It is a half-truth, yet to be universally acknowledged, that no matter how revered a filmmaker is, should he or she have the temerity to change course later in life and produce a film about a breakdown of a marriage, then a) it will be an illuminating, game-changing treasure, and b) a good number of hitherto loyal fans, including many from the critical fraternity, will hate it. As this came to pass for Woody Allen (Husbands and Wives), Stanley Kubrick (Eyes Wide Shut), and Terrence Malick (To the Wonder), so it did in 1954 for the father of Italian neorealism, Roberto Rossellini.  Read more.