This was Roberto Rossellini's revelation, a harrowing drama about the Nazi occupation of Rome and the brave few who struggled against it. Though told with a bit more melodramatic flair than the other films that would form this trilogy and starring well-known actors-Aldo Fabrizi as a priest helping the partisan cause and Anna Magnani in her breakthrough role as the fiancée of a resistance member-Rome Open City (Roma città aperta) is a shockingly authentic experience, conceived and directed amid the ruin of World War II, with immediacy in every frame. Marking a watershed moment in Italian cinema, this galvanic work was an international sensation, garnering awards around the globe and leaving the beginnings of a new film movement in its wake.

Supplements Video introduction by Roberto Rossellini from 1963 New video interviews with Rossellini scholar Adriano Aprà, Rossellini's friend and confessor Father Virgilio Fantuzzi, and filmmakers Paolo and Vittorio Taviani Audio commentary by film scholar Peter Bondanella Once Upon a Time . . . "Rome Open City," a 2006 documentary on the making of this historic film, featuring rare archival material and footage of Anna Magnani, Federico Fellini, Ingrid Bergman, and many others

FORUM USER RATINGS (BETA)

You need to be signed in to rate DVDs: Login

Forum User Averages Film Rating: 9/10 Artwork Rating: 9/10 Picture Rating: 8/10 Audio Rating: 8/10 Extras Rating: 10/10

The "My Criterion Collection" application is a Criterion/Eclipse DVD organizer hosted by criterionforum.org and is currently only available for use on Facebook.

Click here to install the "My Criterion Collection" application onto your Facebook account (a Facebook account is required.)