Le Notti Bianche

"Never trust anyone, especially if they are in love."

After the overblown Senso(1954), Luchino Visconti returned more measured material. Le Notti Bianche (1957) updates Dostoyevsky's White Nights to postwar Italy, an achingly beautiful exploration of love.
Two lost souls meet on a Venice bridge. Mario (Marcello Mastroianni) is a transplanted newcomer from the countryside. Natalia (Maria Schell) is reclusive, dominated by her mother and pining after her lost love (Jean Marais). The two meet over the course of several nights, Natalia reluctant to return Mario's affection. She insists ...