White Nights

1957 1h 41m IT

👍

7.4

SOLID

🔥

92%

CERTIFIED FRESH

⭐

7.8

IMDB

★7.4TMDB · 268🍅92%Rotten Tomatoes★7.8IMDB · 9,351

DramaRomance

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

A middle-aged man meets a young woman who is waiting on a canal bridge for her lover's return.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Where to watch · US

Criterion ChannelSubscription

Cast

Maria Schell
Natalia
Marcello Mastroianni
Mario
Jean Marais
L'Inquilino
Marcella Rovena
La Padrona della Pensione
Maria Zanoli
La Domestica
Elena Fancera
La Cassiera
Lanfranco Ceccarelli
Un Coinvolto nella Rissa
Angelo Galassi
Un Coinvolto nella Rissa

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Luchino Visconti
Writers: Luchino Visconti, Luchino Visconti, Suso Cecchi d'Amico
Languages: Italian
Countries: France, Italy

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 7

ERA

Did you know

69 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 7

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 2 countries: France, Italy.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Luchino Visconti, shot by Giuseppe Rotunno. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Nino Rota. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 7

ERA

Did you know

Editor Mario Serandrei shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 7

CAST

Did you know

Maria Schell and Marcello Mastroianni and Jean Marais carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 7

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0050782 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Luchino Visconti directs. Giuseppe Rotunno behind the camera. Nino Rota scores. Mario Serandrei cuts. Produced in France, Italy. Dialogue in Italian.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

169 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
2International production across 2 countries: France, Italy.
3Directed by Luchino Visconti, shot by Giuseppe Rotunno. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Nino Rota. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Mario Serandrei shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Maria Schell and Marcello Mastroianni and Jean Marais carry the top of the cast.
7IMDB entry: tt0050782 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
8Classified under 9 themes, including "dance", "italy", "love", "unrequited love".
9Released under 13 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Cinematography: Giuseppe Rotunno
Original score: Nino Rota
Editing: Mario Serandrei
Production design: Mario Chiari
Costume design: Piero Tosi
Makeup / hair: Alberto De Rossi
Runtime: 101 min · 1h 41m
Status: Released
Original language: IT
Certification (US): NR
IMDB: White Nights (1957)
Rotten Tomatoes: 92% 🍅 Fresh
IMDB rating: 7.8/10 · 9,351 votes
MPAA: Not Rated

Awards

7 wins & 7 nominations

Also by

Luchino Visconti

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2024-07-30
★ 7/10
Marcello Mastroianni espies a young woman who is waiting, patiently, by a bridge. Initially he thinks she is one of the ladies of the night but as he passes he thinks he hears her crying. Distressed, she tries to flee from him but he manages to calm her down and they chat. They agree to meet next evening, same place same time - and that's the start of this charmingly simple drama that sees "Mario" and "Natalia" (Maria Schell) begin to confide in each other and cement a bond borne out of both of their emotional desires and frustrations. We also find out just why she waits each night. There are moments of intensity and joy as this story unfolds and we see a love burgeoning. Can it ever result in anything, though? The cold wintery evenings, the snow, the canals - they all add an eerie richness to two potent performances that show the vulnerabilities of their characters, their longings, disappointments and their hopes. Visconti also amiably incorporates a sense of family into the story well too. His being more around the relationship with the loudly omnipresent, but caring, landlady of his hotel (Marcella Rovena) and her's with her ageing grandmother - who rather comically uses a safety pin to adjoin their shirts so she cannot wander off! There is comedy here, but this film also has a sadness to it. Not a melancholic one, more an inevitability that somehow you just know is going to leave one of them quite possibly worse off in the end. Dostoevsky didn't much like "happy" endings - so don't go expecting one here, but there's a delicate chemistry to enjoy between Mastroianni and Schnell.

Production companies