Story of a Love Affair (1950) User Reviews

Guilt and Passion

[claudio_carvalho · 8/10 · 14 May 2010]

In Milano, when the wealthy and jealous entrepreneur Enrico Fontana (Ferdinando Sarmi) discovers hidden photos of his gorgeous twenty-seven year-old wife Paola Molon Fontana (Lucia Bosé), he hires a Neapolitan detective agency to investigate her past. Enrico, who owns twenty companies, married Paola during the war in March 1943 and her past is unknown to him. Detective Morale Carloni (Gino Rossi) is assigned by his boss to head to Ferrara, where Paola studied the technical school after leaving her hometown in Rovigo. During his investigation, the snoopy Carloni discovers that the teenager Paola dated many youngsters and her best friends were Matilda Calvani and Giovanna Carlini, who died seven years ago two days before her wedding with Guido (Massimo Girotti). He gets the address of Guido with Matilda's father but his wife sends a letter to Guido advising that the police was probing him. Guido travels to Milano, where he meets Paola after seven years to show the letter. When they see each other, their old passion reignites; but Carloni is still chasing the truth about the tragic accident with Giovanna.

"Cronaca di un Amore" is the first feature of the director Michelangelo Antonioni and his debut could not be better. This film noir has a magnificent cinematography in black and white and unusual and sophisticated angles of camera. The story is engaging, with the gorgeous nineteen year-old Lucia Bosé, who was Miss Italy 1947, in the role of a twenty-seven year-old fatal woman married with a rich industrial that left an old passion after a tragic accident and revives her love when they reunite seven years later. The romance is quite a comedy of errors, with the feeling of guilt of Paola and Guido affecting their love. Milano in the after war with few cars on the streets is also impressive. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "Crimes d'Alma" ("Crimes of Soul")

Before "The Adventure"

[Ore-Sama · 7/10 · 9 January 2015]

Antononoi's first feature film deals with a jealous husband looking into the past of his wife, Paola, via private investigator, which inadvertently gets her back together with an old lover, Guido, who unlike the rich wife, is a poor, barely scraping by car salesman. Although the two seem to be in love with each other, the difference in economic status and Paola's marriage keep them apart. Also looming over them is the shadow of an "accident" they feel responsible for.

Many have called this a sort of noir, and it's easy to see why. Paola could be seen as bordering the line of a femme fatale, there's the past catching up, the grey morality of the characters, etc. However if one were to watch this alongside noirs like Double Indemnity, Laura, and Out of the Past, they would fine "Story of a Love Affair" feels completely different, and besides these tropes, hardly feels like a noir. It would be safer to say the film has noir elements.

Like a number of Antononoi's later works, the film deals with alienation, as well as the bourgeoise. The disenfranchised characters who easily fall into damning passions is present here. The plot is very intricate and the film is carried by mostly dialogue, as opposed to later films where imagery would play more prominence. Although not as grandiose as the cinematography from films like "The Adventure" and "la Notte", his touches can certainly be seen in this splendidly crafted first film.

Thankfully, the writing and characterization is more than enough to carry things here. The multitude of plot threads, characters and themes are woven masterfully, and while not featuring the most sympathetic characters in the world, they are certainly fascinating ones, and that's enough.

If you can find this and are a fan of these kinds of films, it's well worth checking out.

Emerging concepts and a focus on dialog

[Polaris_DiB · 7/10 · 30 April 2007]

Antonioni's first fictional film and a picture of post-war anxiety, "Story of a Love Affair" is the ironic tale of lovers who meet due to a husband's suspicion, their dramatic history, and the decisions they make to try to stay together. It takes on class issues, post-war malaise, and struggles against fate... to name just a few things. In 98 short minutes, it's filled to the brim with pathos and intrigue, deceit and passion, and fear and doubt.

It's a lot to take on for a "first" film, but Antonioni handles himself well, helped along very well by the actors. This is the first film of Antonioni's I've seen where the male character seems to have as much presence as the female. One can see some of Antonioni's later conceits beginning to develop, such as his eye for architecture and landscape, his dramatic sense of "the gaze", and his opinion that "Eros is sick."

This film also probably has more dialog than any other feature Antonioni has ever made. It is, in fact, so full of dialog that it's somewhat exhausting, though the dialog itself is very well written and poignant. The exhaustive quality of it actually helps the viewer relate to the ennui and entrapment felt by Paola and Guido, but it does weigh the movie down. Still, there are enough moments of silent contemplation and visual narration to release the movie from that tension and give the story a strong flow.

It's a good movie on its own right and a definite note of interest to Antonioni fans. It may not be widely known, and it's never been widely successful, but it has character and contemplation worthy of an art film buff.

