Year of manufacture: 1945
Country: Italy
Genre: Drama, military
Duration: 01:43:00
Director: Roberto Rossellini
Cast: Aldo Fabrizi, Anna Magnani, Marcello Pagliero, Vito Annichiarico, Nando Bruno, Harry Feist, Giovanna Galletti, Francesco Grandjacquet , Eduardo Passarelli, Maria Michi
Description:
The largest fact in the development of world cinema in the first post-war years was neorealism, the aesthetic program of which was realized in the film by Roberto Rossellini. It clearly shows a tendency for feature films to converge with documentaries; the director acts as a co-author of life itself. Rossellini’s inherent desire for documentaryism is combined in the film with heroic pathetic aspiration and glorification of popular unity in the fight against fascism. Filmed on the streets using tape recorders (the dialogue was overdubbed later) during the memorable months for Italians immediately after the country’s liberation from fascism, it looked outwardly like a documentary. The actors, with the exception of Anna Magnani (at that time she was still working as a dancer in dance halls), were not professionals. The film was shot not in pavilions, but in apartments, shops, and on the streets – this was unexpected for those who were accustomed to sets and costumes.
The action takes place in Rome in 1943-1944. Communists, leaders of the Roman Resistance, and Catholics unite in the struggle for the liberation of the country. Manfredi (Pagliero) – the leader of the Resistance, who is wanted by the Germans, must deliver money to his comrades. He hides in the apartment of Francesco (Granjaquet) and his pregnant fiancee Pina (Magnani), and hopes to deliver the money through the Catholic priest Don Pietro (Fabrizi). But the fascists raid the building, and Francesco is taken away. Pina runs after him screaming and is killed right in the street. Manfredi is hiding in the apartment of his mistress Marina (Michie). She is a drug addict and secretly ‘knocks’ her supplier, a lesbian and Gestapo agent (Galleti)…
As great as the film is, it has often been criticized for its simplistic moral schematism, which is, admittedly, fair. Renzo Rossellini’s music and unexpected, almost clown-like comedy do not fit well with the principles of neorealism. The picture was shot in black and white. (Ivanov M.)
Awards:
1946 – Cannes Film Festival – Grand Prix (Roberto Rossellini)
1946 – Italian National Syndicate of Film Journalists – Best Film, Best Actress in a Supporting Role (Anna Magnani)
1946 – New York Film Critics Award – Best Foreign Language Film
Nominations:
1947 – Oscar – Best Screenplay (Sergio Amidei, Federico Fellini)
Size: 7.68 GB
Quality: DVD9
Format: DVD Video
Video codec: MPEG2
Audio codec: AC3
Video: NTSC 4:3 (720×480) VBR
Audio 1: Italiano (Dolby AC3, 1 ch), 192Kbps
Audio 2: English (Dolby AC3, 1 ch), 192Kbps (commentary featuring film scholar Peter Bondanella)
Audio 3: Russian (Dolby AC3, 1 ch), 128Kbps
Subtitles: English
