DAY TWO

Today we had our first screening, Rome, Open City. I enjoyed the film, it was very insightful. I really feel like I know Rome better, and from the perspective of a citizen, not for its beauty and landmarks.

The script was well-written; there was lots of dialogue and it was very engaging. I liked how the actors spoke in dialect, not just a general Italian accent. This helped to make the film and its characters more real, with a real history and family in Rome. The casting was done well. The use of non-actors would have been risky but Rossellini chose well and their freshness and honesty was not at the expense of good performance. The priest was particularly well cast, one of the few professional actors in the film. I thought that the shots of his face as he witnesses the torture of Manfredi were particularly moving. Even though we could not see the torture, we could feel its pain through his eyes.

The film is replete with director's choices such as this. Rossellini often juxtaposes long shots and close-ups to create a dynamic, energetic mood. One of the most powerful scenes in the film, the one in which Pina is shot, is filmed from a distance. This allows the audience to sit back and watch the action, as if they are in the crowd, alongside the action. There is also a dichotomy created between the bustling and chaotic urban environments and the empty, desolate streets and landscapes.

Rossellini also engages the audience through his use of both a still and shaky camera, depending on the mood he wants to be created. When the camera is shaky, there is a documentary-style feeling and the film seems more real, as though it is a reporter capturing the action.

The editing is minimal and generally unobtrusive to fit with the simplistic approach to filming techniques. However there are some swipe transitions which are more obvious. At several times the editing seems choppy. But this adds to the homemade, wholesome feeling of the film, making it seem more authentic.

Rossellini questions the entire notion of war, and its futility: “We're fighting for something that has to be”- Francesco, “Life is filthy and brutal”- Marina.

The sound is incorporated well. At times there is no need for music and Rossellini does not insert it for music's sake. This makes the scores, when they are used, seem more special and the moments more poignant or emotive.

I am certainly glad that I saw this film, it is important and very relevant to Italian history. It explored many interesting questions, such as, “How will we ever forget all this suffering, anxiety and fear?” And his answer resounds through the film: we can not and should not.

NOTES