L'Amore (film)
Encyclopedia
L'Amore is an anthology film
directed by Roberto Rossellini
starring Anna Magnani
and Federico Fellini
. The two segments are "Il Miracolo" ("The Miracle") and "Una Voce Umana", the latter based on the play The Human Voice
(1932) by Jean Cocteau
. Rossellini and Fellini co-wrote "Il Miracolo", Rossellini adapted Cocteau's play, and Magnani appears in both segments.
The film was embroiled in a major controversy when U.S. distributor Joseph Burstyn
premiered a subtitled print of the film, now titled Ways of Love, in New York City
in November 1950. "Il Miracolo" was reviled as "anti-Catholic" and "sacrilegious". The New York State Board of Regents, in charge of film censorship for New York State, revoked the license to show the film on February 16, 1951. This led to a lawsuit finally decided by the United States Supreme Court in 1952 in a case popularly known as the "Miracle Decision" which declared that film was a form of artistic expression protected by the First Amendment to the United States Constitution
guaranteeing freedom of speech
.
Due to legal complications over the rights to Cocteau's play, the film was out of distribution for many years, until a restored print was shown at the Roxie Cinema in San Francisco in 1978.
Anthology film
An anthology film is a feature film consisting of several different short films, often tied together by only a single theme, premise, or brief interlocking event . Sometimes each one is directed by a different director...
directed by Roberto Rossellini
Roberto Rossellini
Roberto Rossellini was an Italian film director and screenwriter. Rossellini was one of the directors of the Italian neorealist cinema, contributing films such as Roma città aperta to the movement.-Early life:Born in Rome, Roberto Rossellini lived on the Via Ludovisi, where Benito Mussolini had...
starring Anna Magnani
Anna Magnani
Anna Magnani was an Italian stage and film actress. She won the Academy Award for Best Actress, along with four other international awards, for her portrayal of a Sicilian widow in The Rose Tattoo....
and Federico Fellini
Federico Fellini
Federico Fellini, Cavaliere di Gran Croce OMRI , was an Italian film director and scriptwriter. Known for a distinct style that blends fantasy and baroque images, he is considered one of the most influential and widely revered filmmakers of the 20th century...
. The two segments are "Il Miracolo" ("The Miracle") and "Una Voce Umana", the latter based on the play The Human Voice
The Human Voice
The Human Voice a 1930 play, first staged at the Comédie Française in 1930, written by Jean Cocteau, is a monologue taking place in Paris, where a middle-aged woman is on a phone call with her lover of the last five years. He is to marry another woman the next day, which causes her to despair...
(1932) by Jean Cocteau
Jean Cocteau
Jean Maurice Eugène Clément Cocteau was a French poet, novelist, dramatist, designer, playwright, artist and filmmaker. His circle of associates, friends and lovers included Kenneth Anger, Pablo Picasso, Jean Hugo, Jean Marais, Henri Bernstein, Marlene Dietrich, Coco Chanel, Erik Satie, María...
. Rossellini and Fellini co-wrote "Il Miracolo", Rossellini adapted Cocteau's play, and Magnani appears in both segments.
The film was embroiled in a major controversy when U.S. distributor Joseph Burstyn
Joseph Burstyn
Joseph Burstyn was a U.S. film distributor who specialized in the commercial release of foreign-language and American independent film productions. Born in Poland, he arrived in the U.S...
premiered a subtitled print of the film, now titled Ways of Love, in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
in November 1950. "Il Miracolo" was reviled as "anti-Catholic" and "sacrilegious". The New York State Board of Regents, in charge of film censorship for New York State, revoked the license to show the film on February 16, 1951. This led to a lawsuit finally decided by the United States Supreme Court in 1952 in a case popularly known as the "Miracle Decision" which declared that film was a form of artistic expression protected by the First Amendment to the United States Constitution
First Amendment to the United States Constitution
The First Amendment to the United States Constitution is part of the Bill of Rights. The amendment prohibits the making of any law respecting an establishment of religion, impeding the free exercise of religion, abridging the freedom of speech, infringing on the freedom of the press, interfering...
guaranteeing freedom of speech
Freedom of speech
Freedom of speech is the freedom to speak freely without censorship. The term freedom of expression is sometimes used synonymously, but includes any act of seeking, receiving and imparting information or ideas, regardless of the medium used...
.
Due to legal complications over the rights to Cocteau's play, the film was out of distribution for many years, until a restored print was shown at the Roxie Cinema in San Francisco in 1978.
See also
- Mutual Film Corporation v. Industrial Commission of OhioMutual Film Corporation v. Industrial Commission of OhioMutual Film Corporation v. Industrial Commission of Ohio, 236 U.S. 230 , was a court case decided by the United States Supreme Court in 1915, in which, in a 9-0 vote, the Court ruled that the free speech protection of the Ohio Constitution — which was substantially similar to the First...
(1915) U.S. Supreme Court case - Censorship in the United StatesCensorship in the United StatesIn general, censorship in the United States, which involves the suppression of speech or other public communication, raises issues of freedom of speech, which is constitutionally protected by the First Amendment to the United States Constitution....