When Lo straniero (The Stranger) was released Luchino Visconti was already a critically acclaimed director in the world of cinema and theater. His controversial art touched many and left a permanent influence on the history of cinema. But for some reason Lo straniero has remained very unknown. Probably for many reasons, but one of them was the Camus family. Visconti didn't want to just visualize the novel by Albert Camus. He wanted to highlight, comment and focus on different themes but of course on many similar themes too. The Camus family didn't like the film and it got into a whirl of copyrights issues and even today it's quite unknown and very hard to see. I got the chance to see it in cinemas and am not even sure whether it can be seen on DVD or not.
Albert Camus, together with Jean-Paul Sartre, is still one of the most renowned authors of French existentialist literature. There has been controversies whether he was an existentialist or not. He didn't consider him as an existentialist, more of an absurdist. As did Franz Kafka but his work is still counted strictly in the district of existentialism. Luchino Visconti wanted to bring up the atheism of the novels' protagonist, Mersault, but also the extraordinary honesty in him. The things other people see as disregard and insensitivity in Mersault are just other forms of honesty, for him. He's a very honest person who doesn't hide his true opinions and harsh words. This is at least what he thinks in his head. We the audience see him as an apathetic and laconic person.
The most intriguing thing, to my mind, in Lo straniero is the reason why the court sentences Mersault. Not because of he killed the Arab but because he told the truth which is something the society cannot stand. Mersault is judged by the moral of others and this is where his honesty betrays him. The subjectivity of truth and absurdity of being reflect from Visconti's version just as they do from the original text.
The cast of Lo straniero is brilliant: Marcello Mastroani achieves to bring some sympathy to the laconic character of Mersault. Through this the audience can understand him and feel empathy towards him. Anna Karina does also a wonderful job as the lover of Mersault, Marie Cardona. Nothing has any value for Mersault. It doesn't matter whether he loves Marie or not, whether to marry her or not. Since nothing really matters, which refers the bottom idea of existentialism: "We're thrown into the world, doomed to be free and forced to give our own life a meaning." The distressing freedom exhales from Visconti's interpretation in a form of unbearable heat and sweat. The famous opening line of the novel quite well perceives the character of Mersault: "Mother died today. Or was it yesterday, I don't know."
The Stranger portrays the life of an individual: through his whole life Mersault has been very apathetic, all the things he has felt and experienced feel the same to him. Only in his death row he realizes the worth of life. He is happy for that he has got to live. The collision of Mersault and the priest in the death row is a very raw scene by Visconti. The dramaturgy reaches its climax - the dramatic intensity in the faces of the characters destroy the original laconic scene by Camus. The atheism of Visconti is quite interesting and it can never be seen directly in his art, but it is there beneath the surface. Another good example of this is Luchino Visconti's earlier melodrama Bellissima (1951).
In The Stranger Luchino Visconti creates an ironic picture of Italy and the justice system. The final scene where Mersault has truly realized the beauty and value of life is beautiful. The picture of his melancholy crying face is very startling - it doesn't last long but it feels like an eternity for the viewer. Because this is the first time we can see Mersault feeling something and it scares us, touches us and changes us.
Albert Camus, together with Jean-Paul Sartre, is still one of the most renowned authors of French existentialist literature. There has been controversies whether he was an existentialist or not. He didn't consider him as an existentialist, more of an absurdist. As did Franz Kafka but his work is still counted strictly in the district of existentialism. Luchino Visconti wanted to bring up the atheism of the novels' protagonist, Mersault, but also the extraordinary honesty in him. The things other people see as disregard and insensitivity in Mersault are just other forms of honesty, for him. He's a very honest person who doesn't hide his true opinions and harsh words. This is at least what he thinks in his head. We the audience see him as an apathetic and laconic person.
The most intriguing thing, to my mind, in Lo straniero is the reason why the court sentences Mersault. Not because of he killed the Arab but because he told the truth which is something the society cannot stand. Mersault is judged by the moral of others and this is where his honesty betrays him. The subjectivity of truth and absurdity of being reflect from Visconti's version just as they do from the original text.
The cast of Lo straniero is brilliant: Marcello Mastroani achieves to bring some sympathy to the laconic character of Mersault. Through this the audience can understand him and feel empathy towards him. Anna Karina does also a wonderful job as the lover of Mersault, Marie Cardona. Nothing has any value for Mersault. It doesn't matter whether he loves Marie or not, whether to marry her or not. Since nothing really matters, which refers the bottom idea of existentialism: "We're thrown into the world, doomed to be free and forced to give our own life a meaning." The distressing freedom exhales from Visconti's interpretation in a form of unbearable heat and sweat. The famous opening line of the novel quite well perceives the character of Mersault: "Mother died today. Or was it yesterday, I don't know."
The Stranger portrays the life of an individual: through his whole life Mersault has been very apathetic, all the things he has felt and experienced feel the same to him. Only in his death row he realizes the worth of life. He is happy for that he has got to live. The collision of Mersault and the priest in the death row is a very raw scene by Visconti. The dramaturgy reaches its climax - the dramatic intensity in the faces of the characters destroy the original laconic scene by Camus. The atheism of Visconti is quite interesting and it can never be seen directly in his art, but it is there beneath the surface. Another good example of this is Luchino Visconti's earlier melodrama Bellissima (1951).
In The Stranger Luchino Visconti creates an ironic picture of Italy and the justice system. The final scene where Mersault has truly realized the beauty and value of life is beautiful. The picture of his melancholy crying face is very startling - it doesn't last long but it feels like an eternity for the viewer. Because this is the first time we can see Mersault feeling something and it scares us, touches us and changes us.