I heard of Roberto Rossellini's first neo-realist (neo-realist before it was defined, however, meaning it borders on factual melodrama) effort, Roma Citta Aperta, or Open City, through the documentary My Voyage to Italy. From the way it was seen in that it had my expectations so high that when I finally saw it today I was only slightly disappointed. I realize that Rossellini works in a different realism than like Vittorio DeSica. The viewer sees right away that DeSica works much better in getting the tragedy of the emotional levels of these people, while Rossellini gets the tragedy of the situation(s) at hand. At it's purest and best, Open City tells a solid story about simple people in harrowing times.
At his core, Rossellini films Open City a lot like a documentary, with some shots here and there that you didn't see at the time - all of the locations were real from weeks after the war ended and created the appropriate atmosphere. And yet, despite the truth to the story (of a Priest being executed by the fascists), every now and then I found myself looking at Open City like it should have been better, that it hasn't held up against time like DeSica's films did. I was able to look past some of the faults, but not enough to make me think of this as a masterpiece like many critics and admirers say.
Still, the main theme that goes with Open City, the loyalty of the common people, is not lost on a modern viewer such as me- the priest Don Pietro Pelligrini (Aldo Fabrizi), along with some children who are also resistance fighters, try and help those who are trying to rid Rome and Italy of the German presence. There is also Francesco, who has a couple of aliases, and wants to marry Pina (Anna Magnani, in the most heart-felt performance of the film) since she's pregnant. The events in the second and third acts of the film are worth watching, though the first act slowly introducing several supporting players takes its time showing us these are real people who've lived through the war and are sick of waiting for the end of it.
I'm not too sure now if I can recommend Open City as THE definitive neo-realist film, because it was made before neo-realism had found its footing. It is an important film to see, I don't doubt that, and the last twenty minutes of the film contain some of the most memorable material in the neo-realism movement (these twenty minutes give Fabrizi time to prove his worth). Even as a regular war film I got what I wanted...Perhaps I need to see another one of Rossellini's works, like Paisan, The Miracle, or Germany Year Zero before, I know if his breakthrough was his best effort as a director and/or to the genre he helped create.
Author's note: one aspect that hindered my enjoyment of watching Open City was that, despite seeing it on DVD, the print of the film was sub-par, and the subtitles that accompanied it only contained about 75% of what was spoken. There was one line in particular towards the very end that I remembered from a clip shown in the documentary that was left out, which was a downer for such a powerful scene. Like the film or not, this needs Criterion collection treatment.
At his core, Rossellini films Open City a lot like a documentary, with some shots here and there that you didn't see at the time - all of the locations were real from weeks after the war ended and created the appropriate atmosphere. And yet, despite the truth to the story (of a Priest being executed by the fascists), every now and then I found myself looking at Open City like it should have been better, that it hasn't held up against time like DeSica's films did. I was able to look past some of the faults, but not enough to make me think of this as a masterpiece like many critics and admirers say.
Still, the main theme that goes with Open City, the loyalty of the common people, is not lost on a modern viewer such as me- the priest Don Pietro Pelligrini (Aldo Fabrizi), along with some children who are also resistance fighters, try and help those who are trying to rid Rome and Italy of the German presence. There is also Francesco, who has a couple of aliases, and wants to marry Pina (Anna Magnani, in the most heart-felt performance of the film) since she's pregnant. The events in the second and third acts of the film are worth watching, though the first act slowly introducing several supporting players takes its time showing us these are real people who've lived through the war and are sick of waiting for the end of it.
I'm not too sure now if I can recommend Open City as THE definitive neo-realist film, because it was made before neo-realism had found its footing. It is an important film to see, I don't doubt that, and the last twenty minutes of the film contain some of the most memorable material in the neo-realism movement (these twenty minutes give Fabrizi time to prove his worth). Even as a regular war film I got what I wanted...Perhaps I need to see another one of Rossellini's works, like Paisan, The Miracle, or Germany Year Zero before, I know if his breakthrough was his best effort as a director and/or to the genre he helped create.
Author's note: one aspect that hindered my enjoyment of watching Open City was that, despite seeing it on DVD, the print of the film was sub-par, and the subtitles that accompanied it only contained about 75% of what was spoken. There was one line in particular towards the very end that I remembered from a clip shown in the documentary that was left out, which was a downer for such a powerful scene. Like the film or not, this needs Criterion collection treatment.