--PolarisDiB

Film noir excellence

[prs10 · 11 April 2002]

A rich older man's belated desire to investigate his beautiful wilful young wife' mysterious past reignites old passions with tragic consequences. For those viewers who are uncertain of Antonioni's capacity to make enjoyably great films, this may be a revelation especially if you have a penchant for post-WW2 film noir with its attendant malaise and melancholia. With suitable B&W photography and accompanying musical score and boasting one of the screen's great beauties, Lucia Bose, in her prime, this film is a masterpiece.

The postman rings once again

[cebolamaria · 6/10 · 18 October 2020]

I admire Antonioni's work, but his first got me frustrated. Maybe it's dated, maybe we've seen too much of femme fatale leading man to kill her husband. Lucia Bosé is gorgeous, but plays a tiring spoiled beauté who's not sure if she loves someone she can't have or money. Maybe it was something new at that time, but for me it was too cliché (and I usually love old movies). The characters didn't seem consistent, or how the story develops. I felt like losing my time, but maybe it's just me, other reviews are praising...

STORY OF A LOVE AFFAIR (Michelangelo Antonioni, 1950) ***

[Bunuel1976 · 7/10 · 31 August 2007]

Antonioni’s belated feature-film debut is a fine romantic melodrama which is actually a variation on a favorite noir theme – that of the lovers planning to dispose of a third party who stands between them. Another genre device adopted here is the investigative framework – with the intended victim himself, the girl’s husband, suddenly deciding to pry into her past.

Paradoxically, the young couple had been involved in the ‘accidental’ death of the man’s ex-girlfriend – and, unaware of the source behind the current investigation, are afraid that the old ‘crime’ has come back to haunt them! Antonioni’s coup, then, is in the way that the couple are so blinded by their passion for each other – they’ve been brought together anew by a letter informing them of the investigation, after having opted to go their separate ways so as not to arouse suspicion over the death of their common acquaintance – that they don’t realize that history is about to repeat itself. Even if they succeed in getting rid of the girl’s husband, they still can’t be together: the final irony is that the husband’s death occurs in spite of themselves in a road accident – but the girl has no way of knowing this and, when the police arrive at her house bearing the tragic news, she panics and flees...

Still, the central relationship isn’t the most solid: the couple even admit to themselves that, hadn’t the letter of warning been sent, their paths would probably never have crossed again; besides, the girl expects the man to tolerate the fact that she married someone else – but, whenever she sees him in the company of an attractive model, she works up a jealous temper! The two stars are very well cast: in a career spanning six decades (with appearances in everything from Art-house to peplums and “Euro-Cult”), Massimo Girotti was one of the most durable of Italian leading men – actually, he had played a similar role to the one here in another important debut in Italian cinema, Luchino Visconti’s OSSESSIONE (1943). Lucia Bose' was not only a top star (particularly during the 1950s) but one of the loveliest female presences ever in Italian cinema – again, her filmography has been quite varied and included performances for such renowned masters of World Cinema as Luis Bunuel, Jean Cocteau, the Taviani brothers, Federico Fellini, Francesco Rosi, etc.

In comparison to his later work, which borders on abstraction, the director’s approach to narrative here is decidedly conventional – as if he was still finding his feet…but, make no mistake about it, this is a startlingly assured (even refined) first film. By the way, at one point, a character in the film makes a reference to Camille – interestingly, Antonioni later made THE LADY WITHOUT CAMELIAS (1953) with the same leading lady! Finally, it’s worth noting that several elements typical of Antonioni’s cinema are already in evidence here: the plot mechanics being merely the excuse for a probing character study, the fated love affair, the fickle nature of relationships, the criticism of the jaded rich, the gloomy locations, the would-be mystery, etc.

Unfortunately, my experience watching STORY OF A LOVE AFFAIR was somewhat dampened by the distractingly ‘processed’ sound-effects pretty much throughout the entire duration of the film – which seem to be the result of an over-zealous digital restoration! Similarly, even if I have no way of knowing whether this is how it was supposed to sound, Giovanni Fusco’s histrionic score came off as deafeningly loud and, consequently, drowned out part of the dialogue!

Interesting, if difficult, film

[sol- · 6/10 · 28 June 2006]

I suppose the single most interesting aspect of this film is shifts in perspective. At first, we are introduced to a detective who spends some time investigating the past of a woman at a concerned husband's request. The husband is worried that she might be cheating on him, as some photographs that he discovers reveal her to have quite a lively past. With all the inquiries being made, there is eventually a leak about the investigation, which the woman finds out about from a friend. From then onwards the perspective changes from having the detective as the main character to having her as the main character. While this switch is interesting, I'm not quite sure if I understand Antonioni's motivation behind it.

