Fear (1954 film)

Fear (Italian: La Paura) is a 1954 German-Italian drama film directed by Roberto Rossellini and starring his wife Ingrid Bergman. It has also been released as Angst in the English-speaking world. It is loosely based on the Stefan Zweig novel Fear. It was filmed in Munich and was shot simultaneously in German and English. Rossellini created it because he wanted to explore the reconstruction of Germany from both a material and moral standpoint ten years after making his previous German film Germany, Year Zero.[1] The film is noirish with aspects reminiscent of Hitchcock and German Expressionism.

Fear
Belgian theatrical release poster
Directed byRoberto Rossellini
Produced byHerman Millakowsky
Written byRoberto Rossellini
Sergio Amidei
Franz von Treuberg
Based onFear
by Stefan Zweig
StarringIngrid Bergman
Mathias Wieman
Renate Mannhardt
Kurt Kreuger
Music byRenzo Rossellini
CinematographyCarlo Carlini
Heinz Schnackertz
Edited byJolanda Benvenuti
Walter Boos
Distributed byMinerva Film
Release date
  • 5 November 1954 (1954-11-05) (West Germany)
  • 18 February 1955 (1955-02-18) (Italy)
Running time
83 minutes
CountryWest Germany
Italy
LanguageGerman
English

Plot

Irene Wagner (Bergman), the wife of prominent German scientist Professor Albert Wagner (Wieman), had been having an affair with Erich Baumann (Kreuger). She does not disclose this to her husband, hoping to preserve his innocence and their "perfect marriage". This fills her with anxiety and guilt. However, Johann Schultze (Mannhardt), Erich's jealous ex-girlfriend, learns about the affair and begins to blackmail Irene, turning Irene's psychological torture into a harsh reality. When Irene finds out that the extortion plot is truly an experiment in fear, she is driven into a homicidal/suicidal rage. But she is saved from suicide by her husband at the last minute, both sorry for what they did.

Cast

Reception

The film did not do well when it was released in Italy and Germany. Consequently, the Italian distributor edited the film and re-released it as Non credo più all'amore. In this edited version, a fishing scene is shortened and an explanatory narration is added to two silent scenes. In addition, the ending was changed from a scene showing Bergman attempting suicide to a scene showing her family in the countryside, after Bergman had left her husband, living on for the sake of her children.

The Rossellini Project

This initiative involves 10 films by Roberto Rossellini that are being digitally restored and will then be promoted internationally. Carrying out the restoration work are Cinecittà Luce-Filmitalia, the Cineteca di Bologna, the Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia, and the Coproduction Office. Fear is one of the ten films being restored. The others are: Rome, Open City (Roma città aperta), Paisan (Paisà), Germany Year Zero (Germania anno zero), L’amore, Stromboli (Stromboli terra di Dio), The Machine that Kills Bad People (La Macchina ammazzacattivi), Journey to Italy (Viaggio in Italia), India: Matri Bhumi, and Interview with Salvador Allende (Intervista a Salvador Allende: La forza e la ragione). [2]

Turner Classic Movies (TCM) North American TV Premiere

On March 15, 2013, Turner Classic Movies broadcast Fear for the first time on TV in North America. [3]

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See also

Footnotes
  1. "Film Exhibitions: 2006: Roberto Rossellini". The Museum of Modern Art. Retrieved 2008-05-04.
  2. "The Rossellini Project". Coproduction Office. Retrieved 2013-02-14.
  3. "Fear Broadcast Information for TCM". Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved 2013-02-14.
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