From the beginning of the film, there is an uncomfortable friction between the two. Bergman is sensitive and moderately unhappy, while Sanders is distant and mildly cynical. They appear educated and fairly wealthy, and mix comfortably in society, whether together or apart. Sanders is about 50, and Bergman is pushing 40, but they are still an attractive couple.
Their hosts in Naples are Tony (Leslie Daniels) and Natalie (Natalia Ray), a happily married couple whose pleasant dispositions contrast with the sometimes cranky, demanding, and reluctant Brits. It is clear that Bergman and Sanders love each other but believe the other is out of love, or never was in love. Worse, they appear incompatible.
They decide to see Italy separately. Ingrid remains with her hosts, who take her to tour catacombs and volcanoes, though she pays greater attention to the many pregnant women and young mothers. Meanwhile, Sanders passes time with pleasant and attractive socialite Marie (Maria Mauban) and is tempted by an agreeable prostitute, Anna Proclemer, who is questioning her existence following the death of a friend.
But Sanders decides not to cheat, and returns to Bergman, who suppresses her happiness. The next day, they quarrel again, with Sanders' ironic charm poorly contrasted against Bergman's anxious intimacy. They agree to a divorce, but Bergman has second thoughts, because she wants to become a mother, and she detects love within Sanders' frustrated but polite disposition.
How others will see it. Journey to Italy continues the second successful stage of Roberto Rossellini's career, making films starring his beautiful moviestar wife, Ingrid Bergman. These were different from the neo-realist movies of the late 1940s, made when he had little money to work with. Yet the scale seems smaller, because what is at stake is no longer the fate of a culture, but merely the fate of an attractive woman.
Journey to Italy was well received but little noticed by the festival and awards ciruit. It came near the end of Bergman's artistic partnership with Rossellini, though they did not divorce until 1957, after it became clear that Bergman could resume making movies in Hollywood. Bergman had been in self-exile from America since 1950, when she had a scandalous affair with Rossellini on the set of Stromboli. Both the director and actor were separately married with children, then divorced to marry the other. By the mid-1950s, the censure across the Atlantic had mostly run its course.
Journey to Italy remains semi-obscure with only 2K user votes at imdb.com. Admirers of Bergman and the influential Rossellini account for most of its interest. The user ratings are fairly high and consistent, with a moderate gender gap emerging over age 45, where men give it a 7.4 and women grade it 7.9. Men will find it slow but interesting enough to be worth watching. Women will worry about Bergman's fate and be thankful for the happy ending, such as it is.
How I felt about it. Italy in 1954 appears to be a great place for wealthy travellers to visit. Personal tour guides who speak English and know everything appear out of thin air at every stop. Attractive people smile at you and treat you like you are something special. The exception is a maid who becomes exasperated with Sanders' language gap and boorish attempts to secure more vino.
It does seem odd that Natalie would believe the mildly nervous Bergman would enjoy a trip to the creepy, skull-filled, underground catacombs. Not everyone wants to be reminded of their impending mortality. Sanders makes the better choice enjoying mixed company, but he learns that life without his wife is as incomplete as life with her is unsatisfying. His aloof veneer makes him unable to convey his thoughts to Bergman without appearing condescending, or discern the true meaning of her mettlesome observations and questions.
She may not want a divorce, but he cannot change any more than she can. They may resume their comfortable life in England as members of an elite and prized social circle, where they can avoid their problems of intimacy. Bergman wants a baby because of her biological clock, and because it will provide the intense love that Sanders doesn't have. But it won't make him any less distant, or prevent her probable future nervous breakdown.