The Films of Roberto Rossellini

Cinematheque Ontario is currently presenting an exhaustive retrospective of the films of Roberto Rossellini – the director of cinema classics as ROME OPEN CITY, GERMANY YEAR ZERO, STROMBOLI and VOYAGE IN ITALY.  Included in the series are the ones listed above as well as his lesser known films such as BLAISE PASCAL, DOV’E LA LIBERTA (reviewed below) and a few of his short works.

“I am a simple man. I’d rather not be a lonely man.” This is a quote from Rossellini.  His films will surely have fulfilled his wish in life.

The retrospective begins appropriately with an interview at the Jackman Hall, Toronto with Rossellini’s daughter, Isabella Rossellini.  The spirit of his films will be shared by countless and forever.

For screening times, list of films and prices, check the cinematheque website at:
http://cinemathequeontario.ca/

“DOV’E LA LIBERTA…?” (Italy 1954) ****
Directed by Roberto Rossellini
WHERE IS LIBERTY? (the English title) is one of the lesser known but by no means less impressive of Rossellini’s films.  Starring the famed Italian comic Toto, whose pointed nose and craggy facial features not only make him look like a criminal (as the prosecutor as a hearing says), but highlights the struggle and drama his character undergoes through the Italian judicial system.  Initially convicted and jailed for 20 years for cutting the throat of his best friend for fooling around with his wife, barber Salvatore (Toto) is finally set free early because of good behaviour.  The outside is not what it seems.  Times have changed.  Difficulty in finding work coupled with his disillusionment over what has transpired with his family and friends force him to break back into prison – a funny yet convincing sequence - where he claims he is happier.
Rossellini’s film satirizes both the judicial system and the Neapolitan lifestyle; Rossellini succeeds primarily from the ease at which he blends humour and wit into Salvatore’s events.  Salvatore questions the severity of crimes and decides that biting off an ear is equivalent to inflicting grievous bodily harm.  Toto is superb in his role, his comic abilities highlighting the folly of his deeds.
A rare chance to view WHERE IS LIBERTY? On November the 14th at the Cinematheque Ontario in Toronto!

“STROMBOLI” (Italy 1949) ****
Directed by Roberto Rossellini
Humorous, light, romantic in the beginning and moving heavy, spiritual to brutal by the end, Rossellini’s STROMBOLI is human drama at its most intense.  STROMBOLI is one of the Aeolian Islands of Italy. The island is about 3 miles in diameter and 2,900 feet above sea level. It rises 10,000 feet above the floor of the Tyrrhenian Sea.  It is also the place poor Karin (Ingrid Bergman) is forced to live after marrying fisherman, Antonio (Mario Vitale) in order to escape an internment camp after the war.  But she is imprisoned in a worse form.  Living the wealthy lifestyle all along, she cannot get used to the peasants or the nativity, simplicity or even the occasional kindness of her new husband.  Rossellini shows the desperate Karin doing her best.  She wants out.  Unable to escape, she flirts (even with the parish) and even tries to make her husband happy as a last resort.  The Priest (Renzo Cesana) even earns her that the land is harder on the cursed island than life.
Rossellini captures some stunning images on screen.  The fishing of the tuna is unforgettable for the harsh beauty and brutality needed for survival, as is a gruesome scene of a ferret killing a rabbit for sport.  Rossellini ends STROMBOLI in a gripping climax showing owing temporary relief from life that is as cruel as the scorching fires of the volcano.

“VOYAGE IN ITALY” (Italy 1953) ****
Directed by Roberto Rossellini
The unforgettable opening sequence with the couple in the car as the camera pans both the background and the bickering married couple is a guarantee that the viewer is in for quite the ride.  VOYAGE IN ITALY is the remarkable journey of a British couple played by George Sanders and Ingrid Bergman.  They discover more of their relationship and feelings than they do of the Neapolitan countryside.  Amidst visits to famous sites in Naples that include museums, the catacombs and the lush countryside, Katherine and Alex do what most couples fed up with each other do – torment each other, flirt, quarrel and dine as if nothing has happened.  Sanders is marvelous in a role he has perfected, the sarcastic sophisticated Brit bore.  Bergman is a good match – beautiful, vulnerable and often just as deadly.  An excellent scene shows her almost running down the locals in their Bentley when in one of her frustrated moods.  Rossellini also leaves much to the imagination.  A scene in which he picks up a prostitute is left in the air whether he went on further or just left her be.
VOYAGE IN ITALY has been described as a film in which nothing much happens.  Au contraire!  A whole lot actually happens and to prove it, Rossellini surprises the viewer with a shock ending that moves so fast that one might miss it if concentration is lost for a second.  VOYAGE also shows clearly what is so true in relationships – that it takes either complete boredom or a tragedy to bring a couple closer or further apart.