Indiscretion of an American Wife

Starring:Jennifer Jones, Montgomery Clift, Gino Cervi, Richard Beymer, Maria-Pia Casilio, Attilio Torelli, Patti Page, Nando Bruno, Liliana Gerace, Marcella Genuino, Enrico Glori, Memmo Carotenuto, Enrico Viarisio, Oscar Blando, Clelia Matania, Giuseppe Porelli, Gigi Reder, Paolo Stoppa
Director: Vittorio De Sica
Studio: ROAN
Product Type: DVD

Average customer rating:

impressive
Not Very Good
Turmoil and passion in Italy's Terminal Station
A true event for De Sica fans

Indiscretion of an American Wife/Terminal Station - Criterion Collection
Starring: Jennifer Jones , Montgomery Clift , Gino Cervi , Richard Beymer , and Liliana Gerace
Director: Vittorio De Sica
Manufacturer: Criterion
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B0000A02U3
Release Date: 2003-08-19

Amazon.com

Just as David O. Selznick and Alfred Hitchcock had clashed while filming Rebecca, the meddlesome producer left his Hollywood imprint on the troubled production of Vittorio De Sica's Terminal Station. Selznick's career was fading fast, and while self-exiled in Europe he seized on the notion of melding De Sica's masterful neorealism with a daring but otherwise conventional studio romance, casting big stars in a turgid melodrama about a Philadelphia housewife traveling in Rome (Jennifer Jones, Selznick's wife) who must choose between marital fidelity or illicit passion with a lovestruck Italian (Montgomery Clift) as she prepares to depart from Rome's coldly modern Stazione Termini. After De Sica's 89-minute Terminal Station tested poorly with audiences, Selznick cut the film to 64 minutes (excising most of De Sica's neorealistic atmosphere), added an 8-minute prologue of Patti Page singing two moody ballads to pad the truncated running time, and still failed to attract audiences with his gauchely retitled Indiscretion of an American Wife.

Both versions are included on Criterion's magnificent DVD, allowing latter-day viewers a revealing comparison/contrast between Selznick's commercial taste (glossy and sentimental) and De Sica's artistic vision. Indiscretion turns Jones's overwrought character into a dimensionless focus of guilt and shame, lacking the moral depth of Terminal Station, in which her dilemma is more compellingly explored. Inevitably, only De Sica's version achieves Selznick's original goal: It's a remarkable hybrid of neorealism (with its authentic setting populated by people of all classes, subtly affecting the story) and Selznick's heavy-handed moralizing (with a partial dialogue polish by Truman Capote). Commentary by film scholar Leonard Leff and liner notes by critic Dave Kehr further illuminate this clash of formidable talents, illustrating how both films, gloriously restored, serve the divergent purposes of their creators. --Jeff Shannon

Description

An American housewife (Jennifer Jones) vacationing in Italy reluctantly decides to put an end to her brief affair with an Italian academic (Montgomery Clift). She flees to Rome's Stazione Termini, where she bids him farewell, but he begs her to stay. The film's plot is simple; its production was not. The troubled collaboration between director Vittorio De Sica and producer David O. Selznick resulted in two cuts of the same film. De Sica's version, Terminal Station, was screened at a length of one-and-a-half hours, but after disappointing previews, Selznick severely re-edited it and changed the title to Indiscretion of an American Wife without De Sica's permission. The Criterion Collection is proud to present both versions of this controversial release.

Customer Reviews:

impressive.......2004-12-08

In this DVD set released by the Criterion Collection, there are the two versions of Vittorio De Sica's controverial classic.

While the two versions are one and the same, one is just shorter than the other.

The cut version is known as "Indescretion of an American Wife" and the uncut version is known as "Terminal Station" The film was released internationally in the longer version at 90 minutes and David O. Selznick had 18 minutes cut from the film for the American release.

The film is about a married American woman who is at the train station in Rome and is headed back to the US. While aboad, she had an affair with an Italian man who is now sad to see her go. Her nephew is seeing her off too as she was staying with her sister while there. While at the station, she is caught necking with the man in a detached railroad car by a conductor. They arethen deatined by the police and she is worried that her husband will find out.

The special features are a theatrical trailer, promotional materials and audio commentary on the film by Leonard Leff.

