Isabella Rossellini on New Documentary Revealing Her Father Roberto Rossellini’s Complex Life and Legacy
A new archive-based documentary, Living Without a Script, set to premiere at the Rome Film Festival on October 23rd, offers a revealing portrait of Italian cinematic giant Roberto Rossellini, exploring not only his groundbreaking work but also the tumultuous personal life that often overshadowed it. The film arrives as Rossellini’s daughter, Isabella, enjoys a career renaissance of her own, reflecting on her parents’ enduring – and often scandalous – story.
Rossellini, a key figure in postwar Italian neorealism, died suddenly of a heart attack in June 1977 in Rome, just days after presiding over the Cannes film festival. His daughter, Isabella – one of his seven children – recalls her mother, Ingrid Bergman, poignantly observing that “Dad left us quickly, just as quickly as he drove his Ferrari.” This image, a blend of speed and abruptness, encapsulates the restless energy that defined Rossellini’s life, as depicted in the new documentary.
The film portrays a director perpetually in motion, not just on set but also pursuing diverse passions: racing cars, delving into the complexities of biology and physics, and embracing the emerging medium of television – a path few of his contemporaries dared to tread.
Speaking from her farm in Long Island, New York, with her golden retriever, Rosie, occasionally appearing on screen, Isabella Rossellini describes a candor that feels surprising given the intense scrutiny her family endured. “When my parents got together, they were married to other people and so that created a very big scandal,” she explains, matter-of-factly. The relationship between Rossellini and Bergman, a Hollywood icon, was a major tabloid event, compounded by Bergman’s subsequent exile from the United States due to her citizenship status.
Their connection began in 1948 when Bergman wrote to Rossellini, praising his film Open City and expressing her desire to work with him, highlighting her linguistic abilities. Both were married at the time – he to a costume designer, she to a neurosurgeon – and their affair blossomed on the set of Stromboli terra di Dio (1950), resulting in their first child, Robin.
While extramarital affairs were often tolerated for male European directors, Bergman faced unprecedented public condemnation. “I’m just a woman, another human being,” she famously stated in response to the outcry, which led to her being shunned by studios and even denounced in the US Senate. Senator Edwin C Johnson labeled her a “vile free-love cultist” and a “powerful influence for evil,” attempting to introduce legislation that would censor films based on the perceived morality of their stars.
Bergman spent much of the following decade in Europe, giving birth to Isabella and her twin sister, Isotta, in 1952, while being denied access to her first child, Pia, following a difficult custody battle. The documentary features home movie footage of Isabella and Isotta as toddlers, juxtaposed with their father’s struggles to maintain his artistic legacy amidst the scandal.
Rossellini, at one point, expressed a desire to abandon filmmaking altogether. “I want to leave and never come back,” he reportedly said, disillusioned with the critical reception of his work and the changing landscape of cinema. Many of his collaborations with Bergman were either harshly criticized or ignored.
A solo trip to India in 1956 provided a temporary escape, documented in colorful letters to his daughters. He wrote of encounters with the Dalai Lama and Jawaharlal Nehru, describing flights over forests teeming with wildlife. However, his time in India was cut short, and he was asked to leave by Nehru after an affair with the 27-year-old screenwriter Sonali Dasgupta, with whom he had a daughter and adopted her son.
Isabella Rossellini firmly dismisses any notion that her father was absent during her childhood. She recalls summer holidays spent at a rented house on the Amalfi Coast, where all of his children gathered, fostering a sense of unity despite the ongoing public animosity. “I never really felt the difference between a full brother and a half-brother,” she says.
The family’s domestic arrangements were complex, with Bergman and Rossellini’s three children living in an apartment with a babysitter and housekeeper, visited by both parents. Isabella remembers her mother traveling between Paris and their apartment, while her father lived nearby with his new wife. Despite the unconventional setup, she emphasizes her father’s “constant presence” and the surprising realization, as a child, that not all parents were recognized in public.
Her appreciation for her father’s films developed later in life. Shielded from his work during her early years due to his disillusionment and difficulty sourcing copies, she secretly attended a Roberto Rossellini retrospective in Rome at age 16. “I went every afternoon to see my father’s films but I didn’t tell him,” she admits. When she finally confessed, “I remember his face crumbling and the tears in his eyes. He was actually very moved.”
She now particularly admires Journey to Italy, starring Ingrid Bergman and George Sanders, praising its nuanced portrayal of a troubled marriage. “It was a modern and more complicated way to show a married couple with this cruelty that isn’t overt,” she explains, highlighting a scene in Pompeii where Bergman’s character is moved to tears by the sight of ancient lovers preserved in volcanic ash.
Rossellini’s skepticism towards Bergman’s work with other directors, largely dissuading her from accepting roles outside of their collaborations, remains a point of contention. Bergman later expressed regret, but Isabella defends her father’s intentions, attributing his advice to a desire to protect her from the pressures of American studios and the lingering threat of McCarthyism.
Bergman’s return to the United States was paved by her starring role in Anastasia (1957), which earned her an Oscar. Isabella suggests that her mother’s success may have stung Rossellini, representing a rejection of their shared artistic vision.
Living Without a Script draws on meticulously researched archives, including previously unpublished letters from Bergman and Rossellini, revealing his embrace of student rebellions in the late 1960s and his mentorship of filmmakers like David Lynch.
Isabella Rossellini’s own career is experiencing a resurgence, with an Oscar nomination for her role in Conclave and an upcoming role as Wallis Simpson. She continues to explore her creative passions, directing short films like Green Porno and planning a new series on domestic animals.
Currently residing on her farm in Long Island, surrounded by rescue animals and training guide dogs – a pursuit inspired by Konrad Lorenz’s 1949 book, King Solomon’s Ring, a gift from her father – Isabella reflects on his enduring wisdom: “If you follow your curiosity, you always find joy.” She smiles, adding that it remains the best advice she ever received.
