Roberto Rossellini

Roberto Rossellini

Birth : 1906-05-08, Rome, Italy

Death : 1977-06-03

History

Roberto Rossellini (8 May 1906 – 3 June 1977) was an Italian film director and screenwriter. Rossellini was one of the directors of the Italian neorealist cinema, contributing films such as Roma città aperta (Rome, Open City 1945) to the movement.

Profile

Roberto Rossellini

Movies

The Treasure of His Youth: The Photographs of Paolo Di Paolo
Self - Filmmaker (archive footage)
The life of the legendary Italian photojournalist Paolo Di Paolo through his photographs, which capture the essence of a fascinating and turbulent Italy, the one inhabited by Anna Magnani and Pier Paolo Pasolini, a country that no longer exists.
The Rossellinis
Self (archive footage)
A laid-back journey in search of one of the world’s most fascinating families, observed and examined from within its most intimate relationships, where the truth and depth of a memoir meet the ironic tone of an indie comedy.
Ingrid Bergman: In Her Own Words
Self (archive footage)
A personal and captivating account of the extraordinary life and work of Ingrid Bergman (1915-82), a young Swedish woman who became one of the most celebrated actresses in world cinema.
La guerra dei vulcani
Himself (Archive footage)
In 1948, a fan letter arrived for director Roberto Rossellini from Ingrid Bergman, one of Hollywood’s biggest stars; after a meeting in New York, Rossellini invited Bergman to Italy to work on a project. Meanwhile, Anna Magnani, one of Italy’s biggest stars and Rossellini’s longtime lover, was furious. When the Rossellini/Bergman project was announced as a tale set on Stromboli, one of the volcanic Aeolian Islands, Magnani quickly set up her own Aeolian project, financed by Hollywood, to be called Volcano. Italy’s tabloids simply went wild: the prospect of these two great divas battling it out with rival productions was breathlessly followed, especially as it became clear that the Rossellini/Bergman relationship was more than professional. Francesco Patierno has created an engrossing, revealing and highly entertaining chronicle of this cinematic battle royal.
La balena di Rossellini
Himself
La Balena di Rossellini origins from one of the most beautiful Roberto Rossellini's dreams, an exemplary project for his autorial path. The film conceived, but never realized, by Rossellini took shape in his notes after a trip to Chile conducted in May of 1971, a trip made to conduct an interview-portrait of Salvador Allende, then actually carried out by the director of "Rome, Open City". October 28, 1971: Rossellini, back from Santiago, Chile, reads a newspaper reports of a beached whale on the Pacific coast near a poor village inhabited by fishermen. From this simple news comes a film script for a fable about wealth and poverty. A film whose shooting Rossellini would have been entrusted to the young student Claudio Bondì, just graduated from the Experimental Center of Cinematography.
Isabella Rossellini - Aus dem Leben eines Schmetterlings
Himself
City of Signs
In Memory Of
Italy, March 1980. César travels to the ruins of Pompeii with the extravagant intention of recording psychophonies, supernatural echoes of the great eruption of Mount Vesuvius that destroyed the city in the 1st century, but he does not succeed. However, on one of the tapes a strange phrase, much more recent, is recorded, words that César has already heard somewhere…
L'ultimo Pulcinella
Writer
An Italian actor (Massimo Ranieri) and his son (Domenico Balsamo) stage a show in a Parisian theater.
Anna Magnani - Recitare la verità
himself
Once Upon a Time... 'Rome, Open City'
Self (archive footage)
Television documentary about the making of Roberto Rossellini's 1945 film "Rome, Open City".
Birth of a Nation
Self
Filmmaker Jonas Mekas films 160 underground film people over four decades.
Roberto Rossellini: Il mestiere di uomo
Self (archive footage)
Documentary about the life and works of Italian filmmaker Roberto Rossellini.
Ingrid Bergman Remembered
Self (archive footage)
Her name conjures up beauty, grace, talent and style. One of the greatest actresses of her time, she is best remembered for a natural and vulnerable persona which was so genuine and alluring. Her cinematic contributions produced such classics as Casablanca, Gaslight, and Anastasia. But Ingrid's story goes deeper than the triumphs of her movie career. Ingrid Bergman Remembered is a loving retrospective of a woman who lived a remarkable life. Ingrid's daughters Pia Lindström and Isabella Rossellini take a personal look back at the life of their mother. Seen from their perspective, this profile of Ingrid goes beyond the acting career and tells the story of her life from her childhood in Sweden to her premature death at age 67 from breast cancer.
