Roberto Rossellini - Vanina Vanini (1961)

Robert Rossellini's Vanina Vanini was released in many US markets as The Betrayer. Based on a Stendhal novel, the film is set in Italy during the turbulent years of the mid-19th century. Princess Vanini (Sandra Milo) confronts a strange looking woman in her palace. The woman turns out to be a man (Laurent Terzieff), an Italian revolutionary on the run from government troops. Princess and rebel fall in love, but when he leaves her for another, she jealously turns him over to the authorities...
This is the recently restored version.





A fascinating prelude to Rossellini's series of historical films made for television, Vanina Vanini suffers a bit from the desire to showcase star Sandra Milo (wife of the producer) - not a very interesting actress - but its attention to historical detail is extremely interesting. See, for example, the scene in which prisoners are forged into their chains -- astonishing and vivid. Laurent Terzieff is excellent (and looks terrific), as is (and does) Martine Carol. I saw this film at the Cinematheque Francaise in a decent print. It was preceded and followed by talks by an uncredited co-scenarist, Jean Gruault, who revealed that, to highlight Milo, the producer insisted on cutting three reels (about a half hour's running time), most of it focusing on Carol's character. The producer destroyed the negative, but a few years later a print was found of all the missing material. In a dismal twist of fate, a fire in the suburban Paris warehouse where it was stored destroyed -- definitively -- the last remnants of this missing material. Pity, as the film is a little hard to follow as it stands and, according to Gruault, the lost material provided much of the motivation that is lacking. (IMDB comment)







Vanina Vanini, hija de un aristócrata, se enamora de Pietro, un joven patriota perteneciente a una organización de masones que se oculta del gobierno. Él la corresponde pero pronto la deja por otra, lo que provoca los celos de Vanina, que le traiciona y le entrega a las autoridades.

Basada en un cuento de Stendhal, ésta es la versión restaurada de la película, recientemente editada en DVD. La película tiene dos flaquezas importantes; una es que le faltan partes de la edición que quería hacer Rossellini y que se perdieron, y la otra es la actriz principal, esposa del productor y desabrida como ella sola. A pesar de todo eso, Rossellini es Rossellini y la peli merece verse.







L'azione si svolge a Roma nel 1823. Vanina Vanini, principessa romana, si innamora di Pietro Missirilli, un giovane carbonaro che, fuggito da Castel S. Angelo, si è rifugiato in casa Vanini. Quando Missirilli torna in Romagna per continuare la lotta carbonara, Vanina lo segue e il loro amore si tramuta in passione nel corso di furtivi incontri nel castello di San Nicolò ove Vanina abita. Ma ben presto Vanina si accorge che la passione patriottica allontana da lei Pietro e, pur di averlo tutto dedicato per sé, non esita a denunziare alla polizia tutti i maggiori esponenti della carboneria locale...







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