By exulting in her freedom, did she seal her fate?
Mamma Roma (Anna Magnani) had spent 30 years walking the streets, half of them saving money to buy a fine house for herself and her son (Ettore Garofolo).
Within sight of her goal, she disrupts the wedding of her pimp (Franco Citti) -- "I've freed myself from the noose!" -- upon which the brute tracks her down and extorts her. "You knew what I was like," he sneers when she begs and weeps. "You knew I'd be back." Had Mamma not believed herself worthy of success?
According to Wikipedia, director Pier Paolo Pasolini had discovered Garofolo working in a restaurant as a waiter. Indeed, the young actor's face seems made for the camera, and his understated performance is compelling. (How strange that there is virtually nothing about Garofolo, other than the fact that he died relatively young, on the Internet.)
To no surprise, Ms. Magnani's performance soars. As another reviewer has noted, she is a force of nature, almost too large a presence, I'd say, for this movie's simple story line. As a mom myself, I sympathized with her wish for her child to flourish. ("I didn't bring him into this world to be a laborer," she tells a priest.) She'd like to believe, perhaps against all odds, that her influence will have some impact. "At your age," she tells Ettore, "the only woman you need is your mother!"
The movie ends on a shattering note. One does indeed feel for the mothers of this world. Their vulnerability is unspeakable. And none makes only perfect choices...
This gritty, black-and-white production comprises a worthy entry in the mini-genre about prostitutes trying to go straight. Tops among them will always be "The Naked Kiss." Though far lighter in tone, I'd also recommend "Bed of Roses."
Mamma Roma (Anna Magnani) had spent 30 years walking the streets, half of them saving money to buy a fine house for herself and her son (Ettore Garofolo).
Within sight of her goal, she disrupts the wedding of her pimp (Franco Citti) -- "I've freed myself from the noose!" -- upon which the brute tracks her down and extorts her. "You knew what I was like," he sneers when she begs and weeps. "You knew I'd be back." Had Mamma not believed herself worthy of success?
According to Wikipedia, director Pier Paolo Pasolini had discovered Garofolo working in a restaurant as a waiter. Indeed, the young actor's face seems made for the camera, and his understated performance is compelling. (How strange that there is virtually nothing about Garofolo, other than the fact that he died relatively young, on the Internet.)
To no surprise, Ms. Magnani's performance soars. As another reviewer has noted, she is a force of nature, almost too large a presence, I'd say, for this movie's simple story line. As a mom myself, I sympathized with her wish for her child to flourish. ("I didn't bring him into this world to be a laborer," she tells a priest.) She'd like to believe, perhaps against all odds, that her influence will have some impact. "At your age," she tells Ettore, "the only woman you need is your mother!"
The movie ends on a shattering note. One does indeed feel for the mothers of this world. Their vulnerability is unspeakable. And none makes only perfect choices...
This gritty, black-and-white production comprises a worthy entry in the mini-genre about prostitutes trying to go straight. Tops among them will always be "The Naked Kiss." Though far lighter in tone, I'd also recommend "Bed of Roses."