Rossellini Through His Own Eyes
Self (archive footage)
Made up almost entirely of archival interviews with Italian film director Roberto Rossellini (with audio interviews playing over various behind-the-scene bits and archival footage) the director recalls his early life, how he got into film, his political beliefs and how they were formed.
My Name Is Anna Magnani
Self (archive footage)
Traces the life of Anna Magnani, her creations, her successes, her triumphs, her boycotted career, her nonconformism, her anxieties, her generosity ... Punctuated with photos that tell her career in theater and cinema, Extracts of films, this documentary portrait also gives the floor to his friends and relatives, from Roberto Rossellini to Marcello Mastroianni, through Federico Fellini.
ORG
Self (archive footage)
Explores the complex relationship between the spirit, body, and mind. The film is a nightmare with closed eyes because it counts among the most terrible moments of my life, my second exile, which lasted a very long time. Inspired by an ancient Hindu legend.
Beaubourg, centre d'art et de culture
Director
An exploration of the Centre Georges Pompidou and its surroundings on its opening day in 1977.
Concert for Michelangelo
Director
Rossellini explores the frescoes in the Sistine Chapel during a concert by the chorus of the Cappella Musicale Pontificia conducted by Monsignor Domenico Bartolucci.
The Messiah
Screenplay
Rossellini takes numerous liberties with the original source material, rearranging and omitting events at will, presenting everything in a highly undramatic fashion. The film begins in the time of the Old Testament, allowing Rossellini to present the story of Jesus in its ancient, historic context.
The Messiah
Director
Rossellini takes numerous liberties with the original source material, rearranging and omitting events at will, presenting everything in a highly undramatic fashion. The film begins in the time of the Old Testament, allowing Rossellini to present the story of Jesus in its ancient, historic context.
Year One
Story
Rossellini’s biopic of the postwar Christian Democrat leader, Alcide De Gaspari, who was responsible for keeping the Communists out of power in the years that followed the fall of fascism.
Year One
Screenplay
Rossellini’s biopic of the postwar Christian Democrat leader, Alcide De Gaspari, who was responsible for keeping the Communists out of power in the years that followed the fall of fascism.
Year One
Director
Rossellini’s biopic of the postwar Christian Democrat leader, Alcide De Gaspari, who was responsible for keeping the Communists out of power in the years that followed the fall of fascism.
Cartesius
Writer
Rossellini's interpretation of Descartes' life.
Cartesius
Director
Rossellini's interpretation of Descartes' life.
The World Population
Director
A film by Renzo and Roberto Rossellini.
Interview with Salvador Allende: Power and Reason
Director
An interview with the president of Chile conducted by Roberto Rossellini in 1971, but broadcast only after his death.
Interview with Salvador Allende: Power and Reason
Self - Interviewer
An interview with the president of Chile conducted by Roberto Rossellini in 1971, but broadcast only after his death.
Augustine of Hippo
Writer
A biography of St. Augustine as he enters the episcopacy and deals with heresy and the decline of the Western Roman Empire.
Augustine of Hippo
Director
A biography of St. Augustine as he enters the episcopacy and deals with heresy and the decline of the Western Roman Empire.
Blaise Pascal
Writer
In this evocative, atmospheric biography, Roberto Rossellini brings to life philosopher and mathematician Blaise Pascal, who, amid religious persecution and ignorance, believed in a harmony between God and science.
Blaise Pascal
Director
In this evocative, atmospheric biography, Roberto Rossellini brings to life philosopher and mathematician Blaise Pascal, who, amid religious persecution and ignorance, believed in a harmony between God and science.
Socrates
Screenplay
A false accusation leads the philosopher Socrates to trial and condemnation in 4th century BC Athens.
Socrates
Director
A false accusation leads the philosopher Socrates to trial and condemnation in 4th century BC Athens.
Incontri 1969 - Roberto Rossellini: i segreti di un mito
Himself
The Night of Counting the Years
Producer
Set in 1881, a year before the start of British colonial rule, it is based on the true story of the Abd el-Rasuls, an Upper-Egyptian clan that had been robbing a cache of mummies they have discovered at tomb DB320 near the village of Kurna, and selling the artifacts on the black market. After a conflict within the clan, one of its members made a crucial decision when the Antiquities Service arrived.