Not Very Good.......2003-09-20

The subject ("the end of an affair") offers the potential for a great and romantic movie. What we get instead is a movie that is neither great nor romantic. In thise case, we get two versions of the same movie and both are not very good. I can think of so many problems that make this movie not very good. Among them are a bad script, bad actings, bad (and in a paticular case purely stupid) dialogues and bad directing. The movie at times tries to be romantic; but, it ends up being laughable.

Jennifer Jones is an American Wife from Philadelphia who has an affair with an Italian academic (Montgomery Clift) while visiting her sister's family in Rome. She decides to end the affair and flees to Rome's Terminal Station to board a train for Paris and then fly home from Paris. The guy caught up with her at the train station and tried to convince her to stay. Will she stay (and give up her daughter and boring husband at home) or will she leave? If you are thinking of buying this movie, be warned that the Italian academic portrayed by Montgomery Clift in this movie is a physically abusive guy. After she skipped her first train, they sat down and talked. Their talk offers us a glimpse into how they met (he bought her a few cups of coffee). She told him that the reason she started the affair with him was because she thought it would be an adventure which she could tell her friends about. At one point of this talk, he mentioned that his Italian father used to beat up his mother. When Jennifer Jones (Mary) asked him if he would beat her up, too, he said he would because he's Italian, just like his father. And you know what happened a few minutes later when Mary tried to end the relationship and said goodbye? He slapped her in the face right there and then, in the train station.

The movie would have been better if there were flashback scenes to tell us more about their times together. There is no chemistry between Jennifer Jones and Montgomery Clift. There are a few times when the movie tries to be romantic but fails. For example, when the two of them were alone in a parked train compartment, she whispered to him to let him know of the agony she went through trying to end their relationship and to forget him. She whispered to him that she wished the rain would wash away her feeling for him, which would make her decision easier. Here we are, at this very moment, when the situation is set up to provide a great and romantic moment, when all he had to do was just kiss her, which would have made it very romantic, do you know what happened? He had to say one stupid line: "Do you think the rain could do that?"

I don't know what this Italian academic teaches; but, I certainly hope he's not teaching poetry. Enough said.

I'm surprised that this movie, from the director of "The Bicycle Thief" and the producer of "Gone With The Wind" can be this bad. If someone were to ask me how I like this movie, I'm almost tempted to say: "Frankly, My Dear, I don't give a damn".

For those of you romantics out there, if you're looking for a romantic movie, look elsewhere. Oh, by the way, for a point of reference, if you're looking for a "Casablanca", "The English Patient" or a "Brief Encounter" (all of which are great and romantic), you will not find it here in this movie.

Turmoil and passion in Italy's Terminal Station.......2003-08-26

"Terminal Station" was the result of a meeting of minds between two world famous filmmakers - Italy's Vittorio De Sica and U.S. mega-producer David O. Selznick. Their ideas of filmmaking were at opposite ends of the spectrum and the end result for the film was disastrous.

De Sica was one of Italy's pioneers of the "neo-realism" style of filmmaking which emphasized a gritty realism utilizing small budgets, hand-held cameras and actors with "characteristic" faces. David O. Selznick, on the other hand, was one of Hollywood's most successful producers who name was behind a roster of impressive films, notably "Gone With The Wind." His style was more reserved, romantic and "high-gloss." In 1942, Selznick had discovered a young girl from Tulsa, Oklahoma named Phylis Isley whom he groomed for stardom and changed her name to Jennifer Jones.

Jennifer Jones was a unique and talented actress who earned an Academy Award for her first major role in "The Song of Bernadette." She followed that film with an impressive list of roles that wisely emphasized her versatility and she avoided being type-cast. Indeed, only three years after winning the Oscar for her "saintliness" in "Song of Bernadette," she shocked film goers with a brazen display of sensuality as a half-breed half caste girl in "Duel In The Sun." She earned Oscar nominations four years in a row in the mid 40s.

Selznick married Jones in 1949 and took on her career full time. For her, this proved to be more detrimental than helpful. Selznick was a control freak who tried to dictate every aspect concerning her appearance and choice of roles. Her best films would be done by other directors and producers who would wisely turn a deaf ear to Selznick's intrusions.

