Friday, March 30, 2012

Rome, Open City

Towards the end of World War II as Rome is declared an "Open City", and the occupying German forces hunt down members of the Italian resistance, a priest becomes involved with several party members and winds up paying dearly for his selflessness. Filmed during the actual occupation of Rome by the Nazis, from a script cowritten by filmmaking great Federico Fellini, Roberto Rossellini's "Rome, Open City" tells a socially conscious and ultimately harrowing story, beautifully acted by a cast of non-actors. This was one of the base works in what would come to be known as Italian Neorealism, a style of film that would influence generations of subsequent filmmakers and spark interest in international cinema.