The couple have motored down
from London and are just ar-
riving in Naples, where they
plan to dispose of a villa
left them by an uncle plain-
ly inspired by Norman Douglas.
They have shared the rôles of
driver and of passenger with
well distributed testiness,
their Bentley drop-head coupé
a self-effacing, quiet witness
to every subtle wince, more re-
flected than absorbed by sump-
tuously conditioned hides. A
crack in any surface bespeaks
a vital change of rhythm.
This is the shape of something.
Because the couple are named
Joyce, and because she recalls
a sickly poet from her youth,
who died for her, these signals
of the great story, The Dead,
are both apposite and incongru-
ous in this vigorous original.
One can't suggest a name, for
their fictitious story or the
art that it rides in on. Here
are 85 minutes, uncovering the
erotic genius for eternal life.
What could look the same again?
Roberto Rossellini
director, writer, producer
Journey to Italy
Viaggio in Italia
1954
