Trivia

Michelangelo Antonioni's feature film directorial debut. He wanted to cast Gene Tierney as Paola, but since he was an unknown European director he could not get her. Eventually he met then 19 year old Lucia Bosè, who had been Miss Italy 1947, while having lunch at fellow director Luchino Visconti's house. While initially skeptical over her maturity, Visconti convinced him to audition her.

The original negative was destroyed during a fire in 1989.

One of Martin Scorsese's favorite films.

Award: Best director award at the Punta del Este Film Festival (1951).

This drew a lot of criticism from the influential neo-realist movement who viewed the film as a celebration of the aristocracy as opposed to the poor working classes.