What a waste of my time!!!

This movie was so-so. It had it's moments, but wasn't the greatest.

I am only giving this movie a 1 for the great cast, though I can't imagine what any of them were thinking. This movie was horrible

It is a whirlwind of delight --- attractive actors, stunning couture, spectacular sets and outrageous parties.

A humble clerk (Marcello Mastroianni) courts a woman (Maria Schell) who night after night awaits for the return of her lover (Jean Marais).I am not a champion of this film, and I apologize for that. I know Visconti is a big name in Italian cinema, especially the neorealist movement. And I think he has made a fine film here. But it never fully caught my attention, and i have to just say it was good or maybe really good, but never quite great.In contrast, Dostoevsky was (or is) one of my favorite authors of all time. He so expertly captured the psychology of his subjects. And I am not sure that this was really portrayed here. Granted, "White Nights" is not one of his stories I am most familiar with, but I never really got a Dostoevsky feel out of this film.

In some ways, "Le Notti Bianche" is a strange film for me. On one hand, it has some of the best cinematography you'll ever see in a black & white film. The composition, the lighting, the mist--it all is so perfect. Yet, on the other hand, the story itself is so slight that I felt very unfulfilled at its conclusion.The film begins with a lonely man wandering about the waterfront late at night. Although you'd think a guy that looks like Marcello Mastroianni would not have trouble finding a relationship, but in this film he is quite alone. By chance, he meets a very strange woman (Maria Schell). She is VERY shy--and behaves a bit oddly. However, despite this, he vows to stop by the same place they met and see her, if she wants, the following night. From this very inauspicious beginning, two lonely people meet and form a friendship....and perhaps more. Eventually, you understand some of her weird behaviors--she's actually waiting for another man (Jean Marais)--a man who you assume will never come.There really is NOT a lot more to the film than my description. It isn't a bad film but I wanted more. I liked Mastroianni's character (though he was a sad fellow) but found Schell's perplexing and hard to believe. I also thought their relationship a bit hard to believe as well--going from total strangers to talking about marriage WAY too fast. In fact, the story itself was only okay--but the film earns a 7 simply for its look. Not a particularly enjoyable or engaging film for me--and it receives a very, very mild recommendation from me.

Le notti bianche (White Nights) is a loyal adaption, directed by a neo realist Luchino Visconti, of the short story by Fyodor Dostoevsky. The story is fascinating and Visconti wasn't the only one who adapted it; Robert Bresson and Ivan Pyrjev made films based on it as well. White Nights is about a lonely man who meets a lonely girl, but they're lonely for different reasons; the man is lonely because of social reasons, he's new in town, but the girl's loneliness comes from her isolation, because she has to live with her nearly blind grandmother. The short story by Dostoevsky is much more sentimental than Visconti's film, but they're both dreamy: "The notes of a dreamer." In the book the loneliness of Mario is a little exaggerated by showing that he has no social life at all. In the opening scene of the film we are clearly showed that Mario has had a night with a group of friends and is now heading back home. His loneliness is much more deeper; it's not about him not having social relations, but not really having true love nor happiness. The same night he sees a girl, Natalia crying on a bridge. He starts to fall in love with her, but unfortunately finds out that she is waiting for a man that is unlikely to come back. The man she met a year ago when he was a lodger of her grandmother. They promised to meet each other on the same bridge after a year - if she'd still love him they'd start a life together. It's hard for Mario to believe this and so he let's himself to fall in love with Natalia.The original story is set in St. Petersburg, but Visconti has moved it to Italy - still the neighborhood it takes place resembles the original story. The place is divided into two parts; the dreamy, fantasy world of Natalia and the sentimental, reality of Mario. In Natalia's own side she is a loyal lover, who waits for the man of her dreams and denies all the other relationships from her. But when she comes to Mario's reality side she is forced to see the facts and there she is able to fall in love again. Then when Mario follows Natalia over the bridge to her dreamy ideal world he has to take part in this 'fairy tale' and share the illusions of it.The book by Dostoevsky has two evocative subtitles: sentimental novel and the notes of a dreamer and the film clearly builds around these same issues. Dostoevsky gives us a lyric love story about loneliness, which is realism and an honest portrayal. But Visconti's version is much more ruthless - Dostoevsky still gives us hope, humor and optimism. Both of them are amazing, both the book and the film are the most moving stories I've ever heard.Le notti bianche is a film where ideal image is compared against reality. It's aesthetically gorgeous and the division to two sides is most certainly not just geographical. The contrast of ideal image and reality goes through the whole movie. The products of the reality are; the prostitute, her clients, the dancing, the teenagers and passers-by. But the ideal image cannot be separated into this concrete features, it's only the dreamy fantasy of Natalia. The dancing scene is brilliant and it reminds one of Federico Fellini's surrealism. The scene is very symbolic when it comes to the awkwardness of Mario and the uncomfortable relationship between him and Natalia. The scene is admirable, but also awkward, uncomfortable and maybe even unbearable.When the lonely Mario meets Natalia he can experience happiness; they both aren't lonely anymore - the loneliness is gone. But when the unbelievable happens and the man Natalia has been waiting for returns, Mario is left alone once again and is more lonely than ever. It's quite an interesting choice to give Natalia her victory. In the beginning the sympathy of the audience is given to Mario immediately and in the end every bit of empathy towards Natalia has disappeared. The final walk of the lonely Marcello Mastroianni is heartbreaking - something that will stay with me forever.

He's not a director I'm overly enthusiastic about, but he's good. This is a simple love story, based on Dostoyevsky. Marcello Mastroianni plays a man who meets a beautiful young girl (Maria Schell). He falls for her instantly, but finds she is awaiting an older man (Jean Marais) with whom she fell in love the previous year. He is supposed to be coming back for her. Mastroianni attempts to prevent the reunion. This reminds me more of Fellini than Visconti. There's a dance sequence in a night club that almost escapes from the movie. It's like a centerpiece, and like a small masterpiece existing within an otherwise excellent film.