former wife walking around the streets of Rome with her new husband and their kids; the novelist sets out to write the Great Italian Novel but, begrudgingly and on the advise of his Macchiavellian agent (Paolo Stoppa), countered continual rejection by selling himself short and give the common people the lurid reading material they seemed to hunger for, and so on. Within the Church walls themselves, a young priest is having a faith crisis and is almost on the point of quitting his calling before fate intervenes in the film's closing sequence. As usual, the rotund, bug-eyed Fabrizi can be relied upon to provide fleeting moments of hilarity as he forms an unlikely alliance with the thief, in an attempt to come out on top of his particular dilemma – despite the imposition of enjoying no contact with the outside world throughout the duration of the Services. In his first of two films that he made in Italy, Pabst has (for the most part) understandably relinquished the visual stylistics that had made him a force to be reckoned with during the Silent/early Talkie era but, while perhaps being a minor work within his distinguished canon, VOICE OF SILENCE is still sufficiently well-acted, sensitively handled and altogether unusual to make it a satisfactory viewing.
3 Reviews
1952 lockdown film so compelling in 2020
jimm-813 July 2020
Warning: Spoilers
During the 2020 global pandemic, with millions under house arrest, it's been interesting to watch this religious "lockdown" film made in 1952. Many Italians at that time would voluntarily retreat to a monastery to undergo a period of prayer, meditation and spiritual reappraisal. They would be confined to their rooms, only coming out for meals and to attend sermons. We see five such penitents, each with their own story to tell.
Pio Fabiani is a candle maker whose trade is being threatened by the introduction of electric candles. He is at risk of losing his livelihood, as much a tragedy then as it is today. Then there is politician Andrea Sanna, a former partisan who is haunted by a war time mission. Whilst blowing up a platoon of Germans on a bridge, he realises at the last moment that two children and their grandfather are also crossing the bridge. In his nightmares he sees a swarm of ants, all that was left of the innocents.
Pulp fiction writer Mario Rossi is aware that his writings have corrupted the young. In court we see Angiolina De Bellis (a beautiful 18-year old Rossana Podesta) who has auctioned her clothes in the catacombs. The trouble is, they were the clothes she was actually wearing, but at least one of the boys gallantly throws a blanket over her at the conclusion of the auction.
Then, Francesco Ferro, an ex-prisoner-of-war, has returned home to his wife and daughter after being presumed dead. But his wife has remarried and had a second child. The monastery staff try to talk Francesco out of suicide. Finally, a pickpocket has only entered the monastery because the police were on his tail. Even he is transformed by the experience and leaves his ill-gotten goods as an offering to the Madonna.
Binding the five stories is the plight of a young priest who is losing his faith. He resigns from the monastery and sets off down the road in plain clothes. Almost immediately a young woman is mortally injured in a road accident. The crowd calls for a priest and our friend administers the last rites, whereupon the woman (expressive actress Goliarda Sapienza) smiles lovingly and dies. The priest knows he has to return to his post and we get a traditional uplifting finale. Of course, Enzo Masetti lays on the treacle, but it's top quality treacle from a top quality composer. The DVD from Gaumont is in French, but the print is clear and certainly worth a look.
Pio Fabiani is a candle maker whose trade is being threatened by the introduction of electric candles. He is at risk of losing his livelihood, as much a tragedy then as it is today. Then there is politician Andrea Sanna, a former partisan who is haunted by a war time mission. Whilst blowing up a platoon of Germans on a bridge, he realises at the last moment that two children and their grandfather are also crossing the bridge. In his nightmares he sees a swarm of ants, all that was left of the innocents.
Pulp fiction writer Mario Rossi is aware that his writings have corrupted the young. In court we see Angiolina De Bellis (a beautiful 18-year old Rossana Podesta) who has auctioned her clothes in the catacombs. The trouble is, they were the clothes she was actually wearing, but at least one of the boys gallantly throws a blanket over her at the conclusion of the auction.
Then, Francesco Ferro, an ex-prisoner-of-war, has returned home to his wife and daughter after being presumed dead. But his wife has remarried and had a second child. The monastery staff try to talk Francesco out of suicide. Finally, a pickpocket has only entered the monastery because the police were on his tail. Even he is transformed by the experience and leaves his ill-gotten goods as an offering to the Madonna.
Binding the five stories is the plight of a young priest who is losing his faith. He resigns from the monastery and sets off down the road in plain clothes. Almost immediately a young woman is mortally injured in a road accident. The crowd calls for a priest and our friend administers the last rites, whereupon the woman (expressive actress Goliarda Sapienza) smiles lovingly and dies. The priest knows he has to return to his post and we get a traditional uplifting finale. Of course, Enzo Masetti lays on the treacle, but it's top quality treacle from a top quality composer. The DVD from Gaumont is in French, but the print is clear and certainly worth a look.
The sounds of silence
dbdumonteil12 April 2011
Late career Pabst movie which takes place in a house where you can hear the voice of silence.Some men gave up their social life for Lent and spend some time in a house where they are in retreat ,pray ,meditate and repent.The problem with this screenplay is that there are too many characters and most of them are clichés (the resistant fighter who is responsible for the death of three innocent human beings;the pulp writer whose books "inspire" a mad youth and cause death too ;the man whose wife made a new life with another one,thinking her first love had been killed in action in WW2; a pickpocket conjurer;a priest who has his moments of doubt and more ).These mini-stories (with flashbacks galore) are too diffuse to be convincing and the movie fails to reveal a spiritual dimension ,in spite of the talents of seasoned actors such as Jean Marais (who's seeing things :ants on his Bible page) and Daniel Gélin.
See also
Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews
