Le notti bianche

One fateful night on the streets of Livorno, world-weary Mario (Marcello Mastroianni, Allonsanfan) bumps into Natalia (Maria Schell, The Last Bridge), a visibly distressed young woman. As Mario attempts to comfort her, Natalia recounts the story of a lost love (Jean Marais) who she hears is back in town. In a bid to remain close to her, Mario reluctantly agrees to help Maria find him. Adapted from a Fyodor Dostoyevsky short story, director Luchino Visconti (Senso, La terra trema) captures the agony and ecstasy of infatuation in this exquisite melodrama. Headlined by two stellar performances from Marcello Mastroianni and Maria Schell, Le notti bianche won the Silver Lion at the 1957 Venice Film Festival.