Does The Film Rome Open City?

The film Rome Open City takes place in Rome in 1943 during the occupation of Rome by the Nazis. The majority of the characters in this movie partake in the resistance movement against the Germans in their occupation. Because this film was set in such a violent part of history, it is very graphic; many of the conditions endured by the characters were what actual people underwent. Though the circumstances were grave and the characters were forced to overcome numerous obstacles, they were still able to find reasons to live and continue on with their lives. So much in this movie is devastating; death and war are present throughout the course of the entire film—nevertheless, the characters are still able to find humor and to crave a sense of normalcy

in the midst of disparity.
Though there are multiple deaths in this movie, it is balanced with surprising humorous touches, Don Pietro being the comic relief.

For example, in a store that sells assorted religious figurines and decorations, Don Pietro develops a sense of discomfort when he sees a religious figurine that is placed a little to close to the statue of a nude woman. He rearranges the nude figure so that it is facing away from the religious figurine and is extremely uncomfortable at the sight of the naked body. This provides the audience with humor as we see Don Pietro squirm at the sight of anything remotely sexual. His casual comedic nature encourages the audience to favor Don Pietro; this made it difficult to watch the end of this movie when he ultimately is killed by a German officer. Don Pietro stated that the Nazi occupation is punishment for the sins of humanity—however, his feelings in regard to the Nazi occupation of Rome do not prevent him from being resistant to the Nazis. Though his ending is tragic, he is able to make light of things during a dark time, along with all the other

characters.
The first scene of the film shows German SS troops attempting to seize the engineer Giorgio Manfredi, a communist and a leader of the Resistance against the Nazis.

The landlady of the house Giorgio is residing in informs him that the Germans are coming for him. In order to evade the officers, Giorgio escapes via rooftops. He goes to the home Francesco, another Resistance fighter, where he encounters Francesco’s pregnant fiancée, Pina. Similar to her husband, Pina is in favor of the resistance and is an activist. In spite of expecting a child, she aids in promoting the resistance and getting others to join in as well. An example of this was when she helped organized the uprising versus the shops that are in command of food rations. The need for food motivates the starving citizens of Rome to overcome their moral reluctances against stealing in order to survive. Pina gets her son from her first marriage, Marcello, to become a member of the group of rebels. Marcello is part of a gang of kids who go on late-night bombing runs against the Nazis. Characters like Pina allow for an establishment of a community that is unified in obstruction to the Nazis so much so that even children are fighting. This film gives light not just to the actual political issues that were occurring during this time period, but displayed the true grit people had to have in order to survive. Rome Open City’s equilibrium of the ordinary qualms of people as they merely try to survive and thrive, along

with the determination of the behind-the-scenes struggle against the Nazis is realistic to viewers. While viewing this film, it is amazing how even though everyone faces adversity every single day, they can still perform ordinary tasks such as planning a wedding. Even though Francesco and Pina are unsure of any future obstacles, they still aspire to feel the normalcy of having a wedding and a marriage. Even though their situation seems desolate, the characters are able to behave like they would in normal circumstances. Pina's family bakes a wedding cake, prepares a feast and is ecstatic about the upcoming nuptials even though they have little materials and little reason to be happy in their now shattered city. Scenes like these in the film take away from the violence and the terror of the occupation of Rome and promote a humanist feel. It stresses the appreciation of how life continues and how people attempt to approach regularity even though they are panicked and unsure of what is to come.
In Rome Open City, the characters are still able to continue on with their lives despite their overwhelming challenges. They do so by incorporating humor into their lives as well as continuing to act in a normal manner despite their unfortunate situations.