Cinéma et Réalité
Self
In this documentary, giants of italian cinema such as Rossellini, De Sica, Fellini and Zavattini talk about the importance of cinema after WW2, and about huge moments of social rebellion. This movie gives the floor to the creators of italian neorealism.
Idea di un'isola
Producer
A documentary about Sicily and its peculiar customs, with an emphasis on religious rites and the clash of modernity versus traditional values.
Idea di un'isola
Writer
A documentary about Sicily and its peculiar customs, with an emphasis on religious rites and the clash of modernity versus traditional values.
Idea di un'isola
Director
A documentary about Sicily and its peculiar customs, with an emphasis on religious rites and the clash of modernity versus traditional values.
The Taking of Power by Louis XIV
Writer
Cardinal Mazarin dies, leaving a power vacuum in which the young Louis asserts his intention to govern as well as rule. Mazarin's fiscal advisor, Colbert, warns against Fouquet, the Superintendant who has been systematically looting the treasury and wants to be prime minister. Fouquet believes Louis will soon tire of exercizing power and overplays his hand by offering a bribe to Louis' mistress to be his ally. She reports this to the king who arrests Fouquet. Louis and Colbert design a brilliant strategy to keep merchants making money, nobles in debt, the urban poor working and fed, and peasants untaxed.
The Taking of Power by Louis XIV
Director
Cardinal Mazarin dies, leaving a power vacuum in which the young Louis asserts his intention to govern as well as rule. Mazarin's fiscal advisor, Colbert, warns against Fouquet, the Superintendant who has been systematically looting the treasury and wants to be prime minister. Fouquet believes Louis will soon tire of exercizing power and overplays his hand by offering a bribe to Louis' mistress to be his ally. She reports this to the king who arrests Fouquet. Louis and Colbert design a brilliant strategy to keep merchants making money, nobles in debt, the urban poor working and fed, and peasants untaxed.
Les carabiniers
Writer
During a war in an imaginary country, unscrupulous soldiers recruit poor farmers with promises of an easy and happy life. Two of these farmers write to their wives of their exploits.
Ro.Go.Pa.G.
Screenplay
Four short films by four different directors dealing with the principles of modern life.
Ro.Go.Pa.G.
Director
Four short films by four different directors dealing with the principles of modern life.
Dark Soul
Screenplay
A man with a past gets married and it seems that he will be able to start a new life, but an unexpected inheritance gets in the way and deteriorates the relationship with his wife.
Dark Soul
Director
A man with a past gets married and it seems that he will be able to start a new life, but an unexpected inheritance gets in the way and deteriorates the relationship with his wife.
Benito Mussolini
Producer
Vanina Vanini
Screenplay
Vanina Vanini, a bored, spoiled Roman countess, falls in love with a dedicated young patriot who is in Rome to assassinate a traitor to the brotherhood of the Carboneria.
Vanina Vanini
Director
Vanina Vanini, a bored, spoiled Roman countess, falls in love with a dedicated young patriot who is in Rome to assassinate a traitor to the brotherhood of the Carboneria.
Viva l'Italia!
Director
The film shows how Italy's historic national hero Giuseppe Garibaldi (embodied by Renzo Ricci) leads a military campaign known as Expedition of the Thousand in 1860 and conquers Sicily and Naples. When the Bourbon monarchy has left Southern Italy, he supports Victor Emmanuel II of Italy who achieves a lasting unification under the aegis the House of Savoy. Roberto Rossellini has said he was prouder of this film than of any other film he ever made.
Torino nei cent'anni
Director
A TV film by Roberto Rossellini.
Escape by Night
Screenplay
In Nazi-occupied Rome, a beautiful bootlegger, to the chagrin of her lover, gives sanctuary to three escaped POWs: an American pilot, a Russian sergeant and a British major.
Escape by Night
Director
In Nazi-occupied Rome, a beautiful bootlegger, to the chagrin of her lover, gives sanctuary to three escaped POWs: an American pilot, a Russian sergeant and a British major.
General Della Rovere
Man in Gestapo office (uncredited)
The Gestapo forces con man Victorio Bardone to impersonate a dead partisan general in order to extract information from his fellow inmates.
General Della Rovere
Director
The Gestapo forces con man Victorio Bardone to impersonate a dead partisan general in order to extract information from his fellow inmates.