The De Sica/Selznick project began in 1952. "Terminal Station" was filmed entirely in Rome's sleek new railway station during late night hours and it didn't take long for De Sica's style of realism to clash with Selznick's expectations for the film. Selznick insisted that another cinematographer be brought in to film Montgomery Clift and Jennifer's close-ups so that they would appear more "glamorous." After the film was completed, Selznick edited the 90 minute film down to 63 minutes for the U.S. release and retitled it "Indiscretion of an American Wife."

Both versions failed at the box office and with critics. The film looked wonderful and the camera-work was stunning, especially the close-ups of Jones and Clift. But the problem with the film basically lay in the story itself - there was not too much to it. The story is told in "real time" and is the farewell between a Philadelphia house-wife and her Italian lover. De Sica's additions of minor characters in the station (some for comic relief) did little to help the otherwise flat story. The acting by both leads, however, was superior and the chemistry between Jones and Clift is very steamy. Considering that the film was made in the early 50s, it is also quite frank and daring in subject matter.

Criterion has restored both versions of the film for the dvd and they have done a spectacular job. A commentary by Leonard Leff is very informative and covers everything from the colorful but troubled production history to interesting tidbits about Jones and Clift's acting styles and personal lives. A gallery of the film's ads and posters is included. This dvd would especially be helpful to film students who want to study the styles of two very different film-makers.

A true event for De Sica fans.......2003-08-23

As a fan of both Italian neorealism and 1950's melodrama, the restoration of Vittorio De Sica's "Terminal Station" was something I'd looked forward to. I'd never seen either version of the movie, but I was not disappointed at all when I popped the DVD out of the wrapping and put it straight into the machine.

Frankly, I didn't think Selznick's version, "Indiscretion of an American Wife," was that bad, but of course, De Sica's cut is better. I really like films set in confined areas, and the lovely architecture of Rome's Stazione Termine functions as another character in the film. Montgomery Clift and Jennifer Jones are wonderful, as is the cinematography -- you lose yourself in this soft-focus black and white world -- and De Sica's attention to small characters and atmosphere.

Although I do not think this is a masterpiece by any means, it is truly a beautiful film, and worthy for collectors who like De Sica's other work ("Bicycle Thief," "Shoeshine," "Umberto D" etc.), Rossellini's work with Ingrid Bergman (specifically "Voyage to Italy," which also blends Hollywood stars and a Italian Neorealist director to explore hard truths about adult relationships) and Douglas Sirk melodramas.

As an aside, the mid-20th century European train setting made me pop in my Criterion disc of "Brief Encounter," and that made for a great double feature.

Description

SHOW 1: INDISCRETION OF AN AMERICAN WIFE

Jennifer Jones and Montgomery Clift star in this romantic drama from the famed neo-realist Italian director Vittorio De Sica. Jones plays a housewife from Pennsylvania having an affair with a handsome Italian (Clift) while taking a holiday in Rome. As she prepares to return to her family, her lover begs her to stay. Can she bear to leave? Will she abandon her respectable home and family to remain with him? Will they have a last minute fling? When in Rome, do as the Romans do! An enthralling romance by an internationally acclaimed director and featuring two of Hollywood's most celebrated stars. Included: Original theatrical trailer: 65 minutes

SHOW 2: Jennifer Jones and Montgomery Clift in the movies Join Jones and Clift on a tour of their movie careers, featuring original theatrical trailers from some of their greatest films. Clift was born in 1920 and received an Academy Award nomination for his first movie role in THE SEARCH. His second film was opposite John Wayne in RED RIVER. He was nominated for Oscars for his performances in A PLACE IN THE SUN, FROM HERE TO ETERNITY and JUDGEMENT AT NUREMBERG. Jennifer Jones was born in 1919 and broke into movies under her real name of Phyllis Isley. After being discovered by producer David O. Selznick, whom she later married, she changed her name to Jennifer Jones and began appearing in prestigious pictures, starting with THE SONG OF BERNADETTE, for which she won an Academy Award. She also received Oscar nominations for her performances in SINCE YOU WENT AWAY, LOVE LETTERS, DUEL IN THE SUN, and LOVE IS A MANY SPLENDORED THING. 17 minutes

Customer Reviews:

Two great stars but not worth the time........2003-11-20

As a fan of both Jones and Clift I was hoping for a hidden treasure here. This short [63 minutes] Italian production seems more like a movie missing its first hour. Both stars give it their best effort but its basically a mess.

