In this evocative, atmospheric biography, Roberto Rossellini brings to life philosopher and mathematician Blaise Pascal, who, amid religious persecution and ignorance, believed in a harmony between God and science.
Direction
Rossellini's static tableaux like living paintings.
Cinematography
Chiaroscuro that would make Caravaggio jealous.
Writing
Dialogue denser than Pascal's actual theorems.
Director
Roberto Rossellini
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Part of Rossellini's late 'didactic' TV period, where he abandoned conventional cinema to make philosophical history lessons for Italian television. The man had VISION and zero interest in your entertainment.
Pierre Arditi spent weeks studying period mathematics to convincingly portray Pascal's calculations, only for Rossellini to mostly film him coughing and looking tortured by existence. Method acting, 1972 edition.
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