The story carries on, and the basic plot is not full of excitement, nor is it complex. It appears that the woman and a former lover were involved in a murder plot some time ago, and the woman is concerned that the police are after her. She calls up the old lover, and this is where one of the film's two great ironies is present. Until the investigation began, she was not having an affair or anything like that behind her husband's back, but now that she is re-united with her old lover, a love affair starts to develop again between them.

The story continues on after this, and there are many small (perhaps unnecessary) subplots thrown in, such as a party of some sort at which the woman randomly buys a dress, and some other blonde woman that her lover might also be having an affair with? Most of the supporting characters present in this period of the film are hardly at all developed, and it is in fact hard to judge whether this section of the film could have just been condensed to five minutes. Either way, it eventually comes to point at which the woman and her lover decide that they definitely want to be together, and they plot to dispose of her husband in a road accident. Ironically though, he gets killed on the road the very night they plan it on his own accord.

Some of the themes running through the film are interesting. The murder plot that they were involved in during the past is never explored in much detail, but we come to understand that they wanted to dispose of a woman who was getting in the way of the two of them having a relationship together. Another, albeit minor, irony here is that killing her drove them apart. Once again at the end they are driven apart, just by the intention of wanting to kill her husband, even though they never went through with it.

In terms of Antonioni's screenplay, there is definitely enough going on to make it engaging plotwise. However, I find it hard to construct even one sentence to describe each of his characters. The way the detective is often seen alone, or from behind with others in front, constructs him as a loner. But that's all that we are told. Other characters speak of the husband's jealousy, but he never seems more than curious. The wife and her lover fit the model of two doomed lovers, with the typical dread and paranoia attached, but not much individual personality. It was hard for me to connect with the film, because the characters came off too cold for me to connect with, and the dialogue between them left quite a bit to be desired.

The one thing that really annoyed me about the film though was Antonioni's soundtrack. More than half the scenes were filmed with noticeably noisy backgrounds, and in some cases --- the boy hitting the ball against the wall; birds chirping while talking on the telephone --- these sounds felt forced into the film. I suppose Antonioni was trying to say something with his use of sound, but what? And the noisy backgrounds aren't constant throughout either. It is very strange, and not really a positive thing as far as I can see. Also the variety of jazz music played over the action was overbearing, taking over the dialogue at certain points. Generally though, the music helped to set the mood well.

To leave off with a positive comment, Antonioni does quite a good job adapting film noir techniques to his project. The lengthy shadows, contrasts between soft and hard lighting etc, really give a 1940s American film noir feel. The black and white photography captures the film quite well, with panning, zooming etc., without disturbing the flow of the narrative. And there's one very interesting shot in which the type of lighting used makes a river/lake appear purely white, even though shot against a grey sky. The visual side is interesting.

Overall, there is a lot of interest going on this film, however there are at least a couple of factors that were detractors for me: the coldness with which all the characters are handled, and the lack of ease watching it, due to the odd soundtrack. It is indeed not an easy film to watch - but certainly, an interesting one.

Story of a love affair!

[andrabem · 10/10 · 8 October 2007]

"Cronaca di un amore" was Antonioni's first full-length film. It's a romantic film noir, full of passion, but very far from the Hollywood saccharine romanticism.

It begins almost as a police film: an investigation is being led about Paola Molon. A detective is walking around, asking questions about her.

Seven years ago, Paola (Lucia Bosé) was in love with Guido (Massimo Girotti). Guido was engaged to Paola's best female friend, but there was already love between Guido and Paola. Still, one day a tragic accident happens. And this accident will tear Guido and Paola apart. And now this investigation will reunite them again. Their love is rekindled.

Paola is now married to a wealthy entrepreneur, lives in a mansion, has servants, a car with chauffeur etc.., but Guido' life has been a constant struggle to make ends meet. (Remember that we are in 1950, some years after the end of the war, and Italy was still far away from her economic boom).....

"Cronaca di un amore" shows already Antonioni as an accomplished master. His eye for small details be it in interior or exterior scenes, his ability in directing actors, his sensitive use of land and cityscape - all these qualities are displayed in full force in the film.

Lucia Bosé is an outstanding actress - she is able to portray intense and contradictory emotions just by her facial expressions. Her acting is subtle and powerful. She's a real diva. Giovanni Fusco's soundtrack is a perfect companion to Antonioni's images.

"Cronaca di un amore" is a very beautiful film.

A semi- remake, semi- rebuke of the philosophy and morality of Double Indemnity.

[treywillwest · 7/10 · 6 November 2015]

This is Antonioni's first feature. Released in 1950, it seems to me both a harbinger of the auturer's mature style while also being a semi- remake, semi- rebuke of Double Indemnity., from only a few years prior. .

