Raffaello Matarazzo's Runaway Melodramas

In the years following World War II, the neorealism wave breaking out of Italy attracted worldwide attention, yet Italian audiences themselves were flocking to the overheated melodramas of Raffaello Matarazzo, with Amedeo Nazzari and Yvonne Sanson playing lead roles as eternally star-crossed lovers, forever separated by scheming villains, moral hypocrites, lies, misunderstandings, and plot twists designed to pour on the suffering. Although the stories are often set amidst the working class, there is nothing naturalistic about their sensationalism. And while the offerings in this set are not masterpieces, they are revealing slices of popular culture, with Matarazzo ramping up the complications and martyrdom over the course of the four productions. First up is Chains (1949), a somewhat conventional soap opera of jealousy, revenge, and sacrifice involving a young woman named Rosa (Sanson), who is happily married to a mechanic (Nazzari)—until a man from her past (Aldo Nicodemi) appears and turns her life upside down. The torment in Tormento (1950), which follows the tragic tale of Anna and Carlo (Sanson and Nazzari), stems largely from a severe stepmother (Tina Lattanzi), whose cruelty makes Disney's counterparts look like misguided caregivers. In Nobody's Children (1952) and its follow-up, The White Angel (1955), the ill-fated pair face controlling family members, with events snowballing into blackmail, tragedy, and reprehensible acts. Matarazzo withholds happy endings until the last seconds, while simultaneously loading on Catholic imagery. The over-the-top effect makes Hollywood productions look timid by comparison. The films in the four-disc set are mastered from prints that do suffer some from various states of worn, damaged, and unsteady footage—probably due to shrinking and splices. Featuring some brief essays by Michael Koresky, this latest addition to Criterion's bare-bones Eclipse series is a strong optional purchase. (S. Axmaker)