Vittorio DeSica's Teresa Venerdi: Woman is Meaning, Not Maker

In the article "Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema", Laura Mulvey writes that women "stand in patriarchal culture as signifier for the male other, bound by a symbolic order in which man can live out his fantasies and obsessions through linguistic command by imposing them on the silent image of woman still tied to her place as bearer of meaning, not maker of meaning" (Mulvey, 199). This argument can be seen in countless movies across generations and cultures. One such movie is Teresa Venerdi. Teresa may actually seem to help the doctor out of his hard situations, including debt, three female callers, and the struggle for a decent job, but it is the doctor who ultimately ends both of their sufferings. While studying the editing and mise-en-scene for a few key minutes of the film, it is easy to see that Dr. Vinaldi is the strong character who fixes all of the problems in the film and not Teresa, who at first glance seems to be the savior for Vinaldi. Close inspection shows that Teresa accidentally makes some things right, but doesn't have total control over her actions, or control over the final outcome of the film.

Starting off the chain of events leading to the happy ending of the film, Teresa runs away from her orphanage to search for Dr. Vinaldi's house. The scenery is dark and raining with Teresa wandering the streets with only her orphanage outfit on. This perfectly depicts her situation in the world at the time, wandering to find help through many obstacles, none of which she can control or protect herself from. She has no money to pay for a cab or an umbrella to cover herself. In fact, she cannot even get into the doctor's house without some luck. A telegram arrives just before Teresa does explaining the Dr. Vinaldi's sister is coming to visit. When Teresa arrives, she is mistaken for the sister, allowing her to be invited into the house by Dr. Vinaldi's butler. A small problem arises that may go overlooked, but is very important to understanding Teresa's vulnerability. While being mistaken for the doctor's sister, she continuously tries to correct the butler, almost ruining her chances of staying in the house and meeting with the doctor. Exposing her real identity would not only send her back to the orphanage, but it would also keep the doctor from remaining as the health inspector at the orphanage. She almost costs both of the main characters happiness because she cannot fix the problems that she nor the doctor faces by herself. Instead she gets lucky because of the dimwitted butler's inability to understand the situation.

After the initial confusion, a cut brings us to an interesting exchange between Teresa and the butler. While drying her clothes, the butler tells Teresa (still thinking that she is the sister) about Dr. Vinaldi's two girlfriends. For the most part Teresa just listens, adding a word or short sentence in every once in a while. She is wearing the doctor's robe, signifying his protection of her, even if he isn't around. Since she cannot manage for herself and her clothes have been ruined, the doctor's robe is a symbol of how he can make things right. Because she is not wearing her own clothes or even her own name, she has no identity. A shot-reverse-shot sequence takes place, with long takes on the butler explaining the two women to Teresa and short takes on Teresa to show her expression. She sits calmly throughout the first part of the story until her facial expression changes dramatically when the butler speaks of the fiancé. Up to this point, Teresa had not heard that the doctor was engaged. Instead of the shot-reverse-shot technique that had been dominating the scene, we see a close-up of Teresa's face full of what appears to be anger. This anger is exemplified when the camera pulls away to a medium shot and we watch Teresa storm out of the room with her clothes, ready to leave without seeing the doctor. She almost ruins their happiness once again. If she leaves now, the doctor will never know that she stopped by and never hear about the love note that has Teresa in so much trouble. Who knows what would happen if she leaves now, with wet clothes and no place to go? If she goes back to the orphanage she will be in trouble and may have to work with the butcher. If she doesn't go back she will live on the streets, probably not surviving too long. It is this hasty response to leave that shows Teresa's inability to save a situation on her own. Instead of taking direct action to fix her and the doctor's problems she tries to run away. Of course, she is saved by luck yet again before she runs too far.

With Teresa running up the stairs to change into her wet clothes the door opens and Loletta walks in. A low-angle long shot shows the two women, on different floors of the house. Usually the person on higher ground is in control, but we see all the action from the ground floor. The audience is on the same field as Loletta, who is dressed in lavish furs and dominates the conversation. Loletta questions why Teresa is at the doctor's house. If Teresa were in control and the dominant figure at this point she would make the smart answer and say that she was the doctor's sister. Instead she does not respond, almost losing another situation that could save her and the doctor from harm. Yet again, luck intervenes when the butler explains that she is the doctor's sister. The camera moves back and forth between Loletta and the butler, keeping Teresa in the frame, but as a secondary object. She is a background figure only able to be a spectator for the moment. After Loletta does not believe that the doctor's sister would be walking around in his robe, Teresa finally speaks up. She manages to understand that being someone other than herself will help rid the doctor of Loletta. The idea does not come from her, but from the clueless butler. Teresa "proves" that she is the doctor's sister by showing Loletta her wet clothes, claiming that she could not find a cab and had to walk. Loletta is fooled, and a quick cut to a different camera angle shows how Teresa may have gained the upper hand. Instead of the low-angle shot where the audience is on the same level as Loletta, we now get a normal shot, showing Loletta help Teresa down the stairs and leveling the playing field. However, Teresa does not have the upper hand and almost ruins her opportunity a few more times before getting it right.

