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Rome, Open City

Rome, Open City

1945
Drama, War
1h 43m
Rome, 1944. Giorgio Manfredi, one of the leaders of the Resistance, is tracked down by the Nazis. He goes to his friend Francesco's, and asks Pina, Francesco's fiancée, for help (imdb)
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Rome, Open City

1945
Drama, War
1h 43m
Your probable score
Avg Percentile 71.09% from 1178 total ratings

Ratings & Reviews

(1178)
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Rated 14 Aug 2007
57
41st
I'll go so far as to respect the neorealistic shit and all that. Okay. But an entertaining film? Not really. Better for study than looking for a good time.
Rated 18 Mar 2013
60
34th
I understand and recognize its importance, but most Neorealist films just feel like homework to me.
Rated 19 Dec 2006
52
9th
This is supposed to be one of those "great films" but I found it boring as hell. The story was confusing (due in part to extremely poor subtitling, but not entirely), the characters either overacted or completely wooden, and the cinematography rather bland. For a neo-realist film it didn't even seem that real. Maybe I'm too stupid to get it, but I don't see what's supposed to be so amazing about it.
Rated 19 Jan 2015
70
53rd
bitches love fur
Rated 17 Jun 2018
90
94th
Neo-realist? Nah, this feels more like straight up film noir to me. As cliche as it to call a film "ahead of its time," I can't help but keep thinking that if this film came out today it would still win the Palme d'Or. The greatest, most hypnotically terrifying depiction of the sheer terror and fear of living under a Fascist state ever put on screen, made only three months after the liberation of Rome itself. It pulled in me in from the beginning and didn't let go.
Rated 24 Nov 2020
74
44th
Better in theory than execution (no pun intended)
Rated 25 Oct 2010
70
17th
It's a historical document dressed up as a drama, but the disguise won't fool anyone. Extremely bleak and most of the characters, a charisma-strapped gang of worriers, don't stick around long enough for you to genuinely care. It's not their fault of course, and how uplifting can you expect a film about Nazi occupation to be? In any case, this type of depressing film is not my cup of tea.
Rated 07 Dec 2010
80
59th
Swerves heavily into melodrama in places, but the bombed-out, tooth-and-nail spirit that struggled to bring it into existence still comes through, especially in the wonderful hand-held street scenes, of which I'd really liked to have seen more.
Rated 06 Mar 2009
8
82nd
One of the most important movies ever made and a pretty darn good one too. Remember when Hitchcock killed off the main character in the middle of the film? This film did it first. My main complaint is the subtitles, they are poor but they really only tell you what you need to hear but luckily I understand enough Italian to get most of what they don't tell you.
Rated 01 Feb 2010
4
55th
This is certainly not a work of neorealism.
Rated 06 Nov 2007
33
17th
Although I'm aware that this film was in certain ways a novelty within its historical context, and after making every effort to get into it, I allow myself to say that this is not a good movie. Not only is it boring, but some of the dialogues are in fact really, really bad.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
65
71st
The melodramatic script makes this a very different film for me than the Vittorio De Sica neo-realist films. This seems much less realist, and less neo for that matter. That said, it is undoubtedly remarkable that this could have been filmed in January 1945.
Rated 16 Dec 2015
93
96th
The narrative of how people who endured the war interpreted it.
Rated 05 Apr 2009
85
94th
Real war, first neo-realism film.
Rated 01 Aug 2009
61
47th
The Michael Bay film of Italian Neorealism.
Rated 18 Aug 2016
21
18th
Even overlooking the cringe-worthy cartoonish gay villain stuff, this is just completely clunky and remarkably conventional melodramatic nonsense. What anyone sees in this is completely beyond me.
Rated 27 Mar 2010
3
38th
I agree with those that have said that this isn't really Italian neorealism, but it is a decent movie. Some of it is a bit dry and slow, but its melodramatic contrivances, while a bit forced at times, are usually quite effective. I get a kick out of resistances stories and this is a quality one. However, this does suffer in part from some rather expository dialogue - there are a handful of speeches that lay things a bit too bare and don't feel spontaneous.
Rated 25 Sep 2014
3
45th
