FeistyUpper If you don't like this, we can't be friends.

filippaberry84 I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

Allison Davies The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

Justina The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

l_rawjalaurence Filmed under extreme circumstances in the aftermath of the German withdrawal, ROME: OPEN CITY tells a straightforward tale of Resistance fighters battling against the Nazi occupiers. Three of them are eventually caught, including the priest Don Pietro Pellegrini (Aldo Fabrizi) and hanged, tortured or forced to commit suicide. Meanwhile Pina (Anna Magnani) is shot down in cold blood after she tries to rescue her prospective husband Manfredi (Marcello Pagliero).This bald plot-summary cannot do justice to a film that is quite simply brilliant. Although classed as a neo-realist piece, director Roberto Rossellini does not favor the extensive use of pans or long- shots to establish the situations; there are comparatively few shots of a war-destroyed Rome, except at the film's end. Instead Rossellini uses a more domestic palette, with plenty of shots of dilapidated apartment-blocks in dire need of restoration, or seedy rooms where the Resistance fighters hatch their plans. The streets are desolate, peopled only by a few horses and carts - apart from the occasion when a Nazi force comes to root out their enemies, accompanied by their superior officers in expensive-looking cars. Contrast the desolation of the Roman streets with the opulence of the Nazi quarters, where the sadistic interrogator Major Bergmann (Harry Feist) takes his mind off torturing his enemies by sipping brandies and listening to soft piano music while placing a paternal arm round his girlfriend. Even though their days of occupation might be numbered, there is no reason why they should not continue to enjoy the high life.The film contains some memorable sequences, photographed by Ubaldo Arata. As the Nazi troops search for their enemies in an apartment block, the camera tilts upwards to show the apparently endless flights of stairs. The action cuts to the priest and the little boy Francesco (Francesco Grandjacquet) looking down the flights of stairs to ascertain where the troops are. The effect is dizzying, making us aware of the impending sense of danger. Later on Pina's death-scene is also memorably filmed, as she runs towards a tracking camera in a futile attempt to rescue her fiancé. A shot rings out, and she crumples to the ground; the camera immediately switches to a medium close-up of Manfredi's horrified face (as he is taken away by the Nazis) followed by another tracking shot of Francesco running out from the crowd towards his dead mother, screaming wildly.The torture-scenes still remain difficult to watch. We do not actually see anything bloody; instead Rossellini achieves his dramatic effect through Manfredi's screams on the soundtrack intercut with the Priest's horrified countenance as he witnesses what is happening. The Nazis know no bounds when it comes to extracting information out of their victims. It is a tribute to Manfredi's stoicism that he refuses to talk under any form of duress.The final sequence is also memorable as the Priest is executed by firing-squad in a lonely field outside the city. Rossellini uses a group-shot of local children burying their heads in their hands as they hear the fatal shot to achieve his dramatic effect. To the accompaniment of dramatic music (by Renzo Rossellini) he cuts to a long shot of the ruined city as the action draws to a close. The only way to endure occupation is through resistance and stoicism, even under the most extreme pressure.If we wanted to be reminded of what life was truly like under the Third Reich, ROME: OPEN CITY is a seminal text.

gavin6942 The location: Nazi occupied Rome. As Rome is classified an open city, most Romans can wander the streets without fear of the city being bombed or them being killed in the process. But life for Romans is still difficult with the Nazi occupation as there is a curfew, basic foods are rationed, and the Nazis are still searching for those working for the resistance and will go to any length to quash those in the resistance and anyone providing them with assistance.What a strange film, made in 1945 when World War II was anything but a memory. In fact, it was so recent that allegedly real German POWs were used as actors, and the man credited as the editor was actually in prison at the time. That is wild.Sadly, the version I watched was of a fairly low quality. I suspect most (if not all) releases are. Is this fixable? Can they do a 4K scan of the negative (or whatever process is popular these days)? If so, this is a film that truly deserves it.

wes-connors In Axis-controlled Rome, a strong-willed priest Aldo Fabrizi (as Pietro Pellegrini) plans to officiate the marriage of matronly and pregnant Anna Magnani (as Pina) while assisting a resistance leader Marcello Pagliero (as Giorgio Manfredi) hunted by the Nazis. This neo-realistic classic has shown its seams, over the years; in my most recent viewing, the soundtrack music, while not bad in itself, would have added much by its exclusion. Still, this is a powerful drama, with chilling last scenes involving the principal characters that do not diminish in their intensity. This was widely considered the best foreign language film of the year, by which time director Roberto Rossellini had released the similarly acclaimed "Paisan" (1946).******** Roma, citta aperta (9/27/45) Roberto Rossellini ~ Aldo Fabrizi, Anna Magnani, Marcello Pagliero, Maria Michi

F Daniel Gray I was seventeen, an ardent fan of Hollywood movies, despite the racism. Well actually, too unsophisticated to recognize its subtlety. Still, I was unprepared to be slammed into my seat by what seemed to be reality as portrayed in the film. I saw it again some 20 years later, and still squirmed at the torture scene. Impressive Anna Magnani, preparing us for Loren and Vitti. Soon after, I saw Carmen with Viviane Romance. Then, the ludicrous, Loves of Carmen, with Rita Hayworth. I was hooked by DeSica, Fellini, Antonioni and others. Then France's New Wave and Bergman, etc. Then Satyajit Ray. I have, with rare exceptions, seldom watched any more of Hollywood. Imagine, Blackboard Jungle is still more relevant than any high school film from there. Only The Class, a couple of years ago from France, competes with it. As a famous female movie critic in the 70s trenchantly declared, the lawyers and Madison Avenue media manipulators have taken over Hollywood movie making and have established corporate America's "bottom line" for a "green light." I don't know if I could now discern amateurish or corner cutting in the movie, but, after hundreds, It remains one of my top five.