DVD
Rome, Open City

Starring: Aldo Fabrizi, Anna Magani and Marcello Pagliero
Fremantle Home Entertainment & Arrow Films
RRP: £17.99
FCD229
Certificate: 12
Available 11 April 2005


Filmed by Roberto Rossellini in the direct aftermath of World War II on the war-ravaged streets of Italy, this movie is based on real events that took place in Nazi-occupied Italy in 1944. It examines the choices that people were forced to make in wartime. It centres on the Resistance and its members, in particular on priest Don Pietro...

Rome, Open City (or to give it it's original title Roma, cittą aperta) from 1945 is often cited as the true beginning of neo-realism with its documentary-style imagery and the authenticity of its performances. Rossellini's classic tells the story of resistance under German occupation. Based in part on the real-life account of a priest's heroic involvement in the struggle, the film was shot under difficult circumstances on the war-torn streets of Rome and tried to commit to celluloid what those last few months of German occupation were like for the residents that lived through it.

For a movie this old I was surprised that there were any extras at all, but there is a wonderful, and very recent, 47 minute featurette entitled The Children of Rome, Open City. This is one of the best extras I've ever watched on a DVD release. This interviews the children of those - actors and crew - behind the movie, as well as incorporating archive interviews. It also takes one of the original child actors around the streets where the movie was filmed to see what has changed - oddly enough, not much. There is a rather touching scene where he runs into another elderly gentleman who was an extra in the movie.

There was also an interesting anecdote that explained the difficulties in filming in a country where the Germans were still roaming the streets. During one scene, where the priest is bundled into a car by the Nazis, a tram driver applied the breaks to his tram to see what was going on. One of the passengers in the tram got out a gun to come to the aid of the actor playing the priest and there was very nearly a fatality as he tried to shoot the actor playing the Nazi.

Also, I noticed that the subtitles on the clips used in the featurette were not the same as those in the movie - sometimes changing the meaning of a scene.

Which brings me around to the subtitles in the movie. There are loads scenes with no subtitles. While you can work out what is being said, or at least get the gist of the conversation, it's incredibly distracting. Why a more comprehensive series of titles couldn't have been used is beyond me - it gets to the point where it is sometimes difficult to tell who is saying what.

Sadly this release is overpriced. Sure if the DVD producers had restored the film print (or even given it a bit of a scrubbing up) I'd splash £18 from my own pocket to buy this. Sadly they haven't and the picture quality ranges from average to very poor. This is the sort of movie I'd expect to pay £12.99 for, not £17.99.

And that's the thing I didn't get about this release. It's not likely to appeal to your lowbrow punter. Movie buffs will want to add this to their collection, but most movie buffs won't be impressed with the picture quality of the movie. It looks like we will have to wait a few more years until a restored version is released.

Ray Thompson

Buy this item online
We compare prices online so you get the cheapest deal!
Click on the logo of the desired store below to purchase this item.


cover
£13.49 (Amazon.co.uk)
   
£13.49 (MVC.co.uk)
   
£13.99 (Moviemail-online.co.uk)

All prices correct at time of going to press.