By the toil of a just-finished war, a down-and-out city, and a crude film production, Rossellini's breakout is of spirit and struggle. It translates to an odd combination of melodrama and immediacy, a visual and emotional authenticity that nevertheless relies on classic and distinct dramatic devices. Despite a little bit of obvious and on-the-nose moralizing, the film is generally admirable for its moving sensibility, its cinematic influence, and its important historical timing.
Rated 18 Jul 2008
87
87th
A really good film that loses some of its impact because of its age. Rossellini tells a good story depicting life under Nazi occupation and we see some rebels, some conspirators and a lot of innocent bystanders caught in the middle. Some of it is clearly constructed to tug at the heartstrings, and there's a speech near the end that feels totally forced, but for the most part it's quite effective.
Rated 01 Mar 2008
93
88th
# 132
Rated 09 Mar 2012
66
72nd
This movie seems torn between realism & melodrama. The plot tends toward the latter, which might have been highly effective in its time, but wasn't expecially interesting to me. On the other hand, the acting & cinematography make it all believable & sincere and they're what makes this a "neorealist" film. On balance, I think its reputation is mostly deserved even if it's not pure neorealism and its dramatic impact may have dulled over the decades. Um, homophobia? I'm a bit drunk.
Rated 25 Feb 2016
16
88th
Star Rating: ★★★★1/2
Rated 25 Mar 2014
91
79th
The first half hour feels incredibly dated, maybe its due to the Italian neorealism style, but once characters are really established the film takes off and has an emotionally captivating ending. Fantastic classic
Rated 26 Nov 2013
4
52nd
while it's a solidly directed war pic - enough to capture interest and all that - it's also pretty mundane. based on this alone, rossellini doesn't seem to be a particularly adventurous filmmaker, using a lot of old conventions that work fine enough, but certainly aren't deserving of lavish praise.
Rated 08 Oct 2014
90
84th
Naturalistisk film om okkupasjonen av Roma under andre verdenskrig. Imponerende at den er spilt inn i 1945 og bruker flere tyske krigsfanger som statister og lignende. Muligens noe unyansert, men det er fullt forståelig med tanke på hvor tett på hendelsen filmen ble laget. Den siste halvtimen med presten og han andre i fangenskap var sterke greier, og overrasket meg i hvor eksplisitt det hele var trass i filmens alder.
Rated 11 Nov 2011
82
83rd
A gripping account of wartime Rome, with wonderful performances and a bleak, unflinching vision.
Rated 14 Oct 2011
70
42nd
ikinci dünya savasi, italya, naziler, fasizm, iskence, rahip (ikinci dünya savasi esnasinda italya da fasizm karsiti örgütlenme ve fasist yönetimin bu örgütü ele gecirmek icin yaptiklarini anlatirken, o dönemin günlük hayatiyla ilgili bilgiler veriyor. finalde rahip kursuna dizilir. cocuklar islik calar fakat askerler rahibi vurmaz. komutan askerlerin vurmadigi rahibi kendisi öldürür. biraz uzamis.
Rated 30 Nov 2011
95
90th
#97
Rated 19 Dec 2008
95
90th
98
Rated 30 May 2012
81
87th
Almost unbearable in its raw, crude observation of nazi opression against the resistance, with a strong catholic structure and the definitive image of war in italian cinema -- a mother being shot in front of her kid.
Rated 29 Sep 2014
78
76th
I can usually just roll my eyes at the "queer villains" trope but oh brother, it's really terrible here. I still like this film, though I wouldn't argue with the fact that Rossellini became more interesting later (even as those films are much less exciting) The "innocent" kids / militant dichtomy is collapsed, which I think is relevant to people expressing their apolitical sympathies with Palestinian children, but ignoring the murder of adult Palestinians. Is that a reach? Whatever.
Rated 28 Mar 2008
30
14th
Historically interesting, if that's enough for you. Several well acted engaging characters, particularly enjoyed the fag fascist.
Rated 07 Jul 2015
80
41st
Well-made, straightforward war film. Mostly remarkable for the circumstances of its creation, it seems.
Rated 20 Jul 2014
67
43rd
At first too distant, then too melodramatic. Either way it doesn't really connect emotionally. The priest was a serious badass, though.
Rated 09 Aug 2017
73
46th
Similarly to other seminal Italian neo-realist films, really hits its (miserable) stride towards the end, but it's a (technically) clunky journey to that point. Like Germany Year Zero, this is an important film made in an important time, and that's certainly reflected throughout much of this film, particularly an anguish felt in the last few scenes, though other emotional points in the middle of the film feel like they don't land. It didn't help that I watched this with the very poor subtitling
