Senso (1954)

Senso (1954), directed by Luchino Visconti.

In 1866 the Italians are trying to push out the occupying Austrians. A patriotic countess gives her heart to an enemy soldier. He's a cad and her obsessive and degrading love affair does not proceed or end well.

It's plotted and staged like an opera without singing. The passion is understated and lacks energy. We get outdoor shots of Venice and a slow-moving battle in the countryside.

This is a once-only movie for me. Too melodramatic without other virtues. I remember Alida Valli from The Third Man (1949) and The Paradine Case (1947). She seems less mysterious in color.

Criterion Blu-ray.