Roma, Cittá Aperta

According to Liehm, Roma, Cittá Aperta, is the first film of the neorealist movement, that would inspire numerous neorealist directors to come, such as Federico Fellini, who helped Rosellini during the shooting of Roma. Throughout the film, we notice several techniques that make Roma a classic neorealist film.

First, the themes of death, tragedy, and political turmoil are seen in various other neorealist films such as Antonioni's Zabriskie Point (the two protagonists are caught up in the political unrest of 1970s USA). Although death is not a theme in other neorealist films such as 8 1/2 or La Notte, the protagonist, Marcello Mastroianni, is often considered to be contemplating mortality or going through an existential crisis.

Second, Rossellini chose to use both professional and nonprofessional actors. Those who were trained were Italy's big stars who came from "la revista," like Anna Magnani: the mother of Rome. Equally, those actors who were not trained were picked for their roles because that is exactly who they were in real life. The use of nonprofessional actors has been used time and again, such as by Visconti, who often found his female protagonists in beauty pageants.

Another neorealist trait is rebelling against the establishment, whether it is Hollywood, Cinecittá, or Capitalism. In Roma, the main rebellion is against the Nazis, who are portrayed as stereotypical villainous monsters representing "eternal damnation." Religion, of course, is also commonly explored in neorealism film. Rossellini uses the engagement of Pina (Anna Magnani), a Catholic woman, and her fiancé, a resistance fighter, to represent the unity of the Church and the Communists. The solidarity created between these two opposing forces represents the patriotism of the Italian nation, coming together against the Nazi regime.

On the other hand, I believe the film is not only rebelling against the Nazis. Materialism may also play a role. Liehm explains this through Rosselini's focus on minor details, he calls "the things." The audience becomes very aware of the things in Pina's appartment, such as "her worn jacket and checkered scarf," or the things in Don Pietro's rectory. Materialism is also symbolized by Marina's choosing drugs over helping the resistance movement. She chooses short-term pleasures over the long-term justice and liberty of her country.

Overall, Roma has many examples of neorealist techniques. Whether it is truly the first is hard to say, but it certainly paved the way for many future Italian and Italian-American directors.