MovieChat Forums > Le notti bianche (1961) Discussion > dance scene

dance scene

posted 18 years ago by negin_n
19 replies | jump to latest

some people believe its the climax of the story. what does everyone think of that scene? i think i was feeling very uncomfortable... i mean, i felt really bad for mario. somehow, it was as if he was trying very very hard, to hold this moment for himself, and the more he tried, the more out of place he looked.
i really liked the slow dance scene. mario and natalia were stuck uncomfortably among all those other dancers, which to me somehow symbolized their uncomfortable relationship too.

[–] zorohastru 18 years ago

If you knew the culture back then, and had seen the dance scene from Ucelaci I ucelini, you would realise that dancing back in those days was ART. MORE out of place? Well what is your background on dance culture and italian cinematography?

[–] negin_n 18 years ago

em... i am having a hard time understanding your point... and i guess you didn't understood my comment either... I totally didn't said anything about DANCE or DANCE in italian cinema (italian cinematography? what do you mean?)
to make the case clear, I do think Mastroianni's dance was SUPERB, because it suggested certain feelings, like awkwardness)

sorry, i think i reread your comment 5 times and i still don't see your point.

[–] 18 years ago

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[–] slowdown 18 years ago

I thought that scene was HILARIOUS (and uncomfortable too) because you can totally sense (and feel sorry for) his jealousy. I don't know, I found his dance very lovable and desperate and his jealousy was really revealing (and is especially telling w.r.t. his relationship w/ the girl).

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my top 20: http://www.ymdb.com/jimmychanga/l31219_ukuk.html

[–] negin_n 18 years ago

definitely agree! the jealousy point you mentioned is so true... his jealousiness (!!) was so strong, that made him act it that awkward manner. Excellent portrayal of how someone despirately tries to fit in!

[–] kraavitz 18 years ago

Yeah, agreed. Great scene for a few reasons - foremost the unease of watching the situation between the two characters. Mario desperately clinging to a hope that he can win over Natalia's feelings, yet I am sure he knows it is near zero. Natalia enjoying the company while thinking of her true love and waiting for the time to pass until 10pm. Such beautiful awkwardness complimented with fantastic dancing overall. Desperation, hope, love and despair on show in this scene, which I am sure most may believe is pivotal to the film and characters.

[–] 18 years ago

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[–] teejay6682 17 years ago

it was a very cool scene. very surreal and akward. m. m. did a great job.

[–] overseer-3 17 years ago

It was a great scene and a pretty artistic movie (well except for the beginning where the dog lifts his leg and pees against the building - lol!) but I think MM's character was better off without such a flighty, weird, emotionally unstable girlfriend. How long do you imagine the relationship between Maria's character and Jean Marais' will last? She'll probably drive him crazy and he'll dump her out of exasperation. Typical young girl developing crush on older man. There was nothing else there, we never see much of a relationship build between them before he goes away.

[–] simovalley 17 years ago

but the movie's not about the relationship between Maria and JM at all. at least, that's how I perceived it. it's a movie about hope and about loss of hope, about time passing by and an endless wait, about love and broken love, tender love and violent love, happy love and desperate love....and the dance scene is absolutely gorgeous.

[–] 17 years ago

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[–] UncleJohnsBand 17 years ago

I too, think people talk about that scene too much. I didn't dislike it, but there were some better ones. Like toward the end, EVERY SHOT in the end scene is amazing.

*SPOILERS*

Like when she screams, drops his coat, and runs to the man waiting on the bridge, and you see him pull his arms to his chest like he is in so much pain. Or when it is a closeup of the two on the bridge meeting eachother, and you see him in the background all alone. And then there is the final shot, walking down the alley, throwing his coat on his back, with nobody by his side except for that dog.

I think it's pretty obvious I love this movie.

Crazy Diamond #38

[–] The-Patient-Man 17 years ago

As far as the dance is concerned, this is what I think: MM did it very well, his body language is representative of his state of mind on that particular moment. You can see that attempt to be integrated (is this the correct word? sorry, i'm not english) and it is so powerful. The best thing about that scene is actually the importance of the image and the action and the absence of dialogue when it is not needed. THAT is what cinema represents and stands for.
The other details around that scene are susceptible of being discussed, altough they are more obvious: Natalia's tendency to have as much as fun as she can (she is kinda struck on her grandma's house), that guy with his eyes "glued" on her simbolizes her attractiveness, the music itself (rock and roll) also desires to show the best of youth around joy, liberty, fun, fast beating, etc etc etc.. this is just me inventing, but these are possible and plausible thoughts.

I found that dance scene very good. But I wouldn't make it on the top since I believe there are better ones.

I follow UncleJohnsBand 's comment, I also think the ending and the scene at the bridge are some of the best in the whole movie. Those are simply marvellous. The snow seemed a little fake (which is acceptable, concerning the 50's cinema) but the atmosphere after the snow stops falling is absolutely wonderful, it absorbs you so much and yet you suddenly seem to understand the characters only by watching carefully at that image. It's beautiful. And the B&W makes it better.

[–] UncleJohnsBand 17 years ago

Nice observations The-Patient-Man.

DId anybody else notice the couple lines of dialogue towards the end that go somehing like this...
Natalie-(talking about the snow)-"Oh too bad it stopped"
Mario-"No it hasn't, it's still falling"
I know its not word for word, but I paid attention to those lines my third time watching it, and I thought they could represent how the characters deal with the love they have for eachother. Natalie is like a little girl, with a short atention span, but Mario was sucked into whatever he had and tried to make it last. Did anybody else get that idea?

Crazy Diamond #38

[–] Mixalidis 11 years ago

Oh yes! That's a great interpretation!

I usually hate when people try to and read too much into movie scenes, dialogue, etc., but that dialogue felt very poignant. It was obvious that Mario wanted that night to last forever.

[–] LeofricsBeloved 15 years ago

One of the greatest dance scenes in cinematic history.

I agree with the OP regarding Marcello's superb performance - how awkward he was and how desperately he wanted to hold on to the magic of the night and dreams of love. He didn't care if he looked silly; he just wanted to savor the brief moment of love.

[–] angelikafauve 10 years ago

You pointed at the heart of the problem - which is non-reciprocal love. People believe, that when two people dance, all things are going marvelously - Alas! this is not always the truth - or (to be more spiky ), this is sometimes true!

Always at your disposition

[–] merc14 10 years ago

I thought the dance scene was hilarious too. Everyone has made some great observations and I just want to add the bit where Mario is finally opening up to (Maria) about himself and being serious and soulful and she's not paying a bit of attention because she's so distracted by the dancing couple right next to their table. Why ever would he have taken her to a place like that so they could talk to each other!

[–] Zoomorph 10 years ago

I was too annoyed by the music (one or two English sentences repeating over and over and over) to enjoy the dancing.

~ Observe, and act with clarity. ~