Il Grido
- Steve Cochran: Aldo
- Alida Valli: Irma
- Betsy Blair: Elvia
- Dorian Gray: Virginia
- Gabriella Pallotta: Edera, Irma's sister
- Mirna Girardi: Rosina
- Monica Vitti: Italian voice of Dorian Gray
The Scream is a film by Michelangelo Antonioni from the year 1957. The film recalls in its formal structure to the neorealist tradition, but goes with his highly stylized imagery and his existentialist dominated psychology of the characters far beyond.
Action
A small place with a factory in the Italian Po Valley. It is winter. Dense fog lies over the landscape, the houses and the people. As Irma learns of their emigrated to Australia years ago husband's death, she separates from Aldo, with whom she had a relationship for seven years. You want to start with another man she loves recently, over again. Aldo is shocked and wants to win her back. In desperation, he hits her on the street several times in the face. Silent look to the inhabitants of the place.
With their daughter Rosina Aldo leaves the place. Wistfully looks back Rosina. Visit Elvia, Aldo's former girlfriend, who still loves him. Elvia is pleased with his presence, but when Irma past brings a suitcase with clothing for Aldo and Rosina, she feels that Aldo has come only because Irma has left him. Elvia asks him to leave. The next morning he disappeared with his daughter.
Aimless draw father and daughter through deserted landscapes and lonely country roads. Finally, they get stranded in the attractive and confident Virginia, which operates a gas station with her old father. Rosina gets along well with the old man, an anarchist and drinkers. As developed an affair between Virginia and Aldo, Rosina is distraught.
By bus Aldo sends his daughter home to her mother. He knows that the child is suffering from the situation. Also in the relationship with Virginia, he sees no future and leaves her while she is waiting in the cafe on him.
Aldo learns Adriana know, a fun-loving, pretty young prostitute who lives in a small hut by the river. He likes it, but his motivation makes her to create. When she suffering a suitor seeks hunger to earn a few lire, you follow Aldo. But even in this situation, he is not able to her to be a prop. He goes and lets it back desperately.
Hitchhiker Aldo returns to his hometown. He sees his daughter in the new man of Irma house disappear. Through the window, he discovered how Irma a baby wrapped. He turns and walks away. But she has discovered him and follows him. While the whole city gathered to demonstrate against the construction of an airfield, Aldo goes to the factory where he once worked. Irma runs after him. He climbs up the tower of the company. Irma calls his name, as if in a trance he waves at her, then he plunges himself. With pained face she lets out a piercing scream.
Awards
Reviews
"One of the great masters of Italian film director Michelangelo Antonioni, turned this gripping psychological portrait of an abandoned man. In this film, which was in 1957 awarded at the festivals in Locarno with the grand prize of criticism, Antonioni was first to his own style. "
" Antonioni came with this pessimistic outsider portrait for the first time to a consistent formation of his style: In the gray, desolate locales, the internal constitution of his hero shares with unobtrusive; without many words, but rich in symbolic details evoke the image of a borderline situation, in the later to be found especially Antonioni's female characters. "
" Anyone who has " The Scream " (1957 ) saw for themselves are the melancholy river landscape at the bottom with the miserable huts, the disappointed by life working Aldo, who goes on a road along with his daughter, and his jump at the end of a have imprinted factory tower forever as something that belong together. "
" In this pessimistic work on an outsider existence even looks the beautiful countryside dismal. Thus, the inner despair of the main character is not reflected in the words, but above all in the pictures of his environment. "