Roma città libera

Not a major work but still a delight. Not as sombre as other Italian films of the period this simple tale is well told as characters seemingly meet for the first time as we too meet them. And there is a fluidity here as they mix and mingle, taking it in turn with each other, making friends and enemies with ease. There is of course an undertow, a realisation that with the war just over, happiness is tempered by poverty and apprehension as to the future. The rain soaked streets of an almost deserted Roman night add both a poignancy and romanticism to the action as a thief becomes a good guy, a good guy a thief, the cops incompetent, the ministers barely keeping their act together and a pearl necklace or two changing hands at a good pace. Oh and throughout wanders Vittorio De Sica, who having lost his memory, spends the film, to great effect, asking all if they know who he is. Nobody even cares.

To my great surprise I recognized, without a shadow of a doubt, a very young Peter Falk who plays a secondary part of this film but clearly visible in several scenes. This film is from 1946, so it rightfully falls into the era of Italian cinematic neorealism: Peter Falk, born in 1927, is therefore very young and here is just 19 years old. He plays the part of the friend of the American soldier (played by Gar Moore). I have not found any trace of Peter Falk's participation in this film, neither in the captions of the film, nor on the DVD case, nor on IMDB, nor on the website dedicated to Peter Falk. I therefore believe that I have made a beautiful and important discovery that goes far back from Peter Falk's commitment to cinema. For these reasons I am happy to share this pleasant discovery of mine on IMDB.

Who could not enjoy De Sica's wild gentleman, and (director) Pagliero keeps the story moving (after the long first scene). Maybe he keeps it too moving, as this film has the feeling that some of the characters motivation material is left on a cutting room floor, somewhere. Good performances all around, though.

It is very interesting to hear many tastes of what would become classic Nina Rota musical figures in the fifties and sixties, couched in the romantic, busy operatic style of the thirties and forties.

I had never heard of this film until NoShame released it, but I am glad to have seen it, a minor bonbon, but a bonbon never the less.