Rossellini’s films are far from anonymous stylistically despite their casual, improvisational feel...

Far from disguising or downplaying the production's methods and realities, Rossellini puts them into the foreground and builds upon them the movie's grand emotional world-and his grand social and spiritual vision.

The film gets off to a weak start, dawdles along to an anemic climax, comes to a shaky conclusion... Stromboli has none of the artistic merits of Open City or Pasian, both Rossellini pictures.

There's a riveting early scene with the village priest, and then once you hit the fishing-horror scene, it is pretty much all unforgettable...