Il grido
Encyclopedia
Il grido is a 1957 Italian black-and-white drama film
, directed by Michelangelo Antonioni
. Its title means "The Outcry", but it was originally released in the English-speaking world
as The Cry. The DVD release uses the Italian title. The film stars American actor Steve Cochran
, Alida Valli
, Betsy Blair
, and Dorian Gray
. Several cast members have their parts dubbed; notably, future Antonioni star Monica Vitti
lends her voice to the character of Virginia.
The film won the Golden Leopard at the eleventh Locarno International Film Festival
in 1957. In 1958, Gianni di Venanzo
won the Silver Ribbon for Best Cinematography.
. His long-time lover Irma (Alida Valli
) learns that her husband, who left to Australia
in search of a job, died there. Aldo suggests that this may be a chance for them to marry, but Irma claims that she loves another man. Aldo leaves his town with their daughter and the two of them start desperately wandering all over the Po valley
. However, he cannot forget Irma, and returns to his town, where a demonstration protests the building of a U.S. military airfield instead of the refinery. He finds Irma lives in a new home and, through a window, watches her with a baby. He mounts the refinery's high tower, the only vertical structure in a flat and barren landscape. Irma catches up to him, only to watch him fall to his death, causing her to let out what the screenplay describes as a "bloodcurdling scream."
Drama film
A drama film is a film genre that depends mostly on in-depth development of realistic characters dealing with emotional themes. Dramatic themes such as alcoholism, drug addiction, infidelity, moral dilemmas, racial prejudice, religious intolerance, poverty, class divisions, violence against women...
, directed by Michelangelo Antonioni
Michelangelo Antonioni
Michelangelo Antonioni, Cavaliere di Gran Croce OMRI was an Italian modernist film director, screenwriter, editor and short story writer.- Personal life :...
. Its title means "The Outcry", but it was originally released in the English-speaking world
English-speaking world
The English-speaking world consists of those countries or regions that use the English language to one degree or another. For more information, please see:Lists:* List of countries by English-speaking population...
as The Cry. The DVD release uses the Italian title. The film stars American actor Steve Cochran
Steve Cochran
Steve Cochran was an American film, television, and stage actor, the son of a California lumberman. He graduated from the University of Wyoming in 1939...
, Alida Valli
Alida Valli
Alida Valli , sometimes simply credited as Valli, was an Italian actress who appeared in more than 100 films, including Mario Soldati's Piccolo mondo antico, Alfred Hitchcock's The Paradine Case, Carol Reed's The Third Man, Michelangelo Antonioni's Il Grido, Luchino Visconti's Senso, Bernardo...
, Betsy Blair
Betsy Blair
Betsy Blair was an American actress of film and stage, long based in London.Blair pursued a career in entertainment from the age of eight, and as a child worked as an amateur dancer, performed on radio, and worked as a model, before joining the chorus of Billy Rose's Diamond Horseshoe in 1940...
, and Dorian Gray
Dorian Gray (actress)
Maria Luisa Mangini , better known as Dorian Gray, was an Italian actress.She committed suicide by shooting herself on 16 February 2011, at the age of 83. Some media, however, reported her age as 75, since she herself claimed to have been born in 1936.-Filmography:*Amo un assassino *Il mago per...
. Several cast members have their parts dubbed; notably, future Antonioni star Monica Vitti
Monica Vitti
Monica Vitti is an Italian actress best known for her starring roles in films directed by Michelangelo Antonioni, her lover at that time, during the early 1960s...
lends her voice to the character of Virginia.
The film won the Golden Leopard at the eleventh Locarno International Film Festival
Locarno International Film Festival
The Film Festival Locarno is an international film festival held annually in the city of Locarno, Switzerland since 1946. After Cannes and Venice and together with Karlovy Vary, Locarno is the Film Festival with the longest history...
in 1957. In 1958, Gianni di Venanzo
Gianni di Venanzo
Gianni di Venanzo , was a distinguished Italian cinematographer.He collaborated with several notable directors, working on films directed by Michelangelo Antonioni such as L'amore in città , Le amiche , Il grido , La notte and L'eclisse...
won the Silver Ribbon for Best Cinematography.
Plot
The film tells the story of Aldo (Steve Cochran), a worker at an Italian sugar refinerySugar refinery
A sugar refinery is a factory which refines raw sugar.Many cane sugar mills produce raw sugar, i.e. sugar with more colour and therefore more impurities than the white sugar which is normally consumed in households and used as an ingredient in soft drinks, cookies and so forth...
. His long-time lover Irma (Alida Valli
Alida Valli
Alida Valli , sometimes simply credited as Valli, was an Italian actress who appeared in more than 100 films, including Mario Soldati's Piccolo mondo antico, Alfred Hitchcock's The Paradine Case, Carol Reed's The Third Man, Michelangelo Antonioni's Il Grido, Luchino Visconti's Senso, Bernardo...
) learns that her husband, who left to Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
in search of a job, died there. Aldo suggests that this may be a chance for them to marry, but Irma claims that she loves another man. Aldo leaves his town with their daughter and the two of them start desperately wandering all over the Po valley
Po Valley
The Po Valley, Po Plain, Plain of the Po, or Padan Plain is a major geographical feature of Italy. It extends approximately in an east-west direction, with an area of 46,000 km² including its Venetic extension not actually related to the Po River basin; it runs from the Western Alps to the...
. However, he cannot forget Irma, and returns to his town, where a demonstration protests the building of a U.S. military airfield instead of the refinery. He finds Irma lives in a new home and, through a window, watches her with a baby. He mounts the refinery's high tower, the only vertical structure in a flat and barren landscape. Irma catches up to him, only to watch him fall to his death, causing her to let out what the screenplay describes as a "bloodcurdling scream."
Ending
Critics disagree about whether Aldo's death at the end is intentional or not. Seymour Chatman argues that Aldo is overcome with vertigo as he stands atop the tower, causing him to fall to his death. Chatman finds support in the original screenplay, which mentions that Aldo attempts to resist a sudden onset of vertigo as he looks down on the ground.External links
- Il Grido: Modernising the Po. Senses of Cinema 3.
- Il grido Review by Dennis Schwartz (2004)