India: Matri Bhumi
Screenplay
Several stories depicting the landscapes and fauna of India are mixed with documentary footage.
India: Matri Bhumi
Director
Several stories depicting the landscapes and fauna of India are mixed with documentary footage.
Le Psychodrame
Cinematography
Roberto Rossellini shot the film Psycodrame in 1956 for the Center d'études de radiotélévision. The staging of three "psychodramas" - organized by Professor Jacob Levi Moreno with Anne Ancelin Schutzemberger - gives Rossellini the opportunity to reflect on what can become a particularly congenial acting technique, and, in general, on the potential of didactic tv. Director of photography a very young Claude Lelouche. Digital restoration by the Archivio Nazionale Cinema Impresa - CSC and Institut National of l'Audiovisuel in collaboration with Museo Moreno.
Le Psychodrame
Director
Roberto Rossellini shot the film Psycodrame in 1956 for the Center d'études de radiotélévision. The staging of three "psychodramas" - organized by Professor Jacob Levi Moreno with Anne Ancelin Schutzemberger - gives Rossellini the opportunity to reflect on what can become a particularly congenial acting technique, and, in general, on the potential of didactic tv. Director of photography a very young Claude Lelouche. Digital restoration by the Archivio Nazionale Cinema Impresa - CSC and Institut National of l'Audiovisuel in collaboration with Museo Moreno.
Joan of Arc at the Stake
Writer
Joan of Arc is being burned alive for heresy. In a kind of dream state, she departs from her body and begins to look back upon her life. She begins this journey in a depressed and demoralized state. However, a priest appears to help guide her. First, he shows her those that accused her in the guise of animal characters, in order to show her their true nature. Then, he shows her the good that she has performed for people. In the end, she is proud of what she has done and is ready to face the flames.
Joan of Arc at the Stake
Director
Joan of Arc is being burned alive for heresy. In a kind of dream state, she departs from her body and begins to look back upon her life. She begins this journey in a depressed and demoralized state. However, a priest appears to help guide her. First, he shows her those that accused her in the guise of animal characters, in order to show her their true nature. Then, he shows her the good that she has performed for people. In the end, she is proud of what she has done and is ready to face the flames.
Fear
Writer
Irene Wagner, the wife of the prominent German scientist Professor Albert Wagner, had been having an affair with Erich Baumann. She does not disclose this to her husband, hoping to preserve his innocence and their "perfect marriage". This fills her with anxiety and guilt. However, Johann Schultze, Erich's jealous ex-girlfriend, learns about the affair and begins to blackmail Irene, turning Irene's psychological torture into a harsh reality.
Fear
Director
Irene Wagner, the wife of the prominent German scientist Professor Albert Wagner, had been having an affair with Erich Baumann. She does not disclose this to her husband, hoping to preserve his innocence and their "perfect marriage". This fills her with anxiety and guilt. However, Johann Schultze, Erich's jealous ex-girlfriend, learns about the affair and begins to blackmail Irene, turning Irene's psychological torture into a harsh reality.
Journey to Italy
Story
This deceptively simple tale of a bored English couple travelling to Italy to find a buyer for a house inherited from an uncle is transformed by Roberto Rossellini into a passionate story of cruelty and cynicism as their marriage disintegrates around them.
Journey to Italy
Producer
This deceptively simple tale of a bored English couple travelling to Italy to find a buyer for a house inherited from an uncle is transformed by Roberto Rossellini into a passionate story of cruelty and cynicism as their marriage disintegrates around them.
Journey to Italy
Screenplay
This deceptively simple tale of a bored English couple travelling to Italy to find a buyer for a house inherited from an uncle is transformed by Roberto Rossellini into a passionate story of cruelty and cynicism as their marriage disintegrates around them.
Journey to Italy
Director
This deceptively simple tale of a bored English couple travelling to Italy to find a buyer for a house inherited from an uncle is transformed by Roberto Rossellini into a passionate story of cruelty and cynicism as their marriage disintegrates around them.
Where Is Freedom?
Story
A barber, murderer because of jealousy, spends twenty years in jail. He cannot, however adjust himself to a changed world and to the hypocrisy of his own relatives and decides to return behind bars.
Where Is Freedom?
Director
A barber, murderer because of jealousy, spends twenty years in jail. He cannot, however adjust himself to a changed world and to the hypocrisy of his own relatives and decides to return behind bars.