Beat the Devil/Indiscretion of An American Wife

Average customer rating:

Beat the Devil/Indiscretion of An American Wife
Starring: Beat the Devil , and Indiscretion of An American Wife
Manufacturer: Krb Music
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ASIN: B0001IKXTO
Release Date: 2006-04-04

Product Description

Two classic black & white films from 1953 written by award-winning author Trumon Capote. This DVD comes with great extras including a Scarecrow cartoon and Bloopers of 1946.

Average customer rating:

MAGIC IT'S MAGIC
THE SELZNICK HOLLYWOODSAW CUT MASSACRE
Mature drama with great performances
brilliant, mesmerizing piece
A flawed Masterpiece

Indiscretion of an American Wife
Starring: Jennifer Jones , Montgomery Clift , Gino Cervi , Richard Beymer , and Liliana Gerace
Director: Vittorio De Sica
Manufacturer: ROAN
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ASIN: B00003RQOE
Release Date: 2000-01-25

Customer Reviews:

MAGIC IT'S MAGIC.......2003-06-04

It seems that the deities who preside over the fate of the movie lovers have heard my prayer of last year.

Criterion has just announced the release of INDISCRETION OF AN AMERICAN WIFE in its catalogue for August 2003. The studio will present both versions of the movie. So be patient and avoid the Roan Group DVD until then.

A DVD zone masterpiece.

THE SELZNICK HOLLYWOODSAW CUT MASSACRE.......2002-03-13

Well, firstly I think people should be aware that the european version of Vittorio de Sica's INDISCRETION OF AN AMERICAN WIFE is 120 minutes long and that the U.S. release presented here by The Roan Group lasts...63 minutes. The hour long neo-realistic scenes shot by the italian director had been cut by a David Selznick fearing that the american audience could be shocked by the 1953 italian reality. The Dream Factory couldn't accept a movie that would have awakened the nice sleepers of America.

So, what's left of the movie is watchable, nothing more. Jennifer and Montgomery spend a lot of time running through Rome Main Station and cruise a few symbolical figures that have lost all their impact.

So let's hope that the european version will appear soon in the Criterion catalogue. Just production notes as bonus feature. No more than average sound and images.

A DVD for the garbage can.

Mature drama with great performances.......2001-07-16

The running time on this film is only 63 minutes which is really quite enough time considering that it is basically plotless and is mainly a one hour farewell between an American housewife and an Italian man she is having an affair with. You will really not notice the plot weaknesses, however, because of the intense performances from the stars and the wide array of emotions this film brings forth. Jennifer Jones, although really too sophisticated and regal for a Philadelphia housewife, is quite good here and gives the best performance in the film. An early scene where she sits in the train caressing a dress that she has just bought for her daughter is simply a marvel - we can read everything in her face and we can easily see how her thoughts drift from her daughter to her lover. Montgomery Clift is gorgeous beyond belief here (this was a few years before the devastating car accident which scarred his face) and his acting is okay except he starts out with an Italian accent which totally disappears halfway into the film. The film was photographed at Rome's new (at the time) Terminal Station and was filmed at night to avoid crowds and day to day business in the immense station. Jennifer Jones' smart suit was designed by Christian Dior, who had just appeared on the fashion scene. The Roan Group dvd is excellent and presents a sharp image that is free of nicks and scratches. Some added features would have been nice but all we get here is a cast and crew summary and a brief page about the making of the film.

brilliant, mesmerizing piece.......2001-02-26

Indiscretion takes place in one locale only, Rome's main train terminal. It chronicles the final moments of an ill-fated tryst between an Italian man (Montgomery Clift) and an American housewife (Jennifer Jones). But do not be fooled by the simplicity of this synopsis. Indiscretion is a multi-layered, surrealist script which, by focusing on the love affair between two people, takes a very courageous, analytical look at the clockwork behind the man's actions and the realities and demands of the society which formulates and steers those actions. In this story, it explains how this clockwork dictates and rules our lives, for better or worse. This analyzation is non-judgemental, and thankfully so.

Heavily targeted here are religion (monks and clerics are always nearby, following scenes between the couple), mortality and the fleeting nature of life (sinister clocks tick away, leaving less and less time available to the lovers), social and political authority (the threatening and humiliating experience of being arrested by a foreign authority), the universal compassion of humanity (the sick passenger and the ripping up of the police charge), the institution and sanctity of marriage (the pictures of the woman's child, her nephew representing and reminding her of the importance of the family), among many others. They are presented here for one reason alone: to demonstrate the complexity of the human experience, and to quite brutally prove what type of influence the world around us has on making subjective decisions. The viewer, as a result, is apt to be asking themselves over and over, "What is she going to do? ... What is she going to do?" Like the recent German film Run Lola Run, we see the power and significance that the ramifications subjective decision-making holds.

