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White Nights

Play trailer Poster for White Nights 1961 1h 45m Drama Romance Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
92% Tomatometer 12 Reviews 89% Popcornmeter 1,000+ Ratings
Marcello Mastroianni, as a lonely city transplant, and Maria Schell, as a sheltered girl haunted by a lover's promise, meet by chance on a canal bridge and begin a tentative romance that quickly entangles them in a web of longing and self-delusion. Luchino Visconti's WHITE NIGHTS is an exquisite adaptation of Dostoevsky's legendary novella, transforming this romantic, shattering tale of two restless souls into a ravishing black-and-white dream.

Critics Reviews

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Bilge Ebiri New York Magazine/Vulture 4d
Every second of White Nights is steeped in a longing for the impossible, which is maybe why its beauty feels so untouchable, so unexplainable even to this day. Go to Full Review
Eli Friedberg Slant Magazine Jul 20
2.5/4
If Luchino Visconti operates on the surface level of the material, however, he crafts a uniquely seductive surface. Go to Full Review
Peter John Dyer Sight & Sound 03/30/2020
The acting is everything one has a right to expect from a well- ordered seance. Go to Full Review
Nadine Whitney The Curb May 13
Melancholy and magical, uncovering the inner lives of those who love without reserve and connect with the desire for perfect happiness. A profoundly romantic classic. Go to Full Review
Guillem Martinez Oya Cinematismo 08/15/2024
5/5
Those nights where you can escaped from the ordinary life are life itself. [Full review in Spanish] Go to Full Review
Isabel Quigly The Spectator 07/12/2018
The whole film, is a triumph of naturalism so unforced that we go out wondering what happened next, how the pair would weather the two years of waiting, and so on and so on. Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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Monoj D @Mr_Billions 4d A Timeless Classic Returns to the Big Screen Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (9/10) The re-release of White Nights is a wonderful opportunity to experience this emotional classic on the big screen once again. The film's powerful performances, unforgettable music, and heartfelt storytelling remain just as moving today. Every scene carries warmth and emotion, making it a truly rewarding cinematic experience. A timeless masterpiece that deserves to be rediscovered by both longtime fans and new audiences. See more S R @ScottR 09/13/2023 A moving romance that shows the tragedy of obsessive love. Well made and it still resonates. Good acting and direction. It was on CRI. See more 06/14/2021 This is the first listed of many films claiming it as a source or inspiration. Most recently 'Two Lovers' took full advantage of Joachim Phoenix's abilities with this material. 'Have enough courage to trust love one more time and always one more time', Maya Angelou. Here's a lesson plan on that. The song asks, 'Why do fools fall in love?'; maybe just because those that appear wise are more cautious See more dave s @RT68722908 01/29/2021 Luciano Visconti's beautiful Le Notti Bianche served as a transition film from his early days in the Italian neorealist school to the more stylistically tightly structured films he was ultimately best known for. Le Notti Bianche follows the story of Mario (Marcello Mastroianni), a loner wandering the dark alleys of a new town, who meets Natalia (Maria Schell), a sheltered young woman waiting for her love to return after a year's absence. Dealing with unrequited love, among other things, the movie is a visual joy to watch. Each shot is gorgeously composed, the black and white cinematography is stunning, and the lighting is spectacular. There are a couple of scenes that drag (the dance scene in the café, for example), but, overall, the film is an excellent primer for the Visconti films that followed. See more Emilio T @MilloTPue 05/27/2020 From the different good routes the movie could have taken, it choses not the best one. See more 01/31/2015 'The white nights' is a very fragile exquisite tale based on story of Dostoievsky. With the images extremely beautiful it tells the story of an ordinary young man Mario, who met an unusual, like from another century girl, fell in love with her and almost made her fall in love too... Visconti and Dostoyevsky--Here two different worlds collide unambiguously - the modern, cold, indifferent stylized world and the old, more intimate and hearty one, and this collision makes many ironical and sad situations... Reflect reality as well as a dream that falls a bit short!! See more Read all reviews
White Nights

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Movie Info

Synopsis Marcello Mastroianni, as a lonely city transplant, and Maria Schell, as a sheltered girl haunted by a lover's promise, meet by chance on a canal bridge and begin a tentative romance that quickly entangles them in a web of longing and self-delusion. Luchino Visconti's WHITE NIGHTS is an exquisite adaptation of Dostoevsky's legendary novella, transforming this romantic, shattering tale of two restless souls into a ravishing black-and-white dream.
Director
Luchino Visconti
Producer
Franco Cristaldi
Screenwriter
Luchino Visconti, Suso Cecchi d'Amico
Distributor
United Motion Pictures Organization
Production Co
Vides Cinematografica
Genre
Drama, Romance
Original Language
Italian
Release Date (Theaters)
May 28, 1961, Original
Rerelease Date (Theaters)
Jul 24, 2026
Release Date (DVD)
Jul 12, 2005
Runtime
1h 45m