Le notti bianche

One fateful night on the streets of Livorno, world-weary Mario (Marcello Mastroianni, Allonsanfan) bumps into Natalia (Maria Schell, The Last Bridge), a visibly distressed young woman. As Mario attempts to comfort her, Natalia recounts the story of a lost love (Jean Marais) who she hears is back in town. In a bid to remain close to her, Mario reluctantly agrees to help Maria find him. Adapted from a Fyodor Dostoyevsky short story, director Luchino Visconti (Senso, La terra trema) captures the agony and ecstasy of infatuation in this exquisite melodrama. Headlined by two stellar performances from Marcello Mastroianni and Maria Schell, Le notti bianche won the Silver Lion at the 1957 Venice Film Festival.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

• 4K restoration by Cinecittà
• Uncompressed mono PCM audio
• Interview with critic and programmer Adrian Wootton (2025, 23 mins)
• Letters From Rome: Luchino Visconti - archival programme featuring Visconti interviewed in Rome by André S. Labarthe (1963, 33 mins)
• Archival interview with actor Marcello Mastroianni (1977, 4 mins)
• Le not ti bianche: An Appreciation - archival interviews with Visconti collaborators and La notti bianche crew (2003, 17 mins)
• Audiobook reading of Dostoyevsky’s original short story ‘White Nights’ (2010, 108 mins)
• Trailer
• Stills gallery
• Newly improved English subtitle translation
• Sleeve featuring newly commissioned artwork by Time Tomorrow

Year: 1957
Country: Italy
Cert: PG
Format: Blu-ray
Region: B
RAD124BD
EAN: 5060974682461
Release date: 14/09/2026

Press:

“A triumph of naturalism… Maria Schell's performance in Le notti bianche is an impressive — an almost formidably, impressive — piece of virtuosity” - Isabel Quigley, The Spectator