There is an extraordinary shot in this film, pure Antonioni, when the lovers meet on a bridge. The view is 360 degrees, we're not sympathizing with one lover more than the other. As the camera moves around its axis, our focus goes much beyond our traditionally intended targets as ship workers in the distance cohabitate the deepest focus with the characters we are following, who bicker over the merits of violating social morality.

If Double Indemnity is fatalistic, this work is nihilistic. If traditional Noir-narrative leads to certain doom, this story leads to only one finality, and that is the randomness and chaos of life, death and love. In that way, this work reminded me most of Woody Allen's late- career "thrillers"-Match Point and Cassandra's Dream.

This DVD is an absolute must for all really keen movie fans!

[JohnHowardReid · 10/10 · 9 May 2013]

To date, there are 13 reviews of this film. Perhaps all the writers saw this movie theatrically. I have the Bo-ying version of USA'a NoShame DVD, and, to say the least, it certainly ranks as the most extraordinary DVD I've ever seen in my life! Presumably, as the original negative was destroyed in a fire in 1989, this DVD has been reconstructed from bits and pieces of the original Italian version and the dubbed English-language version, and then re-sub-titled. A huge effort has been made to make the LOOK of the film consistent -- even when the version used changes -- which it OFTEN does -- right in the middle of a scene! And would you believe that -- with this direct comparison facing us every couple of minutes -- the English-language version is actually superior to the original Italian. The acting is superior and even the syncing is better. (As most of you know, all Italian films are post-dubbed -- and not necessarily by the original actors). But that's not the end of the matter. The sub-titles we see with our eyes often don't fully agree with what we hear with our ears. In at least two cases, the sub-titles (presumably based on the Italian version) are the exact opposite to what we actually hear! And many of the titles also carry extra (rather than less) information. As for the movie itself, I loved it! Beautifully photographed, exquisitely acted, and most engagingly directed. Until now, I was not an Antonioni fan. But anyone who loves streetcars is a friend forever. And there are more streetcars in "Story of a Love Affair" than in any other movie I can think of, except Bunuel's wonderful 1953 homage, "Illusion Travels by Streetcar".

Story Of A Love Affair

[lasttimeisaw · 6/10 · 15 January 2012]

Billed as Antonioni's very first feature-length debut, and started his auteurism career, CRONACA DI UN AMORE revolves around a noir story about a female fatale conspiring a scheme to kill her rich husband with her ex-lover. The film is a mediocre attempt for Antonioni to ooze his budding genius, ending with a patchy denouement.

The narrative goes smoothly but lingers too long with a third-party interference with a wooden detective (Gino Rossi, also the general manager of the film), then this sub-plot submerges into a void most of the subsequent running time, only resurfaces sporadically in-between, also a guilty-ridden murder case turns out just a futile storyline adornment.

The cast, a new-comer Lucia Bosé (whom I saw in Prague several weeks ago in an exhibition opening, I wish I had taken some photos, being an octogenarian, her dyed blue hair is drolly avant-garde) was 19 years old at year, while her rawness to impersonate an experienced temptress was feeble enough to allow the outfits eclipse her character, so as well the late Massimo Girotti, whose dashing wind coat is never outmoded even after 60 years.

Emotionally poignant is a typical kick from this Italian film (sometimes it is even saccharine, but it could be the Italian style which rooted in the blood), at the age of 38, Antonioni had already acquired a great sense of enact an environmental dramatism, while dialogues are over- exploited in this one, which is too tedious and old-fashioned to be appreciated by people around my age, personally I prefer a more subtle approach, like CASABLANCA (1942) or THE BIG SLEEP (1946), yes Humphrey Bogart's distinctive charisma is the killing!

A Nutshell Review: Story of a Love Affair

[DICK STEEL · 10/10 · 23 June 2008]

The very first feature film of Michelangelo Antonioni, Story of a Love Affair as introduced by Lorenzo Codelli, was a film that dealt with the metaphysics, and had very little neo-realist elements which was a departure from what one would come to expect from a filmmaker whose documentaries were neo-realist. Watching it for the first time, I thought it would make a wonderful thriller/crime-mystery involving two lovers, and I suppose in the hands of Hollywood, we would get just that.

But this is not Hollywood we're talking about, so again I get to throw all standard notions I was weaned on out of the window. As I was warned by a friend, I would be in for a rough ride because whatever structure of story-telling I was familiar with was going to be challenged, and strangely enough, I am beginning to find this challenge quite liberating, like the hitting onto a goldmine or an oilfield, and just raking in the sights and sounds from how beautiful a black and white movie could be, in terms of story, and characters.

