(Viaggio in Italia, Roberto Rossellini, Italy/France 1954, 97 min., 35mm, Italian with English subtitles)
“Now that we’re strangers we can start all over again at the beginning.” Estranged couple Alex and Katherine (George Sanders and Ingrid Bergman) are investigating an Italian property they inherited from Alex’s uncle. What starts out as an enjoyable mixture of business and pleasure soon curdles as they discover, by spending an extended period of time together, that they may not truly know each other at all. As they explore the Italian sights, jointly and apart, they reckon with their relationship and their future. The most vital of a series of films Bergman made with then-husband Roberto Rossellini, Journey to Italy is a breathtaking cinematic trip through Italy and a masterpiece of happenstance experience leading to epiphany.