Indiscretion is rare piece of cinema in that it analyzes and exposes without making moralistic critiques. How this film could have been made in the 1950s is something of a conundrum to me, though I imagine it has something to do with Truman Capote working on the script, Montgomery Clift's genius, and of course a very unique director!

To make this experience all the more interesting is the real-life drama which unfolded between the two lead actors in this film. In the film, Clift was the catalyst for the couple's love, desperately trying to turn the fate of his lover in his direction, ultimately failing. Off-screen, it was Jones who tried to do so, ultimately failing due to Clift's sexual orientation.

This film is a gem. If you're interested in films which unabashedly strip the human experience naked, this is for you. If you're looking for an feel-good, life-affirming Hollywood script stay clear.

A flawed Masterpiece.......2000-02-12

When I first saw this film I was captured by the grainy Black and white realism and surrealism of the cinematography. I found myself disappearing in a past life somewhere in Italy in a train station and feeling like a fly on the wall as these two people were going throughout the different changes that emotions and time restraint love can cause. I love this movie because of that. To me that is what a film should do. Displace you. Unfortunately as most will observe something is missing. Namely part of the film. For some reason or another censors and others who felt the film was too long. Ridiculous as it is. Made many cuts and have left us with just a part of something that may have been great. Some people criticize Jennifer Jones as a bit too overacting but some people are very edgy in moments of change and despair. Montgomery Clift is so brilliant that it's hard to not see the differences in acting styles between him and Jennifer and that may make some think that there is no chemistry between the leads but I don't agree. Anyone who has researched about the making of this film should know that Jennifer Jones was very much in love with Montgomery Clift and completely devastated when she found out about his sexual orientation. This only adds to the emotional background for the story and propels the film even further in my opinion. Victorio De Sica did a masterful job in directing everything from background players to the many other actors who had little parts here and there to add color to the story. One day maybe we will see a restored version of this film and see Victorio's masterpiece as it should have been presented.

Cry of the Penguins/Indiscretion of an American Wife

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Cry of the Penguins/Indiscretion of an American Wife

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The Big Lift & Indiscretion of An American Wife

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Misused talents

The Big Lift & Indiscretion of An American Wife

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Customer Reviews:

Misused talents.......2007-06-22

The big lift is pretty boring but indiscretion of an American wife is pretty good and interesting because of Monty Clift!

Average customer rating:

Indiscretion of an American Wife
Starring: MONTGOMERY CLIFT
Director: VITTORIO DE SICA
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

Product Description

A MARRIED AMERICAN WOMAN GETS INVOLVED WITH ANOTHER MAN WHILE VISITING RELATIVES IN ROME.

Drama Movie Marathon Volume 8: 8 Movie Pack

Average customer rating:

Drama Movie Marathon Volume 8: 8 Movie Pack

Manufacturer: RightNow Disc
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BONUS: Each movie comes with a portable-media friendly version that can be downloaded to your Apple iPod!
Eight feature films on four DVDs
The Great Dan Patch;The Man Who Had Influence;Indiscretion of an American Wife;Lola;High Voltage;Heartbeat;Hells House;The Emperor Jones;

ASIN: B000GWD2I4

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The legends of Drama are gathered here for you in this definitive DVD collection of some of the greatest Drama classics to ever come out of Hollywood. This 8 DVD collection is sure to provide you with countless hours of entertainment. Drama Movie Marathon Volume 8: 8 Movie Pack includes: The Great Dan Patch directed by Joseph Newman and starring Dennis O'Keefe; The Man Who Had Influence directed by and starring Robert Sterling; Indiscretion of an American Wife directed by Vittorio De Sica and starring Montgomery Clift; Lola directed by Richard Donner and starring Charles Bronson; High Voltage directed by Howard Higgin and starring William Boyd; Heartbeat directed by Sam Wood and starring Ginger Rogers; Hells House directed by Howard Higgin and starring Bette Davis; The Emperor Jones directed by Dudley Murphy and starring Paul Robeson;

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