''Voice of Silence'' ( it, La voce del silenzio, french: La maison du silence) is a 1953 French-Italian

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super-g ...

directed by G. W. Pabst, written by

Giuseppe Berto Giuseppe Berto (27 December 1914 – 1 November 1978) was an Italian writer and screenwriter. He is mostly known for his novels ''Il cielo è rosso'' (''The Sky Is Red'') and ''Il male oscuro''. He was a prisoner at Camp Hereford from 194 ...

, starring

Aldo Fabrizi Aldo Fabrizi (; born Aldo Fabbrizi; 1 November 1905 – 2 April 1990) was an Italian actor, director, screenwriter and comedian, best known for the role of the heroic priest in Roberto Rossellini's ''Rome, Open City'' and as partner of Totò in ...

and

Jean Marais Jean-Alfred Villain-Marais (11 December 1913 – 8 November 1998), known professionally as Jean Marais (), was a French actor, film director, theatre director, painter, sculptor, visual artist, writer and photographer. He performed in over 100 f ...

.Rentschler p.285 The film's sets were designed by the

art director Art director is the title for a variety of similar job functions in theater, advertising, marketing, publishing, fashion, film industry, film and television, the Internet, and video games. It is the charge of a sole art director to supervise and ...

Guido Fiorini. It was shot at the Cinecittà Studios in

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

, Italy.

Plot

A group of people, to try to make sense of their existence, retreats to a convent because each has problems considered insurmountable: a war veteran who is given up for dead returns from captivity in a sensational way and once home he finds his wife married and happy with another man; a partisan, during a war action, causes the death of three people; a votive candle dealer is too selfish to practice his trade. Then a writer famous for his production of works for adults arrive at the convent through which, according to many detractors, he corrupts many young minds, and a young priest who, dismayed by such a tumult of souls, is seized by mistrust regarding his vocation. At the end of the stay, everyone will leave, both those strengthened in their convictions and those who remain with their character and decide to continue their previous life.

Cast

as Pio Fabiani *

as L'ancien maquisard *

Daniel Gélin Daniel Yves Alfred Gélin (19 May 1921 – 29 November 2002) was a French film and television actor. Early life Gélin was born in Angers, Maine-et-Loire, the son of Yvonne (née Le Méner) and Alfred Ernest Joseph Gélin. When he was ten, ...

as L'ancien prisonnier *

Cosetta Greco Cosetta Greco (8 October 1930 – 14 July 2002) was an Italian film actress. She appeared in more than 30 films between 1943 and 1971. Selected filmography * '' Farewell Love!'' (1943) - La cameriera di casa Dias * ''Caccia all'uomo'' (194 ...

as Femme du prisonnier *

Franck Villard Frank Villard (24 March 1917 – 19 September 1980) was a French film actor.Goble p.121 He was born François Drouineau in Saint-Jean-d'Angély. Selected filmography * ''The Last of the Six'' (1941) - Un homme (uncredited) * ''Cartacalha, reine ...

as L'écrivain * Antonio Crast as Padre predicatore * Eduardo Ciannelli as Padre superiore * Paolo Panelli as Renato Santini * Fernando Fernán Gómez as Fernando Layer *

Maria Grazia Francia Maria Grazia Francia (17 September 1931 – 4 March 2021) was an Italian actress of classic cinema. Career Born in Florence, in the mid-1940s Francia moved to Rome to attend the Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia. She eventually left the cou ...

as Pieta * Checco Durante as Sacrestano * Paolo Stoppa * Rossana Podestà *

Enrico Luzi Enrico Luzi (27 September 1919 – 18 October 2011) was an Italian actor. He appeared in more than sixty films from 1941 to 1980. Selected filmography References External links * 1919 births 2011 deaths Italian male film actors ...

* Franco Scandurra * Pina Piovani

References

Bibliography

* Rentschler, Eric. ''The Films of G.W. Pabst: An Extraterritorial Cinema''. Rutgers University Press, 1990.

External links

*
La Conciencia acusa (1953)
at the ''Films de France'' 1953 films 1953 drama films 1950s Italian-language films Italian drama films Italian black-and-white films Films directed by G. W. Pabst Films with screenplays by Roland Laudenbach Films about Catholic priests Films shot at Cinecittà Studios Films scored by Enzo Masetti French drama films French black-and-white films Lux Film films 1950s Italian films 1950s French films {{1950s-Italy-film-stub