Viaggio in Italia

Sep 8 1954 Approved 1h 25m
Drama, Romance

This deceptively simple tale of a bored English couple travelling to Italy to find a buyer for a house inherited from an uncle is transformed by Roberto Rossellini into a passionate story of cruelty and cynicism as their marriage disintegrates around them.

Plot

Married for eight years with no children, Brits Katherine and Alex Joyce are driving to Italy, their ultimate destination just outside of Naples to sell the villa they have just inherited from his uncle, the villa where they will be staying during their time there. On the drive, they come to the realization that this trip marks the first time that they have truly been alone together, and as such don't really know one another in the true sense. While in Italy, they end up mainly embarking on pursuits separate from each other - Katherine preferring the cultural, Alex preferring "company" including with some acquaintances they didn't know were in Naples until running into them on their first night in the city - and on the few occasions when they do spend time together, there is a tension and an underlying increasing want on both sides to hurt the other emotionally in their individual beliefs of what the other is thinking or has done in their time apart. As their marriage slowly falls apart, the question becomes if there is any way to salvage it if they truly do want to continue to be Mr. and Mrs. Joyce.

Written by

Vitaliano Brancati, Roberto Rossellini, Colette

Directed by

Roberto Rossellini

Production Countries

Italy, France

Production Companies

Sveva Film

Languages

English, Italiano

Awards

3 wins

Scores
# of Votes
13,002
Average Rating
7.3 out of 10
Metascore
100
Popularity
NA