149 - Europa '51, 1951, Italy. Dir. Roberto Rossellini.

Monday, May 29, 2017

149 - Europa '51, 1951, Italy.  Dir. Roberto Rossellini.

Irene loves her son.

At least when she has time for him.

Her husband George was away at war for five years, and she and her son Michele spent all their days together.

Michele misses those times with his mother.

Now George is at home and making a lot of money.

George and Irene live in a fine apartment in Rome and host great dinner parties.

Michele wants to talk to his mother.  Wants to spend time with her.  Tries to get her attention.  But she is just too busy for him.

She has dinners to plan, jewelry to try on, gossip to hear and tell, and assignments to give the servants.

When the guests begin arriving Michele is sent off to his room.

He is given a toy train.  A model electric train that should make any boy happy.

But Michele is not happy.  His parents do not have time for him.

He leaves the train in the living room and goes to bed by himself.

The adults see the train and take it to the model railroad tracks.  The adults sit on the floor in their fine clothes and play with the train on the tracks.

Without the son.

Without the son who lies alone in bed in his room.

Michele rings the buzzer.

The maid tells Irene.

She goes to his room.

He tells her he does not feel well.

She tests him.  Does it hurt here?  She rubs his belly.  Yes.  Does it hurt here?  She flops his ears forward with her hands.  He nods.

"It's nothing," she tells him.  You are just making it up.

He begs her to stay with him.

She cannot.  She has dinner guests to attend to.

Irene returns to her guests.

The buzzer buzzes.

It is Michele.

He buzzes and buzzes and buzzes.

Irene tells the maid to tell Michele to be quiet.

They get their quiet.

In spades.

Michele goes out in the hallway and throws himself down the stairwell.

People come running.

They rush him to the hospital.

He has only broken his hip.  He has not suffered a concussion.  He will be all right.

Or will he?

And will his mother Irene?

After the blood clot everything changes.

For better or for worse.

After all, that was the promise, was it not?

For better or worse.

Rossellini will now take this opportunity to use the film to recruit you.

To see the world the way he does.

Whether or not he succeeds is one thing.

Whether or not Irene will be all right is another.

After all, Irene loved her son.