Rom, offene Stadt

It is hard to overestimate the influence of "Rome, open city" on the history of film.

There is much debate if "Rome open city" is the first neo realist movie. Some are of the opinion that already "Ossessione" (1943, Luchino Visconti) complied with the characteristics of this movement, although one can also classify this movie (based on a novel by James M. Cain) as film noir. There is however little discussion about the fact that "Rome, open city" was the breakthrough of neo realism.

Prepared during war time, shot while the Second World War was still raging in parts of Italy this film bears all characteristics that would become the trade marks of neo realism: shot on location, mostly non professional actors and a real life story adjacant to a documentary. Unlike the Danish "dogma" movement decades later these choices were not entirely made out of free will, but largely inspired by the lack of infrastructure after the Second World War. "Rome, open city" is for example shot with film stock that is definitely second rate. This is of course not a trademark of neo realism, there simply was no film stock of better quality available.

Most of the actors were non professional, but there were a few exceptions. Anna Magnani was one of the exceptions and after "Rome, open city" she went on to become a big star that worked with great Italian directors like Fellini, Visconti and Pasolini. In "Rome, open city" she dies halfway, but her dying scene is realy heartbreaking. A few years later she would shine as a mother who would do anything to make her daughter a moviestar in "Bellissima" (1951, Luchino Visconti).

Anna Magnani is by far the most well known actress from "Rome, open city", but I would like to also call attention to some of the other actors.

Maria Michi is a beautiful girl working in a cabaret who is addicted to drugs (and luxuries) and so becomes dependend on the Nazi's. After "Rome, open city" Michi would also play in Rossellini's "Paisa" (1946) but after that her career came to a halt.

Even less impressive is the career of Harry Feist, who plays the evil German. In fact "Rome, open city" would remain his only film of importance. Remarkable to me was his physical likeness with Donald Sutherland in "Novecento" (1976, Bernardo Bertolucci), who also plays a Second World War villian in that movie.

After "Rome, open city", which is situated in occupied Italy, Rossellini made two other war movies. "Paisa" (1946) is about the liberation of Italy by the Americans, "Germania anno zero" (1948) is about Germany after the war.

"Rome, open city" is famous as the breakthrough of both neo realism and Anna Magnani, and rightly so. It is however not the best neo realist movie (nor the best movie of Anna Magnani, of whom I like the aformentioned "Bellissima" more). The film has some flaws, and these are not all attributable to the difficult circumstances under which it was produced. The monologue of the disillusioned German Captain Hartmann, openly criticizing the "Third Reich" with other German officers present, does not seem very realistic to me.

As a director Roberto Rossellini thus had his limitations. My favourite neo realist director was and remains Vittorio de Sica, with masterpieces such as "Bycicle thieves" (1948) and "Umberto D" (1952).