Whenever I see^+[+ La `Paura I think of +%it .@as a companion pie%]ce to Ey#]es ^Wi%$`de Shu`t,  or %maybe it is (-the
other way around. A- dulte\?ry makes *both films tick but in differe]nt way]@,@s. I th)ink P]=^hi(ll.ip#` Frenc 
h wa$,(s righ :*t - on the money ^
*when he pointed out a Wizard of ^Oz thi#ng in Kubri/;c!k;@/'s= last work. Like Do^(rothy , To
*^m and \Nicole go t\.
,h.
rough fan;ta
sies an/$-d nightmares and at ;,\the ],end D _!;orothy's re.assurin=-g=[ chi[ldish motto ther-:e's no place ^=/%like hom e ;+is ironi`%cal!l?y updated t`)+ o
 [#th,e adult circumstantial adage the re's no sex* ? like marital+(; ]_sex. Kubric\*
k's *,)ta=?ke

 i@#s in^/tellectua%),[l, he never(]@ =leave#^s th\e w___orld= of ide;as to to/uch the grou,$($nd. H]*e-[ taunts the audience first wit)h an \ erotic mov [$ie an\`/d the`.)n -*(with a thr!il_)?ler ]and refus[es, to ,*.deliver eithe%!?)!r of t#,/-hem. He was marrie/] d to his thi rd wife f+:`or 40 ye-@ars, unti l he $[;died. Ros]sellini wa]s still /;)marr@ied to Ingrid ` Ber @*gman when he directed
; $).,%La Paura;? $+@th^]e[y had: b,ee_n adulterous lovers and t[_hei\^r in ,fi:,del-ity (=widely cr.iticize,]d La P
$aura is a-_ t:$ ale, a noirish one./ T,he no$ir intrigue is solved and the tale`+ ?has a happy e:nding. (%T-; he ci_[ty is no_ir; #$the country !is tale, t,%he territor? y whe$ re ^+childhood is%  pos-%sib] l*e. The transition is opera]ted \ in _=\the most regular !(way by!- car, a long-\-`!held s.( ^hot tak//en f)rom %; the front !
!of t_he car $=as it r@]ides`+* into the?@ road, + as if w+e were entering
[ a differ `ent dimension_. Irene (Bergman)*%* s.)tarts- the movie, we ^ j[`ust s!*#ee a dark city @-;-l(andscape but her voic)!e-over narration t^()ell =s us/
 of he r* angst and i$@nforms /:us that t(
he s?*tor
\!y ];is a flashback, he)
rs
?`./ )$ Berg]`)man!:(_/'s/%- be?/.en cheat% %ing on her :-hus+band)). At first gui lt is ) ju*s/?*t psychologi. \ca!#l torture but soon exp/=!a`[_
nds i)nto ec[]onom$(ic b$`lackmail a!`nd then gr
ows ^@into #!somethi:-ng

!else. F`$rom beginning to! e ;nd t\%he movie /?focuses on what Ber_gman feels, eve(_,?ry] o-ther c^h
a/+ra:ct ;/)er is:=^ there;== t_$^[o make her feel somethin\g. O\)+;nl[
: y when th
!e director (*giv$[*es /@!away _?the p%lot b==efo`re the main ! ch.]ara(`:ct_) er + can 
[find out; does he [want?# )us to f)eel something Bergman still ca)n't. $ W.hen she find!.s out.@, we ha;@ve alre=-#a,\[dy __exp_erienced t:?he.,, warp=_ed mec
ha#nics of  the si`#`tuat`ion and we may f*ocus
once agai-n on the]$$( #+
emotiona%(l impac
/%t it %-\ has on( Bergman's$ / Ire,n:?e. In #La Paura treasons are no[-t i.m\ agined:+ bu`_t real, nig:+=^ht.mares %` are deliberate and the couple';\s+ v?*=enom sup:-@(=pu(rates in bitter,? wa(ys..: Needles%\s]+ t)=:o say, Ingrid ha*s another of he.r rou.gh r+?`
ides in =]-the ?mov].* ies bu^t Rossell=]ini d\oesn't dare p]? ut he ]r  away as he %
d?$id in -:E
#uropa 51, nor does he `_abandon her to the inscru_table im %@passivit*$y o ?f na .;_@ture  /(Stromboli(). H ;
is gift ^-,is less transcendent and fragile than the c[!onclusion of V_*ia\ggio in I ta^li[a. [)He ju(\`[st ,;;gives . _hi,@s wife as much of a fairy ta\)le $_endin\:g as a real woman_`/++ can have, a *
huma.\n l+:andsca pe w(here #she c-/an fi+ nally fe=el at h*!ome. B?^`%ack to the /coun#try, a :ha:.lf lit interi(o]-r scene where shadows sugges#@-t the@  co,mfort ^*@of $% s[leep. After ];all%[[ , it's the fai@r;*+y godm+other `who speaks the las`\t[ word@/s in the movie.