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Plot

Roberto Rossellini directs his then-wife Ingrid Bergman in the suspenseful drama La Paura (Fear), based on the book by Stefan Zweig. Guilt-stricken Irene Wagner (Bergman) is forced to hide her secret affair with Erich Baumann (Kurt Kreuger) from her husband, Professor Albert Wagner (Mathias Wieman), a scientist in the midst of a serious breakthrough. However, Erich's ex-girlfriend, Joanne (Renate Mannhardt), finds out and threatens blackmail. This throws Irene into a fit of homicidal and suicidal rage. La Paura is an atypical entry in the Bergman-Rossellini film canon because of its German expressionist style and psychological plot twists.
MPAA Rating:
Genre(s):
Drama
Run Time:
84min.
Director(s):
Themes:
Suicide,Blackmail,Crumbling Marriages,Infidelity
Tone:
Austere,Bleak,Melancholy,Moody
Keywords:
blackmail,ex-girlfriend,extramarital-affair,marriage-problems,scientist,suicide
Country of Origin:
Italy (02-18-1955)