Rome, city open ( it Roma, città aperta ) is a film of Roberto Rossellini produced and carried out in 1945.

Synopsis

1944. Rome is declared “city open”; the chief of a communist resistance network, engineer Manfredi, tracked by Gestapo, hides at a printer, Francesco, soon married to Pina (Anna Magnani) which makes it return in contact with Don Pietro, the priest of the catholic parish, resistant him too.

After adventures of arrest and release by the partisans and the death of Fucked, Manfredi is betrayed by its mistress Marina Mari, via his supplier of drug, Ingrid, agent near major Bergmann, officer of Gestapo seeking it in Rome. With Francesco share escaping from it by chance, are stopped, Manfredi, tortured by Gestapo, an Austrian deserter and Gift Pietro assisting with died of Manfredi (which will not have spoken) then shot in front of the children of his parish (to which belonged Marcello, the son of Fucked, widow of its first husband), all volunteers in spite of their age, in spontaneous actions of resistance.

Data sheet

• Black and white, its monophonic
• Lasted: 100 mn (DVD 97 mn)
• Scenario writers: Sergio Amidei, Federico Fellini and Roberto Rossellini
• Photography: Ubaldo Arata
• Music: Renzo Rossellini
• Production: Exelsa Film, Contesse Carla Politi, Aldao Venturini
• Interpreters: Aldo Fabrizzi, Anna Magnani, Marcello Pagliero, Harry Fest, Vito Annichiarico

Around film

This film tells the history of a group of Italian living the occupation Nazi of 1944. The resistant ones are incarnated by a mother and her son, a typographer, a communist militant and a catholic Prêtre. The denunciation and poverty are two important topics of this feature film which falls under the movement of the Italian neorealism of post-war period.

For the scenario, Rossellini, helped by Sergio Amidei and of Frederico Fellini, then young journalist, took as a starting point true stories:

• the character of gift Pietro Pellegrini (Aldo Fabrizi) is inspired by gift Guiseppe Morosini, priest shot in 1944 for his activity in favor of Resistance;
• Pina (Anna Magnani) is inspired by Teresa Gullace, killed in public by the Nazis whereas it was pregnant;
• Giorgio Manfredi (Marcello Pagliero) is inspired by the partisan Celeste Negarville;
• the children are them also inspired by a true story.

This work of Rossellini could be regarded as a historical document from its realism. Film carried out with very small means - Rossellini made use of films of photography put end to end in darkroom - this chief of work is regarded per many film enthusiasts as the first film neorealist of the history of the Italian cinema.

In the catalog of films of the realizer, this film belongs to the “Trilogy of the war” with Païsa and Germany, year zero . It is as to note as the actress - very famous - Anna Magnani, commonly known as Magnani , held one of the main roles of this film.

Reward

• Rome, city open gained a Palme of gold ex æquo with the Cannes festival of 1946

See too