However, the characters need not be goody-two-shoes, or perfectly looking beings with zilch problems that they couldn't take care of within 2 hours. There are some serious and complex issues that the leads here have to grapple with, and together with an audience, we try and probe, and discover for ourselves just what those are, though naturally we aren't given all the answers on a sliver platter, and have to work hard at it, sometimes even utilizing some precious moments to breathe, digest, and compute, only being able to scratch the surface.

Whatever the story or mystery is, it never really got addressed, not directly anyway. But story aside, I was really intrigued by the lead characters. We have a beautiful married woman Paola Fontana (played by Lucia Bose whom we'll see later in another Antonioni movie, and at one time the reigning Miss Italy) who seem to have the best of what luxuries life can offer, but is stuck in a loveless marriage to a rich man Enrico (Ferdinando Sarmi). We're told that in her youth, she was a head turner, and almost always changes her boyfriends, each being the alpha-male type.

Surprisingly, her lover whom she maintains contact with, Guido (Massimo Girotti) is anything but an alpha-male type. In fact, I would call him a loser in the classic sense of the word. No real job and penniless, he has some magnetic qualities to be be able to mesmerize Paola into trysts in cheap motel rooms. Meeting on the sly, we see how a high society woman have to dodge around from being discovered, and setting up alibis just to meet Guido, and we soon learn how wicked a woman she can be, for coming up with plans for crime to be committed to get things done her way. Which brings us back to the original thought of how she was involved in a more heinous crime / accident, where she could well be the chief manipulator then made to be seen as the victim.

The main crime thread that got weaved into the story, was one involving a certain unseen Ms Giovanna, whose demise was linked to the two lovers. We never really learned what exactly happened, and Antonioni makes us work in order to try and piece clues and accounts together. And the probing of this mystery by a private investigator serves as a catalyst to the rest of the story, where we first see our lovers meet after a long while, but instead of enjoying each other's embrace, seem a lot more concerned with the PI's probe, as if afraid that it'll uncover hidden skeletons in their closets.

Story of a Love Affair becomes an examination into these 2 characters, and interesting enough, to dwell on the problems that they face, in a somewhat lose-lose situation throughout their relationship. The first was when Giovanna served to be in the way of their coming together, being an in-between, and when that's settled, there's the other more pressing issue of whether they can elope successfully, where pragmatism takes over romanticism with Guido knowing for sure that he has no money, and little means to support both of them, especially the lifestyle that Paola currently enjoys.

Definitely deserves a second viewing to try and develop my thoughts on it further! And to enjoy the beautiful score all over again too!

Castles in the Air

[ricardojorgeramalho · 7/10 · 13 September 2023]

This Cronaca di um amore, which in Portuguese was called Escândalo de amor, without any scandal in the film, is the first feature film signed by Michelangelo Antonioni, dating from 1950. Before it, he had only made short films.

It features the fetish actress from his first films, Lucia Bosé, always beautiful, magnificent, in the splendor of her nineteen years, charismatic, and a script that draws inspiration from American film noir, following the fashion of the time.

But in Antonioni's hands, film noir becomes a psychological drama. The characters are viscerally capable of anything, but they have remorse, and the inevitable conclusion of the film is that it is impossible to build anything on top of remorse, even when guilt does not exist, or arises from mere omission.

A reference also to the magnificent soundtrack by Giovanni Fusco, played on the piano by Armando Renzi and on the saxophone by Marcel Mule. Mysterious, tense, minimal, it contributes enormously to the dramatic density of the film.

An auspicious debut from one of the most important directors of his generation.

Deep, dark desires produce deep, dark consequences.

[bobsgrock · 22 July 2011]

The feature film debut of future Italian cinema star Michelangelo Antonioni is quite conventional and straightforward as compared to his later works, which are generally regarded as masterpieces. Though not in that category, this film ranks as a very well-made melodrama that dares to also include exploration of the darkest of human desires, specifically within the context of marriage and fidelity.

Chance also plays a large role here, helping to reunite former lovers who pick up where they left off, ironically thanks to the woman's husband hiring a private detective to follow her as he suspects she is having an affair. What follows is often high-strung, dense and very moving as Antonioni shows us the most desolate shots of the beautiful city Milan. Many of the establishing shots are long shots of corridors, streets and other walkways that create great sense of alienation, isolation and illicit activities. The ending may require a bit of explaining but still fits the overall tone of elegy and bitter sadness. A powerful and moving Italian melodrama that certainly could be used as a template for American filmmakers today.

Simple, effective.

