Terminal Station (1953)

Academy Awards, USA 1955

Nominee Oscar

Best Costume Design, Black-and-White Christian Dior

Lux Film (Italy)
Directed by Vittorio De Sica
My rating: 3 stars out of 4
IMDb Wikipedia
(DVD, Criterion Collection)

Montgomery Clift and Jennifer Jones are lovers in Italy. She is married back home in America and decides to break it off and take a train to Paris. Clift shows up to convince her to stay. They wander around the great train station, finding some solitude in a closed restaurant, then later in a train car where he tries to seduce her. They are spotted by the police and arrested, but the inspector releases them after finding out she is married and has a child. Clift almost convinces her to stay, but the embarrassment of the situation causes her to change her mind. Magnificently acted by Clift and Jones, this is an overlooked gem from De Sica. It takes place almost in real time, with frequent references to clocks and train schedules. There is a subtle symbolism at work as well, with "Terminal Station" the place where relationships go to die, or perhaps more, with priests and nuns showing up at inopportune times. Truman Capote is credited with some dialogue. I have not seen the shorter version re-edited by Hollywood producer David O. Selznick, which De Sica did not authorize or endorse. Stick with his original version.