The Indiscretion of an American Wife from 1953 is directed by Vittoria de Sica, Italian realist par excellence. The movie is something of a departure for him because it doesn't involve Italians struggling against poverty, loneliness, or rejection. Instead, we have two American actors, Jennifer Jones as Mary, and Montgomery Clift, as Giovanni--two lovers caught up in a whirlwind American-Italian romance. Both Jones and Clift display the raw emotions of two people in a love affair that seems destined to end. Behind the exterior of a gracious lady who dotes on her nephew Paul, played by Richard Beymer, there is a woman longing for the forbidden fruit. But she is married with a young daughter and she feels she has no choice. Clift is equally passionate and cannot be kept from the pursuit. I have trouble liking the character played by Montgomery Clift, for reasons that should be clear to anyone who sees the film. He does redeem himself by risking his life to see her one last time. What he has is charisma. It's purely physical but he is loaded. The movie is played out in a short drama inside Rome's vast train station, housing young families, migrant workers, priests, schoolchildren and these star-crossed lovers. Family members, onlookers and even the local authorities seem to deny them their last few moments together. While it seems dated in many ways, the tension is as riveting as ever.
Review of Terminal Station