[noahgibbobaker · 7/10 · 17 June 2021]

'Story of a Love Affair' - sexy, self-aware, fueled by the notion of eventual bliss. Simple, clever techniques; blown out whites as to say Paola and Guido are disconnected or simply don't care about anything surrounding them, both are true. And a purposeful lack of establishing shots pre-encounter(s). Each 1 on 1 (Paolo - Guido) scene is almost constructed backwards, it's awesome when the filmmaking is reflective of the characters in it.

Story of a Love Affair

[CinemaSerf · 7/10 · 27 December 2022]

Lucia Bosè is the charming, attractive "Paola", married to the wealthy "Enrico" (Ferdinando Sarmi) and living an unchallenging life. Already, she is going through the motions after just one year of marriage. He is the jealous type, so jealous in fact that when he finds a couple of old photos, he hires a private investigator to look into his wife's past. Not only does he discover the existence of her previous beau "Guido" (the hunky Massimo Girotti) but that very investigation re-introduces them - and they promptly pick up pretty much where they left off. Quickly, their desire to be together takes over and it isn't long before they alight on a plan to be rid of her intrusive, and slightly dodgy, husband. What flows though, can also ebb - and as their plotting proceeds, their passion diminishes and the two start to become trapped in a curious web of their own making - unable to go backwards or forward! Add to this mix, a lovely, bubbling, sub plot about a letter and two of her college friends who were involved in a tragedy that the police are still trying to get to the bottom of, and we have a entertainingly complex bit of brigue. On the down side, this is a very dialogue-heavy movie. Antonioni was still learning his craft when he shot this, and perhaps he needed someone to rein in the verbiage a little and allow the cleverly crafted photography, the settings and the superior acting from an on-form Bosè to do more of the heavy lifting. That said, though, you can't keep a good story down and this does pack quite a lot into slightly over and hour and an half. There are just desserts for almost everyone, and though there is an element of romance, it is one of passion and scheming rather than cheese. Certainly worth a watch.

great 1950 film noir unexpected end

[filmalamosa · 9/10 · 5 February 2012]

A wealthy Milan industrialist--Enrique knows nothing about the past of his beautiful young wife--Paola. He hires a detective agency after he discovers some old photos belonging to Paola.

The detective agency sends some one to poke around Paola's past.

The detective discovers she tried to steal her best friend Giovanna's fiancé Guido. They (Paola and Guido) share a secret about the death of Giovanna shortly before her wedding.

Guido finds out about the detective and goes to Milan to warn Paola. The flame between them after 7 years is still strong...they begin to have an affair.

Paola soon enough realizes Enrique is in the way and she prods Guido into murdering him...only chance and fate again play some cards in this dark twisting emotional three way. You never know what is going to happen next.

The darkness of desire and suffering

[TheLittleSongbird · 9/10 · 27 March 2019]

Think very highly of Michaelangelo Antonioni and most of his films. Maybe not a favourite of mine when it comes to directors, but most of his films range from very good to masterpiece, though a few didn't do much for me (especially 'Zabriskie Point' and 'Beyond the Clouds'), and his importance, appeal and influence is more than understandable. Although he falls more into the appreciate rather than the love category, he is very interesting as is his visual style and his films' themes (some and the way they were explored were ground-breaking).

'Story of a Love Affair', as has been said already, was his first feature film, made during a period where Antonioni was still yet properly to hit his stride. That is not a knock, quite the contrary. His pre-prime (which for me started with 'L'avventura') period was a more than worthwhile one and boasted some fine films, none among his very best or most important/influential but very high in quality and a real achievement for so early on. 'Story of a Love Affair' for me is one of the best of this period, one would find it hard to believe that this was his first film. There are signs of what made his very best films so great, with the concepts and how the camera is used, even if his later films explore their themes in more depth, broadness and more ground-breakingly.

Occasionally, 'Story of a Love Affair' is a touch too focused on the dialogue (being one of the "talkier" Antonioni films from his early period), which on occasions bogs down the pace in the middle.

Can't think of anything else though to criticise. The production values for so early on are remarkably refined and vivid, with a hauntingly dark atmosphere evoked. The photography is beautiful to watch and hugely impressive in terms of techniques, the camera work in the bridge meeting is almost as good as any of the unforgettable shots often talked about when Antonioni was in his prime. The film is assuredly directed by Antonioni, writing more about it am thinking it is hard to believe this was his first feature film when there have been directors (i.e. Stanley Kubrick, regrettably) whose first film was their worst. In Antonioni's case, it was his swan-song that was one of his misfires. He doesn't try to do too much and things never felt heavy-handed either

Despite criticising 'Story of a Love Affair' as a bit too dialogue heavy, the dialogue itself is thought-probing and has much emotional impact. Unlike some other "talky" Antonioni films, like 'Zabriskie Point' and 'Red Desert', it doesn't ramble and doesn't make the reviewer lose interest. The story is a beautiful mix of dark passion, slow-burning suspense and pathos, the romantic element not being over-sweet or slowing things down and instead having real poignancy. The characters may not be rich in development but they are remarkably well balanced, like for example an equally strong male lead, and beautifully acted by especially Lucia Bose. That she didn't make it bigger is sad.

