Unter der Sonne von Rom

UNDER THE SUN OF ROME is the first of a trilogy of great comedies which were directed by Renato Castellani after World War II. The other two are E' PRIMAVERA and DUE SOLDI DI SPERANZA. These movies all treat the hardships of post-war life seriously but also with a light and wistful comic touch. Here we see the lives of a group of some appealing young men in Nazified Rome and after the liberation. A shiftless young man manages to return home after being imprisoned by the Germans. After the war he takes up with a married woman then tries to blackmail her. During the course of the film his mother dies, his father is killed, and the shiftless kid must learn to confront life as a real man. As in many of the other neorealist films of the time, director Castellani cast non-professionals in all the key roles. The film is touching, humane, wise and too little known.

Most of the actors here are amateurs, but two of them stick out as professionals, Alberto Sordi and Francesco Golisano. Golisano makes the most sympathetic character, a vagabond boy who lives in the ruins of Colosseum, and the first part of the film is dominated by spectacular scenes from the Colosseum, as the street boys play hide and seek and other games there and are very busy. It's a comedy but a very realistic one, it is a true story, and there are some sinister moments of real neo-realism, as the action takes place during the final act of the war, when the allies invade Sicily and the Germans take a firm grip of Rome. Golisano is best remembered for his leading character in "Miracle in Milan" by Vittorio de Sica eight years later, but he makes an unforgettable character already here. The music is by Nino Rota, it is excellent all the way, and there are many scenes that you would like to return to with some very memorable shots - the camera work is outstanding all the way, like the acting, the characters are all genuine and natural, so this is definitely a film you would like to see some time again.

Good neoralist movie with non-professionals actors, all good. The tone of the film follows that of the protagonist's life in contrast with the historical events in the background, with a carefree first part as his adolescence despite the arrival of the war and a more tragic part as the consequences of his choices in a period instead of peace after the war. Absolutely beautiful Rome in those years. Beautiful photography and excellent direction by Castellani, one of the best directors of the time.

Scenes to remember:

• The return of shoe money
• The train journey
• The escape from the bathroom under the bombing
• The encounter between Iris and Tosca at the bar
• The final