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Set in Rome in 1944, the film follows a diverse group of characters coping under the Nazi occupation, and centers on a Resistance fighter trying to escape the city with the help of a Catholic priest. The title refers to the status of Rome as an open city following its declaration as such on 14 August
May 15, 2024 · Under the auspices of an American GI named Rod E. Geiger, Rome, Open City had its New York premiere in February 1946. There, audiences unaccustomed to the brutal realities of the war in Europe sat agape at what they saw as unpolished authenticity.
In cinemas 17 May 2024. Watch and discover. BFI film releases. Rome, Open City (Roma Citta Aperta) A landmark of Italian neorealism approaching its 80th anniversary, Roberto Rossellini’s portrait of life under Nazi occupation remains remarkable for its immediacy, tension and power.
- Overview
- Production notes and credits
- Cast
Open City, Italian Neorealist film, released in 1945, that portrayed life in Nazi-occupied Rome during World War II. Directed by Roberto Rossellini in a documentary style that was innovative for the time, the movie brought international attention to the Neorealist movement and became one of its defining works, influencing numerous later filmmakers.
The film depicts a wide cross section of Romans who, despite their obvious social, economic, and religious differences, are united in their suffering during the German occupation. Pina (played by Anna Magnani) is a widowed pregnant working-class mother of two children; her fiancé, Francesco (Francesco Grandjacquet), works for a communist newspaper and aids the resistance; Marina (Maria Michi) is a nightclub singer whose desire for love and normality leads to collaboration with the enemy; Marina’s former boyfriend, Giorgio Manfredi, who is also known as Luigi Ferraris (Marcello Pagliero), is a resistance leader hunted by the Nazis; and Don Pietro Pellegrini (Aldo Fabrizi) is a lovable priest who musters unexpected bravery and courage to aid the resistance. Don Pietro and Manfredi are eventually caught by the Gestapo, and Manfredi is tortured in front of the priest, who refuses to betray his friend (who is an atheist) or his faith. Don Pietro’s relationship with Manfredi, and Pina’s pending (Roman Catholic) marriage to a communist, reflect the united front that developed among those in the resistance movement in their struggle against the Nazis.
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•Studio: Excelsa Film
•Director: Roberto Rossellini
•Writers: Roberto Rossellini, Federico Fellini, and Sergio Amidei
•Producers: Roberto Rossellini, Giuseppe Amato, Ferruccio De Martino, and Rod E. Geiger
•Music: Renzo Rossellini
•Running time: 100 minutes
•Aldo Fabrizi (Don Pietro Pellegrini)
•Anna Magnani (Pina)
•Marcello Pagliero (Giorgio Manfredi/Luigi Ferraris)
•Francesco Grandjacquet (Francesco)
- Lee Pfeiffer
Mar 7, 2014 · All this is by way of preamble to a consideration of Roberto Rossellini’s Rome, Open City (1945), a classic if ever there was one, which is now being revived by the BFI in a new 4K digital restoration.
Feb 9, 2010 · Like only a handful of other works – Birth of a Nation (1914), Potemkin (1925), Citizen Kane (1941), and Breathless (1960) come most readily to mind – Roberto Rossellini's Roma città aperta (1945; hereafter referred to in my essay simply as Open City) instantly, markedly, and permanently changed the landscape of film history.
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Feb 10, 2014 · The war was barely over when Italian director Roberto Rossellini filmed his 1945 masterpiece ‘Rome, Open City’, bringing the immediacy of a documentary to the devastating story about the...
