Rome, Open City

Every movement has its beginning, and Italian neo-realism is no different. Directed by Roberto Rossellini, Rome, Open City is widely considered the first film in the Italian neo-realism movement. The film paints a dire picture of how ordinary Italians suffered during the Nazi occupation of Rome during World War II.

The film begins with Giorgio Manfredi, a leader of an Italian resistance group, on the run from the Gestapo in Rome. He takes refuge with his friend Francesco in his apartment. With the help of Don Pietro, a Catholic priest, Giorgio plots to escape Rome in order to continue his subversive activities against the Germans.

During his time, Rossellini bucked a number of filmmaking conventions by filming in real locations as opposed to using a fabricated set. Rome, Open City portrays real-life locations throughout the city of Rome, including scenes which take place in the street. According to a documentary that was included on the DVD of the film, shooting film in the street was viewed as “beneath” many filmmakers of the day.

Rome, Open City takes a number of twists and turns as Giorgio's escape unfolds. The film serves as a realistic and sometimes harsh depiction of life under Nazi rule, as the strength and solidarity that exists among families and friends is pitted against the cruel and overwhelming force of the German secret police. Loyalty and friendship are elevated to the highest importance during a time when torture and execution are the penalty for helping enemies of the state.

The characters in this film come across as real people. Pina, Francesco's fiancée, is a mother who has a child from a previous marriage. Her relationship with Francesco is filled with hope for the future and yet carries the weight of living in the midst of a war under an oppressive regime. This serves as a microcosm of the experience of the Italian people during World War II.

Gritty and depressing, Rome, Open City is a film that remains dramatic and (at times) suspenseful in spite of the technological limitations of 1940s cinema. It's incredible when you realize this movie was released in 1945, which was literally right after Italy was liberated by Allied forces. Created in the wake of a devastating war, the movie carries the sense of foreboding that must have permeated society at the time. Rossellini went on to make two other films—Paisà and Germany, Year Zero—in what became known as his “War Trilogy.” Rome, Open City, however, will always be recognized as the first Italian neo-realist film, one that inspired an entire movement within Italian cinema.

Sciuscia aka Shoeshine

The film "Sciuscia" or "Shoeshine" was made in 1946 in Italy. It was directed by the great Italian director, Vittorio De Sica. This movie follows a period in the lives of two boys who work as shoeshine boys in Rome. The boys' names are Pasquale & Giuseppe & the audience learns that they are good friends. The film begins by showing the two boys in a horse race & their love for the horse. They want to buy the horse but they don't have enough money.

Pasquale & Giuseppe decide to make some extra money delivering blankets to a woman from a friend of Giuseppe's older brother. While delivering the blankets to the woman, some men show up & hand the boys quite a bit of money if they'll leave & say they never saw anything happen. The boys take the money & buy the horse they've been dreaming of having.

A short while later, police arrest the boys after hearing they may have been involved in the sale of stolen goods. Both boys refuse to say they know anything & are thrown into juvenile prison.The prison if full of boys of all ages who have committed various crimes. Pasquale & Giuseppe are separated but make new friends in their cells.

Meanwhile, Giuseppe's older brother & his friends in crime decide to remind the boys not to talk by sending them a nice package of food. The package is recieved but only Giuseppe gets it. The boys are again questioned about the stolen goods & Pasquale finally talks because he thinks Giuseppe is being beaten. When Giuseppe finds out, he accuses Pasquale of being a "grass" & Pasquale is shunned by most of the boys.

The boys no longer speak & Giuseppe even gets Pasquale beaten for something he didn't do. Other boys in the prison who are Giuseppe's & Pasquale's friends try & get them to make up, but thanks to one older boy who is a big trouble maker, they don't.

The boys' case comes to trial & Giuseppe's family hires him a lawyer but since Pasquale is an orphan, he only has the public defender. Giuseppe's lawyer convinces him to blame everything on Pasquale which he agrees to do. Giuseppe is sentenced to a year in juvenile prison & Pasquale is sentenced to two.

Giuseppe's cell mate comes up with a plan to escape & he & all the cell mates try. Only Giuseppe & the older boy who made the plan get away. Pasquale hears what has happened & figures out that Giuseppe is going to take their horse & so tells the director of the prison. Pasquale is taken along on the trip to apprehend the runaways & while the men are looking for the boys, Pasquale runs off. He finds Giuseppe & his cell mate on their horse & confronts them. The cell mate runs off & leaves Pasquale to deal with Giuseppe. The film ends unexpectedly, but I'll leave it up to you to watch the movie & see the ending for yourself.

