Rome, Open City, or simply Open City, came out at a rather troubling time in Italy's history. The country couldn't afford modest-budget stories, so locals made films from scraps of film-stocks, cameras and on-location shooting with avant-garde filmmaking techniques that changed the future of European and international cinema.Open City has scenes of people getting shot, scenes of torture, and an execution of a Priest. It's very upsetting stuff for 1940s filmmaking, especially considering American films like Bonnie and Clyde wouldn't push the boundaries of cinematic content for another two decades to come.Open City is a very grounded, cutty, visceral and believable story that came from a rather depressing time in human history. It's worth a shot quite easily.

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.

In Nazi occupied Rome, German SS is hunting for engineer Giorgio Manfredi who is a leader of the communist resistance. He escapes looking for fellow fighter Francesco and finds his pregnant fiancée Pina. Catholic priest Don Pietro Pellegrini helps but he's under surveillance.It's a minor miracle that Roberto Rossellini achieved so much so soon after the end of the war. On the other hand, when Pina points to a bomb damaged building, a bomb probably did damage that building. It is considered a great example of neorealism although he had fewer unreal sets that he could use anyway. The one scene where Pina is chasing after Francesco being arrested is one of the great scenes of cinema. It is dynamic and visceral. One can really feel the action more than most war action scenes of its time.

***Howard Schumann ("Powerful Portrayal of Dignity and Courage", Howard Schumann from Vancouver, B.C., 24 April 2002) has essential background on the filming and good criticism. Also, Claudio Carvalho ("Masterpiece of the Italian Neo-Realism", Claudio Carvalho from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 2 April 2006) adds insight on how it was made. And, B24 ("Nice Piece of Work for its Time", B24 from Arizona, 10 May 2006) has good insight on the German speakers. Finally, federovsky ("Great film, however you classify it", federovsky from bangkok, 30 April 2008) has an excellent review.***"Rome, Open City (1945, Roberto Rossellini)", a return to Nazi- occupied Italy, is potent. While not the first example of Italian Neorealism, it is usually described as the one that inspired the rest. "Open City" has some flaws, but it is so brutal and stark that you likely will leave the theater stunned. Rossellini deserves credit for completing it. It was filmed on a shoestring budget as the Nazis began to leave Rome, ending their military occupation. (Rossellini used scraps of film left behind by the retreating German forces.) A mixture of experienced and novice actors are used. It is perhaps not a trivial detail to mention that one of the contributors to the writing, and the uncredited Second Unit director was a young Federico Fellini.The story revolves around the pursuit of a resistance hero (portrayed by Marcello Pagliero) by the Fascists. The Nazis are very ruthless here. Eventually, there are several torture scenes which don't show much of the painful details, but imply what is being done to the victim. The torture scenes and the inclusion of Italian collaborators with the occupying Germans is cutting edge for 1945.Rossellini also indulges in one of his favorite things to do: Killing animals for the entertainment of the cinematic audience. Having seen him also do this in "Stromboli" (1950), this is my biggest peeve with him. While the audience does not see either of the two sheep actually being shot, there is no doubt they both were while the camera was operating and the crew watched. Sure I am angry about this, but this is only a small part of "Open City". This film remains essential viewing. I just wish someone had challenged Rossellini by informing him that any idiot can point a camera in this direction to wake the audience up. An elite filmmaker would not need to resort to this. Overall, the acting is outstanding. Fabrizi as the priest, Magnani as the young widow, Pagliero as resistance hero and Francesco Grandjacquet as the kind Francesco are all probably legends to Italians. However, the woman portraying the lesbian spy doesn't really work for me; she is too one-dimensional in her speech. It has been mentioned by other reviewers that "Open City's" chief flaw when viewing it today is seeing very homosexual, decadent Nazis relaxing in a lavish chamber. The lesbian subplot is noticeably over-the-top. Western culture has evolved much with regards to LGBT preferences, and "Open City" is not strong here.While it is easy to find flaws when viewing this from a twenty-first century prism, we should recall that Rossellini has always held a commanding perch in Italian cinema. One of his more famous admirers is my choice for cinema's greatest actress, Ingrid Bergman. (During "Stromboli", Bergman broke up her especially rich collaboration with Alfred Hitchcock to become Rossellini's lover and leading actress.) Rosselini deserves respect as a pioneer of neo-realism. His techniques effectively depict the misery of life. Because "Open City" is as unsparing as the real occupation, and resistance fighters are immortalized while traitors are revealed, it likely inspired great pride with the Italian public emerging from its collective nightmare.While Rossellini is often described as filming "Open City," like a documentary, the opposite is true. For example, the Germans will shoot a much beloved woman running after the truck driven by the Gestapo as they arrest her Italian fiancé. The perspective is from the retreating car; the view of the fiancé. Rossellini is identifying point of view, which is supposedly a no-no in documentaries. Rossellini will also arrange objects in his interiors to move the story along. (How about the wild looking chair that the tipsy Nazi is sitting in when his lone voice speaks against the barbarity of his class?) The director once said, "I try to capture reality, nothing else (Rossellini)". However, he certainly is manipulating reality to achieve his results.The use of foreshadowing is particularly memorable. For example, an early scene with Don Pietro Pellegrini (Aldo Fabrizi), the heroic priest, shows him being hit in the head by a falling soccer ball as young schoolboys around him laugh. There is Pina's introduction (Anna Magnani) when she emerges from a bread riot almost too dizzy to stand. The two sheep will predict two subsequent fatalities, etc. With some quibbles, the narrative is written well.Despite its weaknesses, "Open City," is a must-see for cinephiles. The courage to resist Fascism in defiance of its sheer brutality inspires democracy activists today. Let's not forget that the current US government sponsors torture. Also, the US President has renewed a law which he claims grants him the right to execute or indefinitely detain US citizens. "Rome, Open City," is very relevant in this time.