He's not a director I'm overly enthusiastic about, but he's good. This is a simple love story, based on Dostoyevsky. Marcello Mastroianni plays a man who meets a beautiful young girl (Maria Schell). He falls for her instantly, but finds she is awaiting an older man (Jean Marais) with whom she fell in love the previous year. He is supposed to be coming back for her. Mastroianni attempts to prevent the reunion. This reminds me more of Fellini than Visconti. There's a dance sequence in a night club that almost escapes from the movie. It's like a centerpiece, and like a small masterpiece existing within an otherwise excellent film.
Review of White Nights