Altogether, a great film debut. 9/10

Antonioni's first full-length movie

[Red-125 · 9/10 · 12 November 2020]

The Italian film Cronaca di un amore (1950) was shown in the U.S. with the translated title Story of a Love Affair. It was co-written and directed by Michelangelo Antonioni.

Even in 1950, Antonioni was an amazing director. Of course, 70 years later, the movie looks old-fashioned. However, the direction is so deft and surehanded that the film doesn't look like a director's first effort. It looks like the work of a seasoned professional.

Antonioni worked during the era of Italian Neorealism, but this movie looks more like film noir. It's not about poor people. In fact, it's about the life of the ultra-rich.

One bonus about filming the ultra-rich is that you have the opportunity to display the extremes of high fashion that people of that class would wear. 1950 high fashion was fabulous. The costumes were designed by Ferdinando Sarmi, and Sarmi knew what he was doing. This may be my first mention of a costume designer in any of my reviews, but Sarmi needs to be recognized.

This was only the second film of the star, Lucia Bosé. Bosé became a noted Italian actress during the 1950's. She is very believable in her role of a spoiled trophy wife. (Actually, in real life, she was a trophy wife. I don't know if she was spoiled.)

Bosé had an enigmatic, unique beauty that is hard to describe but is immediately apparent when she's on screen. She also knew how to act. Excellent combination.

Massimo Girotti plays Guido, who is supposed to be every woman's dream lover. I didn't see it. He was handsome enough, but nothing special. His acting was wooden, and I thought that he brought the movie down every time he was on screen. I guess no director can accomplish perfect casting.

We saw this movie on NoShame DVD. On this DVD you can watch the film in dubbed English, or in the original Italian with U.S. subtitles. I recommend the Italian version. (NoShame also provides many specials on a second DVD.)

Cronaca de un Amore has a modest IMDb rating of 7.1. I think it's much better than that, and rated it 9.

When Antonioni was still neorealisming....

[dbdumonteil · 28 March 2006]

Although Antonioni was part of the Italian Nouvelle Vague ,like Fellini,he began as a director of the neorealism school.He did not cut,however, the best of De Sica ,Rossellini and Visconti.

Best part comes from a sensitive Massimo Girotti but he's not really given a scene to shine -as he had in Visconti's "Ossessione" -.Lucia Bosé gives a good but a bit icily impersonal performance.

"Cronaca di un amore" is an interesting movie,if only for the things it forecasts: -the screenplay takes the shape of a private investigation,predating by ten years the second part of "l'avventura" and "blow-up" -the scenes displaying wealthy people living in luxury and exchanging futile conversations will be fully developed in "la Notte" But the most interesting subject is responsibility.Is a crime we intend to commit really a crime?This subject was rarely treated in Italian cinema ."Blow up" will come back to appearances .

already has much of the look we would come to expect and enjoy in later films

[christopher-underwood · 9/10 · 22 August 2020]

An already intriguing and noirish tale is further enhanced with a most effective storytelling technique such a fresh visual style. This is 1950 but the film looks much more modern. This is Michelangelo Antonioni's first film but already has much of the look we would come to expect and enjoy in later films. It also has Lucia Bose, a strikingly beautiful beauty contest winner aged nineteen and playing twenty-seven, presumably to make her marriage to the rich industrialist not look too terrible. The story is told in such a way that we tumble backwards throughout the first half until we just about appreciate the nature of our wondrous looking ice queen. An unseen but terrible incident at a lift shaft seems to foreshadow all that happens and the seeming extraneous sounds of street cars, motor vehicles and lifts impose themselves upon scenes that would otherwise seem quite innocent. Our protagonists walk the seeming near empty streets of Milan and their relationship with the buildings and the perspective itself is ominous. It is impossible to avoid the word, alienation here and it is true that however familiar an incident of detection or romance might seem, the edge of a building, the curve of a stair or a line of trees inevitably seems to impose itself and alienate the supposed subject of the frame. This is a wonderfully well constructed and beautiful film and Antonioni, given a great opportunity with the presence of the lovely Bose, shows in his very first film just how luminous and desirous he can make a woman, despite our better judgement.