Mid-Century Loves
Screenplay
Anthology of tragic love. A noblewoman falls for a commoner. A doctor keeps quiet about his patients' infidelities. Expectant father is sent to fight in WWI. A 1920s fascist enjoys Rome's nightlife. WWII airman falls for a girl in Naples.
Mid-Century Loves
Director
Anthology of tragic love. A noblewoman falls for a commoner. A doctor keeps quiet about his patients' infidelities. Expectant father is sent to fight in WWI. A 1920s fascist enjoys Rome's nightlife. WWII airman falls for a girl in Naples.
We, the Women
Director
Five portraits of actresses in their "common" life, seen as women rather than movie stars.
The Chicken
Director
Ingrid Bergman notices that her roses have been destroyed. At first she suspects it is her dogs or her children, but later on notices a chicken walking around the area of her roses. (Originally appeared as a segment of the omnibus film "Siamo donne (We, Women)" but later presented separately as a short film.)
A Brief Encounter with the Rossellini Family
Self
Commissioned by a Swedish newspaper, this news-reel like short on the life of the famous Swedish actress is a kind of ‘at home with Ingrid Bergman’ reportage, depicting her at work and spending time with her children. Kort möte med familjen Rossellini happened to be made during the production of Journey to Italy in Naples and on Capri, thereby providing us with a unique record from the making of this legendary film.
Europe '51
Screenplay
A wealthy, self-absorbed Rome socialite is tacked by guilt over the death of her young son. As a way of dealing with her grief and finding meaning in her life, she decides to devote her time and money to the city’s poor and sick. Her newfound, single-minded activism leads to conflicts with her husband and questions about her sanity.
Europe '51
Story
A wealthy, self-absorbed Rome socialite is tacked by guilt over the death of her young son. As a way of dealing with her grief and finding meaning in her life, she decides to devote her time and money to the city’s poor and sick. Her newfound, single-minded activism leads to conflicts with her husband and questions about her sanity.
Europe '51
Producer
A wealthy, self-absorbed Rome socialite is tacked by guilt over the death of her young son. As a way of dealing with her grief and finding meaning in her life, she decides to devote her time and money to the city’s poor and sick. Her newfound, single-minded activism leads to conflicts with her husband and questions about her sanity.
Europe '51
Director
A wealthy, self-absorbed Rome socialite is tacked by guilt over the death of her young son. As a way of dealing with her grief and finding meaning in her life, she decides to devote her time and money to the city’s poor and sick. Her newfound, single-minded activism leads to conflicts with her husband and questions about her sanity.
The Machine That Kills Bad People
Screenplay
In Amalfi, a village on the Italian coast, an old man who seems to have strange powers gives Celestino Esposito, the local photographer, a dangerous ability.
The Machine That Kills Bad People
Director
In Amalfi, a village on the Italian coast, an old man who seems to have strange powers gives Celestino Esposito, the local photographer, a dangerous ability.
The Seven Deadly Sins
Screenplay
A French/Italian motion picture drama covering the seven deadly sins in seven separate sections.
The Seven Deadly Sins
Director
A French/Italian motion picture drama covering the seven deadly sins in seven separate sections.
Amazing Monsieur Fabre
(uncredited)
It centres on the life of the entomologist Jean-Henri Fabre and his total devotion to studying insect behavior, travelling from Avignon to Paris, from Paris to his death in Sérignan. He is honoured by the French president Raymond Poincaré and his patience, obstinacy and knowledge are also recognised by Napoleon III, the publisher Charles Delagrave and the philosopher John Stuart Mill. They reach their climax in his book, Souvenirs entomologiques.
Santa Brigida
Director
Approximately ten minutes of 35mm footage survives at the Svenska Filmminstitutet from a documentary (probably not completed or even edited) shot in the convent of the Swedish sisters of Saint Brigid, Rome, at the request of the Swedish Red Cross, for victims of the Polesine flood of November 1951.
The Flowers of St. Francis
Story
In a series of simple and joyous vignettes, director Roberto Rossellini and co-writer Federico Fellini lovingly convey the universal teachings of the People’s Saint: humility, compassion, faith, and sacrifice. Gorgeously photographed to evoke the medieval paintings of Saint Francis’s time, and cast with monks from the Nocera Inferiore Monastery, The Flowers of St. Francis is a timeless and moving portrait of the search for spiritual enlightenment.
