Beauty in black & white

Having already seen two films from Italian director Luchino Visconti, "The Leopard" and "Death in Venice," I possessed a level of excitement in seeing "Le Notti Bianche" ("White Nights") since I was already impressed twice before. There is truth in the old saying "third time's the charm" because "Bianche" is the best film I've seen yet from Visconti. \nChoosing to adapt and update the "White Nights" short story from Russian author Fyodor Dostoevsky, "Le Notti Bianche" is the tale of one lonely dreamer, Mario (Marcello Mastroianni, "8 ½," "La Dolce Vita"), who finds himself wandering the quiet night streets of Italy. Everything is normal until a chance encounter with a young woman named Natalia (Maria Schell) results in Mario living in a state of love-at-first-sight. She is a love-stricken as well, but her heart belongs to a mysterious tenant (Jean Marais) who once lived in her home. It is a tale of two dreamers unsure if their love is truly real or just some grandiose illusion. \nFrom the opening shot of "Bianche," the film is all about one thing: atmosphere. Shot in black and white (in a gorgeous newly restored digital transfer), the streets of Italy are full of noirish shadows and dim lights. The atmosphere is also ever-changing from starry nights to misty hazes and haunting snowfalls. The element of daytime is almost nonexistent, save for the occasional short scene where Mario wakes up in the morning and you would almost swear the events of the night were all just a dream. \nThe cast is extremely small and the performances of Mastroianni and Schell are wonderful. Mastroianni, who I am used to being the comedic type, still has his humorous moments, but is usually more focused on contemplating his mysterious love for an even more mysterious woman. His performance is quite truthful to Dostoevsky's short story but Schell's is the opposite. Solemnness is replaced with an almost childish glee intermixed with despair over her missing tenant lover. \nThis perfect blend of atmosphere and performance gives "Le Notti Bianche" the kind of loneliness found in a lot of director Michelangelo Antonioni's films. However, where the relationships of Antonioni characters are pushed practically into alienation, this loneliness only makes Mario and Natalia's relationship seem more romantic and dream-like. \nExtras on this release are rather slim. Almost 20 minutes of interviews are available from various collaborators including cinematographer Giuseppe Rotunno (Visconti's "The Leopard," Fellini's "Amarcord") who also supervised the film's restoration. Five minutes worth of screen tests from Mastroianni and Schell are also available along with the original theatrical trailer and 4-page essay. The best and most unique extra is a downloadable mp3 version of Dostoevsky's "White Nights" which you can put on your iPod if you're into exercising while listening to Russian short stories. \n"Le Notti Bianche's" release gives viewers the chance to see a rather unknown oeuvre from Visconti before he entered grander stages in filmmaking. The black and white is beautiful, the relationships are believable and overall it is a wonderful film.