Once there seems to be an equaling of power between Loletta and Teresa a cut brings the realization that Teresa is far from having any sort of control over her life. The cut takes us to the orphanage where the children and women in charge are searching for Teresa. This scene is very short and it cuts right back to Loletta and Teresa talking, but it is indeed a reminder that Teresa has her own problems that she cannot fix. The imagery continues to come back to control. Teresa has no control over what is happening. Further evidence of this is shown while the two women are talking about the doctor. Loletta dominates the conversation, much like the butler did earlier on. A similar shot-reverse-shot technique is used with long takes on Loletta. The costuming, which was somewhat noticeable when Loletta entered the house is shown in stark contrast now. While talking, Loletta even removes some of her furs, showing that she has made money and fame on her own, without the help of a man. Teresa sits in the doctor's robe, unable to take any clothing off and seems to be helpless against the much stronger willed Loletta. Again, it is important to remember that Teresa is still thought to be the doctor's sister because Loletta wants to form an alliance with Teresa. The editing changes to countering close-ups of the two women. Teresa's reaction to Loletta's proposal is another example of her inability to see what can make the doctor happy, thus almost costing both of them happiness. She looks solemnly at the camera and says that she wants the doctor to marry the rich mattress-makers daughter. Why would she want that? Because she wants the doctor to be able to keep his house with the money that he will marry into. Unfortunately, this shows that Teresa cannot help the doctor herself. She must allow someone else to fix the problems that the doctor is facing. The idea of Teresa not being able to fix the problems herself is exemplified in the next few moments of the film. Almost losing her cover as the sister by thinking about her own dead father, she gets into character, stands, and delivers a speech from a play. Teresa was lucky to catch herself from showing her true identity and showed how powerful words can be when they come from someone other than herself. Nothing that she uses is hers. Not her clothes, her actions, or her words are symbols of an individual, but they are of a helpless girl.

After she luckily forces Loletta away, Teresa is brought another challenge that she nearly ruins. The doctor's fiancé comes to the house and meets with Teresa, thinking that she is still the sister. All Teresa has to do is go along with the story and the doctor will still marry his fiancé assuring him the economical security that he desperately needs. Instead Teresa reveals her real identity and states that the doctor is marrying the mattress maker's daughter for her money. This, of course, ruins any opportunity that the doctor has of marrying her. It is interesting how this scene is filmed because the audience does not witness Teresa's revelation. In its place the camera stays in the corridor watching Loletta leave the doctor and the fiancé storm out, explaining to the doctor that they may no longer get married. Teresa's plan to have the doctor marry into wealth has been ruined because she cannot control her own life, let alone Dr. Vinaldi's. This is a pivotal scene because we get to watch the doctor's reaction to all the news. He is left with no money, no girlfriend's, and soon to be no belongings. Teresa has basically taken everything the doctor has away from him. It is at this moment that Dr. Vinaldi starts to take control of all the problems. Teresa is no longer in charge of what happens, but the doctor takes initiative by trying to send Teresa back to the orphanage and set things straight with her superiors. His orders, however, are disobeyed and Teresa almost gets them both into a lot of trouble again.

The final scene that Teresa has any ability to make a change for the doctor is when Mr. Passalaqua shows up to buy her off, thinking that she is now the doctor's girlfriend. We get another shot-reverse-shot sequence with him offering money and her denying his offers. She does not even see the opportunity to use the money to help the doctor, but is offended by the old man, storming out of the room in rage. But yet again, luck is on her side. We see a long shot from the stairs, similar to when she realized that pretending to be the doctor's sister was a good thing, but this time the creditors are taking away Dr. Vinaldi's possessions. Another realization takes place just before it's too late. Teresa was lucky to be offered money, was not smart enough to take it in the first place, but was lucky enough to run into a use for it. This shows how she does not take a stand to make a difference, but continually runs into situations and luckily comes out looking smart. It is not her ideas or initiative that helps the doctor and herself, but it is coincidence and a lot of good timing.

In watching Teresa Venerdi for the first time it is easy to think that Teresa makes everything turn out right in the end. She seems to force many changes within the doctor's life leading him towards happiness. On closer inspection it is obvious that she is just the "bearer of meaning, not maker of meaning". It takes her longer than it takes the doctor to find out what is the best way to do things. Fortunately she happens to run into many better circumstances than Dr. Vinaldi does. Nonetheless it is the doctor who takes Teresa from her problems at the orphanage in the end and takes a job to make plenty of money for both of them. He even does the right thing by paying back Mr. Passalaqua. For these reasons Teresa is not the one who makes the changes, but happens to signify the changes.