The Flowers of St. Francis
Director
In a series of simple and joyous vignettes, director Roberto Rossellini and co-writer Federico Fellini lovingly convey the universal teachings of the People’s Saint: humility, compassion, faith, and sacrifice. Gorgeously photographed to evoke the medieval paintings of Saint Francis’s time, and cast with monks from the Nocera Inferiore Monastery, The Flowers of St. Francis is a timeless and moving portrait of the search for spiritual enlightenment.
The Ways of Love
Director
Anthology film by three directors, "A Day in the Country", "Jofroi" and "The Miracle".
Stromboli
Producer
After the end of World War II Karen, a young displaced woman from Lithuania, marries Italian fisherman Antonio to get away from her internment camp. But the life on Antonio's island, Stromboli, threatened by its volcano, is a tough one and Karen cannot get used to it.
Stromboli
Screenplay
After the end of World War II Karen, a young displaced woman from Lithuania, marries Italian fisherman Antonio to get away from her internment camp. But the life on Antonio's island, Stromboli, threatened by its volcano, is a tough one and Karen cannot get used to it.
Stromboli
Director
After the end of World War II Karen, a young displaced woman from Lithuania, marries Italian fisherman Antonio to get away from her internment camp. But the life on Antonio's island, Stromboli, threatened by its volcano, is a tough one and Karen cannot get used to it.
Germany, Year Zero
Dialogue
In the ruins of post-WWII Berlin, a twelve-year-old boy is left to his own devices in order to help provide for his family.
Germany, Year Zero
Producer
In the ruins of post-WWII Berlin, a twelve-year-old boy is left to his own devices in order to help provide for his family.
Germany, Year Zero
Screenplay
In the ruins of post-WWII Berlin, a twelve-year-old boy is left to his own devices in order to help provide for his family.
Germany, Year Zero
Director
In the ruins of post-WWII Berlin, a twelve-year-old boy is left to his own devices in order to help provide for his family.
L'amore
Producer
In the first episode, a heartbroken woman talks to her ex-lover on the phone. In the second, a pregnant woman believes she is carrying the child of Saint Joseph.
L'amore
Screenplay
In the first episode, a heartbroken woman talks to her ex-lover on the phone. In the second, a pregnant woman believes she is carrying the child of Saint Joseph.
L'amore
Director
In the first episode, a heartbroken woman talks to her ex-lover on the phone. In the second, a pregnant woman believes she is carrying the child of Saint Joseph.
Paisan
Dialogue
Six vignettes follow the Allied invasion from July 1943 to winter 1944, from Sicily north to Venice.
Paisan
Story
Six vignettes follow the Allied invasion from July 1943 to winter 1944, from Sicily north to Venice.
Paisan
Producer
Six vignettes follow the Allied invasion from July 1943 to winter 1944, from Sicily north to Venice.
Paisan
Screenplay
Six vignettes follow the Allied invasion from July 1943 to winter 1944, from Sicily north to Venice.
Paisan
Director
Six vignettes follow the Allied invasion from July 1943 to winter 1944, from Sicily north to Venice.
Desire
Screenplay
Paola, a Milan call girl, returns home to her village in the Abruzzi mountains in an attempt to go straight. Rejected by her father, blackmailed by a former lover, and lusted after by her brother-in-law, she turns to her beloved sister for support. Denied succor, like so many of Rossellini’s isolated figures, Paola awaits the arrival of her fiancé, who has offered her a new start, but instead decides that life is untenable.
Desire
Director
Paola, a Milan call girl, returns home to her village in the Abruzzi mountains in an attempt to go straight. Rejected by her father, blackmailed by a former lover, and lusted after by her brother-in-law, she turns to her beloved sister for support. Denied succor, like so many of Rossellini’s isolated figures, Paola awaits the arrival of her fiancé, who has offered her a new start, but instead decides that life is untenable.
Rome, Open City
Producer
During the Nazi occupation of Rome in 1944, the leader of the Resistance is chased by the Nazis as he seeks refuge and a way to escape.
Rome, Open City
Screenplay
During the Nazi occupation of Rome in 1944, the leader of the Resistance is chased by the Nazis as he seeks refuge and a way to escape.
Rome, Open City
Director
During the Nazi occupation of Rome in 1944, the leader of the Resistance is chased by the Nazis as he seeks refuge and a way to escape.
