For us, we had the theater. And my life stopped that night, like the clock on the mantelpiece.‘“

“[At the point of his death] they had not lived together for a year, ‘but what does it matter’, says Elsa, ‘living together? Renato was the only person on earth I could communicate with. I really didn't care that he loved another woman, just as he didn't care that I could love another man.

Little aspects, such as Cialente’s mother staying with Elsa Merlini for a couple of months after his death, underline their attachment to each other. Just once though have I found her going into some more detail beyond the deep appreciation of his art and character for a 1951 interview in L‘Europeo:

Since then Cialente was at times labeled as Merlini‘s one true love, but their once romantic relationship has never been enlarged on much and stayed a private affair.

After meeting Elsa Merlini on a set in Berlin at the beginning of the previous decade, the two stayed rather inseparable for a while with many joined theater and film projects following.

Thinking about Renato Cialente, who passed away #otd in 1943 after being run over by a German military vehicle when leaving the Teatro Argentina in Rome.
Had to bring him some flowers last week, when I paid the Cimitero del Verano a visit.

Seagull wanted some attention too

No worries!

I fear the 2019 DVD doesn’t. I just checked for the boxset of all of Konrad Wolf‘s films, which was released this year, and there it says for subtitles: “partially English“. I don‘t own it though, so sadly can’t check further for you.

DVD was released in 2019. I‘m not sure how available that makes it for you but it shows up on all the common online shops for me here, including Amazon.