Marcella Mariani

Rossellini's three-part series is like a Renaissance painting come to life: a portrait of fifteenth-century Florence, ruled by the Medici political dynasty. With a lovely score from composer Manuel de Sica, this grand yet intimate work is a storybook conjuring of a way of life and thought. (criterion.com)

Blaise Pascal struggles to understand the natural world around him, in addition to an inner quest for religious faith. (imdb)

An intimate, psychological study of obsession and existential crisis about Descartes. (criterion.com)

An account of the last part of Socrates' life, including his trial and execution.

By concentrating on supremely important questions in a cool, apparently artless way, Rossellini's film (made for TV) forces a very dramatic tension. The life of Saint Augustine during the decadence of the Roman Empire becomes the axis for debates on politics and power, morality and conscience: how can a state survive with Christian morals? From this seemingly impossible (and un-filmable) brief, Rossellini achieves moments of devastating clarity. (surrealmoviez)

The film tells the political reconstruction of post-fascist Italy between 1944 and 1953, seen through the career of Alcide De Gasperi (1881-1954). (Wikipedia)