Roma, Città Aperta / Rome, Open City
d. Roberto Rossellini / 1945 / Italy / 105 mins
Viewed at: A3.03 @ UEA (Norwich, UK)
At the risk of offending ‘serious’ fans of European art cinema the world over, I have to admit that I’m not a giant fan of Roberto Rossellini. Sure he was married to Ingmar Bergman and they created Isabella but, well, he just seems to be a rather incomplete filmmaker. Maybe I’m missing something – or maybe I just haven’t seen enough of his work, or maybe I’ve simply seen the wrong films – but while his brilliance does occasionally shine through, Rossellini’s films always leave me with a vague, underlying feeling of dissatisfaction.
Stephen Morgan 