This movie was similar to the other Italian Neo-Realism film I saw, in that both deal with tragedy & hopeless situations. During this period of history right after World War II, Italy was still in economic hard times & I believe De Sica wanted to show the common man's plight at this time. Although there are funny parts in the movie, it is overall quite depressing. Both boys are in extreme poverty & become involved in crime (though accidentily). Their friendship doesn't withstand prison & justice isn't seen for either boy. Though sad, this movie was well done & has an interesting point of view.

The Children are Watching Us

"The Children are Watching Us” is a black and white Italian neo realism film that was made in 1944. In the beginning of the film Mrs. Resta, the maid, takes Prico to the neighborhood park where he can ride his scooter. While Prico is riding his scooter he sees Nina, his mother, and her lover Roberto talking under a tree. The conversation stops when Prico interrupts. Later that same night Prico’s father has an important meeting, so Nina stays home with him. She puts him to bed, and then once he is sound asleep she runs away to be with her lover.

The next morning everyone discovers that Nina has disappeared. Since the father is the head of a business he cannot stay home with Prico who is only four years old. Throughout the film Prico is taken to his aunt’s house, or to his grandmother’s house where everyone portrays him as being a nuisance. As a result of being neglected Prico becomes extremely ill and almost dies. Nina receives word about her son, and she comes home to be with him. Eventually, Prico recovers and is ready to conquer the world. One day Roberto, Nina’s lover, comes unexpectedly to their house, and demands to talk to Nina privately. Prico is sent to the play room, but he over hears the conversation, and comes charging in to save Nina.

Next the entire family takes a vacation on the beach. After a while the father has to return to work, but Nina and Prico stay. During a magic show Nina notices Roberto out in crowd, and later they are together. Nina continues to neglect Prico, so he runs away and tries to get back to his father. Eventually Nina and Prico return home, but when Prico comes into the house alone the father realizes that Nina has run away again. The father has no way of caring for Prico, so he puts him in a boarding school. Upon arriving at the school the father says good-bye and leaves without turning back, which leaves Prico heartbroken yet again. After some time has passed Prico gets word that his father has died. Also, he does not want to talk Nina because he realizes that she caused his father to die of sorrow.

Overall, this film demonstrated a child being neglected by his parents, and how that affected his life. Prico only wanted his parents to show him affection, but he hardly received any throughout the film. Also, this film reflected on the idea that the choices people make have influence on other’s lives. Often as college students we do not realize that the choices we make now will impact our lives in the future.

La Strada

I watched my first movie for our project and it was titled La Strada. It was made in 1954 during the Italian Neo-Realism time period.It is a black and white film about a poor family with a naïve girl, Gelsomina, who is sold to a brutish man, Zampano, to join him on the road for his itinerant strongman show after her sister Rosa died doing the same thing. Zampano treats her badly even though she learns to play the drum, trumpet and to dance as she helps with his show. She finally gets up the courage to run away from him and she meets El Matto, “The Fool”, who puts ideas in her head that maybe Zampano loves her. After a time in jail, El Matto tells Gelsomina that even a pebble has a purpose, and this gives her great hope. They encounter El Matto on the side of the road and Zampano beats him up until dead, and pushes his car off the road to pose an accident. While napping one day, Zampano leaves Gelsomina by the side of the road. He later learns that a man found her, and took her in until her death. Zampano gets drunk and falls with tears on the beach.

Zampano’s show and the sound of the drum that Gelsomina plays before his trick is a visual trope. This shows us that his trick is about to begin and it prompts the audience to pay attention. Narrative patterns include the absence of a narrator, and the fact that there is little music present. Only when they are producing the music, watching a show, or in a bar is music playing. This leads to a very depressing atmosphere because it is often silent as people speak about their poor lifestyles. Poverty is another visual trope because it is so obvious that everyone is poor. They struggle to make ends meet and to survive in their environment. This is Zampano’s encouragement to continue to work hard at his show because without it, he would have no money to continue. This leads to giving him purpose in his life.

Gelsomina works hard to search for her sense of purpose. When El Matto gives her the pebble and tells her that she still has a purpose, it changes her life because no one treats her that positively. She is also very naïve which explains why she is so impressionable. She believes everyone, takes everything seriously and has quick changes in emotional highs and lows. She is involved in a visual trope as she gets in and out of the wagon behind the motorcycle. She often dives in head first and this occurs often and usually before they re-locate themselves. Another visual trope is how naïve Gelsomina is. She is naïve about her body, her purpose, her ability, and is very gullible. These characteristics lead to her naïve character and her drive to find purpose in her life.

This film is an interesting depiction of Italy during the 1950’s. People are in poverty and have an overall depressing outlook. People sleep around and do what they can for money and to find happiness. I did not enjoy the depressing outlook or the morals encouraged but I do appreciate the many devices and patters that were used to portray the message of the film. Purpose in life is something that everyone struggles with around the world, so this was an interesting depiction of how Italians during this time dealt with that personal issue.