A remarkable debut that grafts Antonioni's style onto James M. Cain

[rdoyle29 · 8/10 · 4 March 2023]

Lucia Bosè is the wife of wealthy Ferdinando Sarmi, who in a fit of momentary jealousy, hires private detectives to investigate Bosè's past. They find that she and her close friend's fiancé Massimo Girotti had fallen in love, and that her friend died stepping into an empty elevator shaft. After this tragedy, the two separated and Bosè met Sarmi.

The investigation gets back to Girotti, who is concerned and contacts Bosè. The two have not talked for seven years, but being back in contact rekindles their relationship ... and they start thinking about how much better off they'd be if Sarmi wasn't around.

Michelangelo Antonioni's feature debut is a fascinating film. His style seems nearly fully formed here ... long slow takes, stunning photography of modernist Italian architecture, and the subject matter is to some degree the spiritual malaise of Italy's nouveau rich. It's all grafted onto a noir plot that's straight out of James M. Cain (Girotti had even starred in Luchino Visconti's Cain adaptation "Ossessione"). I think it's a remarkable debut.

A crime of passion in which passion is the crime

[ayoreinf · 9/10 · 4 September 2021]

Michelangelo Antonioni became famous for his mystery movies in which mystery was a tool not an end to itself. Films such as L'Avventura, The Passenger and of course Blowup In each of these there's a mystery but Antonioni is interested in its effect on his protagonists not in its solution. This one is his first feature film and in a way - the trend starts here, but in a different manner. Here we'll get the solution, we're going to know exactly what happened but once again it won't be the mystery with the Hollywood style closure we're so used to.

As other reviewers have mentioned. It's a very beautiful movie. Aesthetic control was always very important to Antonioni as far as I see it - it's part of his personal signature. It's a film noire in a manner of speech and it does - like most film noire looks into the basic sins of human nature this one might be the most popular sin of all - passion. The most popular - probably because it's the most beautiful to look at. And Lucia Bose is "as beautiful as sin" and she does show some considerable talent. Thing is, as I said in my title - the crime of passion we see is a crime in which passion itself is the crime and the punishment will suit the crime. Can't say anymore without saying too much. I just kept on thinking all through the film - how many other directors took the very same basic story that Antonioni tells us here and pushed it a lot further - Antonioni doesn't, that's seems to be part of his personality from the very beginning.

The beginning of the cycle of suffering

[chaos-rampant · 25 April 2011]

Suffering is an inate response to life, this is one of the inescapable principles of existence. Antonioni saw far in the career that followed, farther than perhaps any director in cinema, but here he begins where it's proper, with life as a cycle of suffering, a seemingly random pattern of recurring time where we're denied what we most desire, happiness eludes us and our dreams and hopes are thwarted and frustrated.

Too young to see a true reality, Antonioni nonetheless sees clearly the reality of illusions. First that the cycle we call life is not blindly, randomly spun, and that we're to be held accountable for our part in the spinning, foremostly that our pursuit of happiness as we like to think is really the deluded pursuit of satisfying desire.

The crucial point that connects these is, rather poignantly, a death, and it happens not once but twice, mirrored identical the second time like a prefiguration of Vertigo. As with Vertigo, this borrows the world of film noir to speak of karmic wheels and the mechanisms that control them, a Double Indemnity scenario where secret lover and wife calculate to get rid of the rich husband.

In a magical touch, the plotted murder happens of its own accord, seemingly out of the whim of an agent of a higher court passing by.

It's not then just a matter of what begins as thought and desire invariably manifests in imminent reality, this is a powerful inspection of mind, but moreover that having devoted themselves by all means to the pursuit of that desire, a passion born of ego and craving, the obstacle that stood in their way now removed, the two protagonists realize how impotent they remain to pursue that desire, how desire is by its nature an insatiable attribute. Their punishment, which is not divine but of their own doing, is the toll exacted on their conscience.

This first appearance in Antonioni of karma as the force that keeps going the cycle of suffering is not perfect by any means, it seems at the same time to imply questions of moral order, whether or not for example wishing for a crime to happen is a crime in itself, spiritual in nature. And all of this is more verbose than need be, something Antonioni would excise in a few years.

We find things in this debut that Antonioni would elaborate upon in wonderful ways, the ineffability of connection, the city as a cold, alienating limbo where souls in transit struggle for meaning, the transparent reality that extends outside the frame to suggest an entire world and flow of life with or without these characters (indeed we find here, abetting this, the beginnings of his amazing sound work, where the city traffic is always audible), but all these are in nascent form here.

What stands out for me is the true perception that begins to form in Antonioni's cinema. Meaning our idea of reality is just that, an idea born of our own habits and various storytellings, which clouds our soul and needs to be challenged, dismantled, removed from our eyes so that we can see life as it is.