Love In The City

2652. LOVE IN THE CITY (1953-Italy). Directed by MICHELANGELO ANTONIONI, FEDERICO FELLINI, DINO RISI, ALBERTO LATTUADA, FRANCESCO MASELLI, CESARE ZAVATTINI. Billed as the “first magazine on screen,” this vibrant examination of the many faces of love features five vignettes directed by some of Italy’s most acclaimed moviemakers. In its entirety, the film is “devoted to searching out the patterns of love peculiar to a great city without fear, without taboos.” While the city selected is Rome, the setting might be any metropolis from Paris to Pittsburgh. It features non-professional actors, with those seen on screen advertised as having actually lived the stories that are told. Part One is titled “Invitation To Love.” It is a humorous and revealing episode set in the Paradise Club, a nightspot where mini-dramas are played out nightly on the dance floor. At the Paradise Club, a simple invitation to dance often is an invitation to love. Next comes “When Love Fails,” which offers the touching stories of several lonely souls who have lost in love and decided to take drastic action. “Love Cheerfully Arranged” revealingly explores the goings-on in a matrimonial agency where people who have not known spontaneous romance come to seek out marriage partners. “The Love Of A Mother” poignantly spotlights one unlucky individual: Caterina, a young woman who came to Rome from Sicily. She promptly was seduced and abandoned, and found herself pregnant and homeless. The finale is titled “Love Comes To The City.” It is a lively visual essay filmed with a hidden camera that records the coming of spring and the arrival of love in the city! English narration and Italian with English subtitles. 91 minutes. Docu-Drama