This is Roberto Rossellini's extraordinary tribute to the art of Anna Magnani in two parts. The first part, based on Jean Cocteau's "The Human Voice" is a relentless, desperate plea from a woman to the man she loves. Love (Amore) Magnani style. Shattering, all consuming. The voice of her love comes through a telephone line and the camera invades the desolation in her eyes with savage determination. The second part is a devastating fairy tale. Magnani is a semi demented inhabitant of a village where she meets a stranger, played by Federico Fellini, that she believes to be Saint Joseph. He makes her drink and rapes her. She gets pregnant, convinced that she will give birth to Jesus himself. I'm not even going to try and tell you what Anna Magnani does with this character. You have to see it to believe it. Unique!
Review of Love
