Last Reviewed on October 30, 2019, by eNotes Editorial. Rome, Open City (1945) Plot Summary (4) During the Nazi occupation of Rome in 1944, the Resistance leader, Giorgio Manfredi, is chased by the Nazis as he seeks refuge and a way to escape. Like many films of the Italian neorealist movement, Roberto Rossellini’s classic relies heavily on a binary moral structure and recognizable social types, masquerading battle-tested literary tropes as gritty realism to cinematize … —Jonathan Hayward. Rome, Open City The scenes of war-torn Roman streets in the Rome, Open City of Rossellini portray a true picture of the events during the Nazi occupation of Rome. A founder of Italian neorealism, Roberto Rossellini brought to filmmaking a documentary-like authenticity and a philosophical stringency. David Byrne reveals ‘how the trick is done’ in HBO’s ‘American Utopia’. They are also reflection of neo-realism in the film. When the Nazis occupied Rome, a brave few fought against it. Rome open city = Roma, città aperta. I have no truck with that oft-debated oxymoron, ‘instant classic’. In what way does a film reflect the politics of the time and place in which it was made? A legendary cinematic achievement, Rome, Open City betrays more than a hint of melodrama in its valorization of the Italian resistance to the Nazi occupation. Eric Rhode, A History of the Cinema, From its Origins to 1970 , Da Capo Press, New York, 1976, p. 457; Venturi, p. Rome, Open City The scenes of war-torn Roman streets in the Rome, Open City of Rossellini portray a true picture of the events during the Nazi occupation of Rome. The location: Nazi occupied Rome. What issues are on … Open City or Rome, Open City (Italian: Roma città aperta) is a 1945 Italian neorealist drama film directed by Roberto Rossellini.The picture features Aldo Fabrizi, Anna Magnani and Marcello Pagliero, and is set in Rome during the Nazi occupation in 1944. Rome, Open City grew out of plans for two documentaries – about the murdered partisan priest Don Giuseppe Morosini and about Roman children working for the Resistance. Rome, Open City is in cinemas nationwide, including an extended run at BFI Southbank, from 7 March 2014. The title refers to Rome being declared an open city after 14 August 1943. A classic is called a classic for a reason. Summary. Word Count: 1492. Celebrating its 70th anniversary, "Rome, Open City" is a world cinema landmark, but that dusty, respectful word does not do justice to a film that has not lost its power to surprise and even shock. The Open City Community Note includes chapter-by-chapter summary and analysis, character list, theme list, historical context, author biography and quizzes written by community members like you. Minerva Film presenta ; una produzione Excelsa Film ; soggetto di Sergio Amidei ; regia di Roberto Rossellini ; sceneggiatura e dialoghi di S. Amidei, con la collaborazione di F. Fellini. 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