Made in the same decade as Rossellini’s remarkable “war trilogy” (ROME, OPEN CITY; PAISAN; and GERMANY, YEAR ZERO), L’AMORE is made up of two distinct short films, both starring the Italian powerhouse Anna Magnani. In THE HUMAN VOICE, an unnamed woman has a fraught conversation over the phone with her lover, and in THE MIRACLE the devoutly religious Nannina believes she has been impregnated by Saint Joseph. It was this second film that sparked outrage in the United States, and the film was yanked from its New York premiere and condemned by the National Legion of Decency and Catholic authorities for indecency. When the New York Board of Regents revoked the film’s license entirely, distributor Joseph Burstyn took the battle all the way to the Supreme Court, who, in a unanimous 1952 ruling, decided that film was a form of artistic expression, and therefore free speech protected by the First Amendment. Grazie mille, Rossellini.
Film Center Member Presale: Monday, August 14 - 10:00AM online / 5:30PM box office
General Public: Thursday, August 17 - 10:00AM online / 5:30PM box office