The Man with the Cross
Screenplay
Ukraine, 1942. Italian troops are fighting against the Soviet Union. A military chaplain volunteers to stay behind with a badly wounded Italian soldier, even though this means certain capture.
The Man with the Cross
Director
Ukraine, 1942. Italian troops are fighting against the Soviet Union. A military chaplain volunteers to stay behind with a badly wounded Italian soldier, even though this means certain capture.
A Pilot Returns
Screenplay
A young Italian pilot is interned in a British prison camp after his plane is shot down during the war against Greece. He falls in love with a doctor's daughter and manages to escape during a bombardment. He reaches home, wounded, just as news arrives of the Greek surrender.
A Pilot Returns
Director
A young Italian pilot is interned in a British prison camp after his plane is shot down during the war against Greece. He falls in love with a doctor's daughter and manages to escape during a bombardment. He reaches home, wounded, just as news arrives of the Greek surrender.
The White Ship
Screenplay
Although released anonymously, as was the custom with all films produced by the Italian Navy, La Nave Bianca is the first feature-length effort directed by Roberto Rossellini; it is also very much the work of its co-writer and supervisor Francesco De Robertis. The film combines a documentary look at the Italian Navy during World War II with newsreel combat footage and a scripted love story performed by non-professional actors.
The White Ship
Director
Although released anonymously, as was the custom with all films produced by the Italian Navy, La Nave Bianca is the first feature-length effort directed by Roberto Rossellini; it is also very much the work of its co-writer and supervisor Francesco De Robertis. The film combines a documentary look at the Italian Navy during World War II with newsreel combat footage and a scripted love story performed by non-professional actors.
The Brook of Ripa Sottile
Director
Upstream river Ripasottile a shoal of perch fish have born. The news spreads around all animals who live around the river, until also the trouts hear about it, and swim upriver to go eat the newborn fish. So all animals around the river and from the wood organize a desperate expedition to fight the trouts back. At the end the birds manage to wake a fisherman up, just in time to have him catch all the trouts with a single haul.
Undersea Fantasy
Writer
The tale of two fish in love, threatened by an octopus and saved by an eel.
Undersea Fantasy
Director
The tale of two fish in love, threatened by an octopus and saved by an eel.
La vispa Teresa
Director
La vispa Teresa (“Lively Theresa”) is based on a well known song; a girl, ten, catches a butterfly and all the other insects intervene to save it.
Il tacchino prepotente
Director
According to Ferrara, Rossellini told him it was a satire in which “Perfidious Albion,” a big turkey representing England, goes around pecking at the hens representing the nations of Europe, until defied by a rooster representing Italy. “Rossellini detested it,” said Ferrara, “[though his] genius was such that he could achieve extraordinary effects out of nothing.
Luciano Serra, Pilot
Assistant Director
Successful WWI pilot Luciano Serra has problems adjusting to an ordinary life in peace, so he leaves his family and becomes a pilot in America. In the 30s, his son in Italy wants also to become a pilot, and Luciano accepts an offer of a double dealing agent for a flight from Rio to Rome, but his plane crashes in the Atlantic. For the world Luciano Serra is missing, but he has entered the Italian army under a new name to fight in Ethiopia. The train in which his unit travels is attacked by Ethiopian soldiers, his son flying a reconasaince mission is shot down and wounded by the same attacking enemies. Will Luciano be able to fly the plane back, to get close air support for the outnumbered Italian troups?
Luciano Serra, Pilot
Screenplay
Successful WWI pilot Luciano Serra has problems adjusting to an ordinary life in peace, so he leaves his family and becomes a pilot in America. In the 30s, his son in Italy wants also to become a pilot, and Luciano accepts an offer of a double dealing agent for a flight from Rio to Rome, but his plane crashes in the Atlantic. For the world Luciano Serra is missing, but he has entered the Italian army under a new name to fight in Ethiopia. The train in which his unit travels is attacked by Ethiopian soldiers, his son flying a reconasaince mission is shot down and wounded by the same attacking enemies. Will Luciano be able to fly the plane back, to get close air support for the outnumbered Italian troups?
Afternoon of a Faun
Director
A mermaid emerges from the sea, dances with a faun, and leaves behind a veil for the faun's masturbatory fantasies. Possibly unfinished.
War Trilogy
Director
Roberto Rossellini's War Trilogy consists of the films Rome Open City (1945), Paisan (1946) and Germany Year Zero (1948).