In some aspects surprisingly similar to Four Nights of a Dreamer, but it's the crucial differences that if anything amplify what makes Bresson's film so great.

This is one of those few films, like Letter From an Unknown Woman, where the mesmerizing beauty of it's cinematography (both b/w of course) engrosses me so much that it's almost my sole reason for loving the film. Almost, that is. Marcello Mastroianni and his infinite coolness is always a good reason for loving a film.

inferior to bresson's

where is the dreamer of Dostoyevsky? + some unnecessarily added scenes and characters

Beautiful. Beautifully shot, beautifully simple. The entire film was a joy to watch, and I didn't mind much that the outcome is thoroughly predictable.

It's a great film all around, but it's the visuals that make this incredible.

The flashback sequence is hampered by the woman's obnoxious and infantile behavior (for that matter, so is all the stuff in the present, just to a far lesser extent) and her ridiculous, doe-eyed puppy love, but Mastroianni and Visconti shine; the former with a great performance, the latter with beautiful, artificially stylized black-and-white cinematography and flawless compositions. A transcendentally beautiful romance.

Le Notti Bianche is an absolute feast for the eyes. The shot composure is incredible and the cinematography is very sophisticated. Black and white films rarely, if ever, look better than this one does. The story is inspired, given the fact it initially seems like it wouldn't be. All of the characters are interesting and, for the most part, are acted well. The lead actress can grate on you, but if you accept it as the way she's written, it's just fine. Definitely check this one out.

A hopelessly romantic film, and quite a beautiful one. Marcello Mastroianni is wonderful, but I didn't much care for Maria Schell's naive character. Even so, the movie still has a strong emotional pull. It also boasts some gorgeous photography and lavish art decoration, which are enough to make it worth watching.

Not among Visconti's very best, but still as great an adaptation of Dostoyevski as one might hope for. White Nights bears an interesting similarity to Fellini's release of the same year, Nights of Cabiria, in that both are set in several consecutive nights. It's amazing how the main characters are at once likable and upsetting.

An excellent romance with a dreamlike quality that's beautiful to behold. The way it constantly balances the love lost and love gained aspects of the story so well is something so few romantic movies manage to do. I thought all the performances were wonderful, the character quirks are integral to the story's core. It's got plenty of great scenes, but the nightclub scene and the ending were magnificently effective. That it's also excellently shot should come as no surprise.

It's a lovely, dramatic bit of romance. Visconti isn't afraid to his characters' flaws shine through: Natalia is a bit flighty and Mario is a schemer. But we end up liking them anyway. The film, taking place almost entirely as night time, sports some beautifully lit scenes, in the gorgeous sets of city streets. The nightclub/cafe scene was especially memorable. Not as moving or charming as I Fidanzati, but a nice piece of work.

The snow scenes are delightful.