Rome, Open City

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Anakin W Dec 11, 2018 A film during the Italian cinema movement that gave the phrase "gritty realism" its definition. Under Nazi rule,this movie shows that nothing is sacred. See more

Finn G Jul 10, 2018 An uncompromising and brutal in its grim realism, a shocking drama dealing with Rome's occupation by the German forces. One of the best Italian movies of the post WW2 period that I've seen. See more

Ron S Sep 30, 2017 A great movie from back when fighting Nazis, not joining them, was considered the most patriotic thing you could do.

Leia G Jul 21, 2017 Precise filmmaking, historically detailed like a documentary and emotionally moving and captivating like the old Hollywood epics, it is a classic. See more

Han S May 1, 2017 A well made story about occupied Italy during ww2. 1001 movies to see before you die.

Draco L Feb 22, 2017 This hardly seems like an invented fiction, functioning as this era of Nazi occupation did, everything deteriorating. I wonder if Rogue One took its cue from this film - I see similarities with how the Empire destroys all the heroes, and we are left with only the hope that the next generation of youth will stand up to the evil. But the youth here don't look hopeful, they're downtrodden, beaten. I like the one sardonic Nazi officer who gets drunk and blasphemies the whole Nazi effort. This displeases our lead antagonist, who persistently tries to remind him of the uniform he wears. But the officer continues, accusing this whole master race effort of nothing but violence. Years before Hitchcock did it to Janet Leigh, Rosselini shocks us by killing off the lead in the second act, or as he calls it Part 1 - Anna Magnani's Pina is gone, and we are at a loss to wonder where the film goes from here. The narrative continues with the rebels and priest, and as disappointing as it is from a narrative perspective, it is telling us something about the nature of this Nazi cruelty. Experiencing them is not experiencing anything you want. That's for Indiana Jones, a needed escapist hero for our culture, someone who can fight back against all odds. But we see how impossible it is, how outnumbered, outranked, outgunned this society is. They are at the behest of weapons pointed towards their hearts at all times, and there is no mercy. See more

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Rome, Open City

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