Rated 29 May 2011
96
97th
A beautiful portrait of people willing to sacrifice for something greater than themselves, of love for another that pursues at all costs, and of honorable lives in the face of dishonorable oppression. Rome was still in the midst of WWII during filming, meaning that actual piles of rubble from the war and troops roaming the streets lent themselves to a political and spiritual immediacy that is unmistakable.
Rated 13 Apr 2009
5
93rd
"Compelling as much for its wartime release date as its gripping subject, this is melodrama at its most justified with a great group of diverse and interesting characters and real sense of urgency."
Rated 10 Feb 2007
60
62nd
Not bad.
Rated 27 Aug 2013
7
73rd
A powerful film, seen in its historical context. Understated, compared to modern films about resistance to tyranny, but still it has a couple of the most memorable, images ever.
Rated 13 Jan 2010
95
90th
98
Rated 14 Nov 2012
85
87th
The first hour of the movie, when the rebel's on the run from the Nazis, is great, it's like a wartime noir. It's not as good when the men are arrested, as the melodrama and preachiness overwhelm the movie, especially when the drunk Nazi denounces fascism. My enthusiasm for this movie is colored by when this was made. I'm surprised any movie could have been made in Italy in 1945, especially one this complex.
Rated 09 Apr 2008
80
34th
Somewhat entertaining, pales in comparison to other neo-realist films like Ossessione and The Bicycle Thief
Rated 11 Mar 2019
93
91st
93.00
Rated 03 Jun 2009
60
39th
There are certain powerful scenes here charged with a mundane, dirty poetry, but it doesn't quite work for me as a whole.
Rated 13 Aug 2014
80
37th
The film's proximity to the events of World War II make it all the more painful, as Rossellini reflects upon the Nazi occupation with the memories of the turmoil fresh in his head. A couple of heartwrenching moments (the mother being gunned down, the firing squad) are definitive images of the war.
Rated 15 Mar 2013
90
93rd
"we are not heroes"
Rated 10 Mar 2013
70
54th
turns from a low-budget, but fascinating thriller to a very stark realism-esque movie about the resistance in italy. did it interest me or evoke much emotion in me? not really.
Rated 27 Feb 2018
60
26th
Don Pietro: "It's not hard to die well. The hard thing is to live well."
Rated 13 Nov 2018
60
32nd
The large cast of characters and heavy emphasis on plot leave little breathing room for a true realist depiction of everyday life in WWII Italy. Still an interesting contrast to the much slower pace of Bicycle Thieves, though.
Rated 18 Nov 2018
54
34th
Decent. The first part of film is alright and mostly has to do with the correlation between family and war. But during the second part this film really starts to shine with the gestapo scenes. Overall it didn't win me over, but I enjoyed it nonetheless.
Rated 11 Jun 2022
67
33rd
Realistic, stark feeling portrayal of a resistance movement in Italy during the Nazi occupation made just months after Rome was liberated. Some scenes were excellent, but I found parts a bit overly slow and a tad boring at times. It didn't really create the kind of sustained tension I might expect for a movie like this.
Rated 04 Mar 2020
60
89th
Too traditional, ordinary, even stripped down, to be anything special in my eyes. The priest's emotions in the later stages of the film was strong, and also the strong-point of Roberto Rossellini highly acclaimed picture. The rest, not so. Absolutely a fine film, but considering it stature among critics and movie lovers alike, it doesn't come across as anything other than a typical early/mid-1940s production, doing its best with the limitations of the struggling times it was made.
Rated 03 Jun 2020
80
57th
Well executed and powerful ending with it's freedom ensemble among the people, religion and soul.
Rated 18 Jun 2023
73
65th
Bleak, tragic, engaging. Overall very good
Rated 11 Jan 2024
80
85th
A story that has all the freshly fallen ash and dust of WW2 still lingering on it, it feels very real. I know Rosselini did not hire professional actors for all roles, wanting to keep things real, and that filming had a lot of issues with funding at the time, but those are some of the beautiful aspects of this film. Beautiful black-and-white scenes that work so well for this tragic story.

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