Behind Closed Shutters (1951) | Region-Free (DVD) | English Audio

Super Rare English Dub print.

Title: Behind Closed Shutters (1951)

Genre:
Drama

Plot Synopsis:
Sandra, a young woman living in Turin and preparing for marriage, becomes concerned when her estranged sister suddenly disappears. Determined to find her, Sandra follows her trail to Genoa, where her search leads her into the city’s shadowy back alleys and an unfamiliar world far removed from her comfortable life. As she ventures deeper into the city looking for answers, Sandra encounters a troubled group of people living on society’s margins and gradually uncovers the circumstances surrounding her sister’s disappearance.

Cast and Crew

• Director: Luigi Comencini
• Writers: Massimo Mida, Gianni Puccini, Franco Solinas, Sergio Sollima
• Cast:
  • Massimo Girotti as Roberto
  • Eleonora Rossi Drago as Sandra
  • Giulietta Masina
  • Liliana Gerace
  • Adriana Sivieri

IMDb: Behind Closed Shutters (1951)

Reviews from Letterboxd

PUNQ — ★★½
“Saw the English dub of this Italian film, and with that it felt very Hollywood’ish. Certainly has some recognizable European traits, but with a more modern post-war feel, which shows Europe is starting to move forward from the ruins. The dramatic tone is serious and it’s sucks you in. Didn’t feel the story played out into something amazing, but it was a very competent attempt.”

ale — ★★★
“i don’t know how convinced i am by this film’s resolution but i thought the story in general was very interesting and i was definitely engaged through most of it
very hollywood-esque for sure
and u know i gotta say it… MOTHER DEVOURED as per usual
like i said… whenever giulietta masina appears on a film im watching i cheer like they did on disney channel shows and this was not the exception”

seb — ★★★½
“Perhaps influenced by the atrocious English dub, but this has such a distinct early noir feel (think Ingster’s Stranger) rather than the perfect noir/realism blend of a Lattuada (Il Bandito, etc.) or even Comencini’s other crime melodrama (Girls Marked Danger of the following year). It continually edges closer to that period’s horror influences in the tensions of figures lurking behind shadows and staircases, albeit without the same payoffs: all tension remains bottled up, the claustrophobia of the night slowly drying out all family virtues.”

Meta Description:
Behind Closed Shutters (1951) is an Italian drama directed by Luigi Comencini about a young woman whose search for her missing sister leads her into the shadowy back alleys of Genoa and a world far removed from the life she knows.