Rome, Open City [DVD] [1945]

"Roma, citta aperta" is seen as the birth of neorealist cinema - a form characterised by its humanism and attempt to deliver social reality, using authentic locations, handheld cameras, available light, and 'natural' performances from a largely amateur cast. It was the first in Rosselini's trilogy ("Rome, Open City", "Paisàn", and "Germany, Year Zero") exploring the effects of war, and is widely regarded both as his masterpiece and as a pillar of post-War European cinema.

Conceived and begun during the German occupation, while Rossellini was himself in hiding, "Rome, Open City" is set in Nazi-ruled Italy. It takes the camera out of the studio and onto the streets, capturing graphic, near documentary images and transporting the viewer into a world which is apparently real. There is none of Hollywood's glitz and glamour, here, but raw life and bitter social commentary.

German soldiers search for a resistance leader who had fought the Fascists in Spain and who has gone on to organise the underground in Italy. Lest we see this as a tale of good versus evil, Rossellini presents a naturalistic world of Rome, rife with black marketeers, food shortages, exploitation and manipulation, collaboration, and a priest who is evidently not enamoured of the Fascists and who is prepared to work with the communist resistance to defeat what he perceives as the greater evil....

In part, the realism of the film reflects Rossellini's desperate struggle to obtain enough film, cash, and materiel to complete the production - themes which are explored in the DVD's extras. This is filmmaking under considerable constraints, and no less impressive because of it (though the visual quality of the reproduction is poor in places, and the sound crackles, reflecting the variable film quality with which Rossellini was shooting).

Aldo Fabrizi is magnificent as the priest, a practical man, a man with deep-seated values and morals (perhaps ironically), and a character capable of great humour. Rossellini tinges the drama and tension with moments of light relief.

Anna Magnagni plays a lone parent whose fiancé is pursued by the Germans, a woman capable of fierce passion and forthright authority. She stands in sharp contrast to other female characters who have enjoyed the company of Germans and have collaborated during the occupation. The women occupy a symbolic role, and the film makes use of subtle symbolism in its critique of the Church's appeasement of the Fascists.

As a piece of drama, "Rome, Open City" is a gripping tale which has stood the test of time. It retains its sense of reality, of being Rome in 1944, but the story has timeless qualities made emphatic by the striking visual images which characterise the production.

A classic, an absolute classic of world cinema, enormously influential, and a very rewarding and enjoyable film. Read more ›