Roma, città aperta (1945)

Director:

Roberto Rossellini

Writers:

Sergio Amidei (writer) and
Federico Fellini (writer)

Release Date:

27 September 1945 (Italy)

Genre:

Drama | War

Plot:

Rome, 1944. Giorgio Manfredi, one of the leaders of the Resistance, is tracked down by the Nazis. He goes to his friend Francesco's...

Plot Keywords:

Priest | Nazi | Resistance | Friend | Widow

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 6 wins

Cast

Aldo Fabrizi	...	Don Pietro Pellegrini
Anna Magnani	...	Pina
Marcello Pagliero	...	Giorgio Manfredi aka Luigi Ferraris
Vito Annichiarico	...	Piccolo Marcello
Nando Bruno	...	Agostino
Harry Feist	...	Major Bergmann
Giovanna Galletti	...	Ingrid
Francesco Grandjacquet	...	Francesco
Eduardo Passarelli	...	Neighborhood Police Sergeant (as Passarelli)
Maria Michi	...	Marina Mari
Carla Rovere	...	Lauretta
Carlo Sindici	...	Police Commissioner
Joop van Hulzen	...	Captain Hartmann (as Van Hulzen)
Ákos Tolnay	...	Austrian Deserter (as A. Tolnay)

Also Known As:

Open City (USA)
Rome, Open City
Roma, ciudad abierta (Argentina) (Spain) [es]
Róma, nyílt város (Hungary) [hu]
Rom - Åben by (Denmark) [da]
Rom - öppen stad (Sweden) [sv]
Rom, offene Stadt (Germany) [de]
Roma, Cidade Aberta (Portugal) [pt]
Roma, ciutat oberta (Spain: Catalan title) [ca]
Rome - Open stad (Netherlands) [nl]
Rome, ville ouverte (France) [fr]
Romi, anohyrotos polis (Greece) [el]
Rooma - avoin kaupunki (Finland) [fi]
Rzym, miasto otwarte (Poland) [pl]

Runtime:

100 min

Country:

Italy

Language:

Italian | German

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Germany:12 (cut) (DVD rating) | West Germany:16 (re-rating) (cut) | West Germany:(Banned) (1950-1961) | Australia:M | Portugal:M/12 | Spain:13 | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | USA:Approved

Filming Locations:

Rome, Lazio, Italy

Company:

Excelsa Film

Trivia:

Rossellini used real Nazi POW's as extras for added realistic effect.

Quotes:

Major Bergman: Then I'll tell you who he is. He's subversive, he's fought with the Reds in Spain. His life is dedicated to fighting society, religion. He is an atheist... your enemy...
Don Pietro: I am a Catholic priest. I believe that those who fight for justice and truth walk in the path of God and the paths of God are infinite

Movie Connections:

Featured in Il mio viaggio in Italia (1999)

Masterpiece of the Italian Neo-Realism

During the Nazi occupation of Rome, the resistance leader Giorgio Manfredi aka Luigi Ferrari (Marcello Pagliero) is chased by the Gestapo. His friend Francesco (Francesco Grandjacquet), who is going to marry the widow Pina (Anna Magnani), together with the priest Don Pietro Pellegrini (Aldo Frabrizi) help him to get a new identity and leave Rome. However, Manfredi is betrayed by his lover Marina Mari (Maria Michi) and arrested by the Germans.

"Roma, Città Aperta" is among the best movies of the cinema history, but in accordance with IMDb criteria, it is not listed in IMDb Top 250. This masterpiece is a milestone of the Italian Neo-Realism and was filmed by Roberto Rossellini when the economical and social structure of Italy was completely destroyed due to the World War II. Rossellini did not have money even to buy the negatives, which were given by his friends. He used ordinary people and real locations to shot the film, making a very authentic and realistic movie as if it were a documentary, and the negatives were only revealed in the end of the shootings. The Brazilian DVD released by Versatil distributor offers many Extras, including a magnificent documentary about the life of Roberto Rossellini. My vote is ten.

Title (Brazil): "Roma, Cidade Aberta" ("Rome, Open City")