PAISAN Movie Review

Roberto Rossellini followed the international triumph of his Open City with this six-part look at Italy during World War II. Each of the film's sequences tells a different aspect of the Allies’ arrival. One sequence is the story of a man from New Jersey who tries to develop a relationship with a young woman without knowing a word of Italian. Another focuses on a young street robber who is confronted by one of his victims. The final episode involves a battle between German and British forces. Much of the film has an open, improvisational feel, and the dramatic changes in tone that take place with each new episode tend to reinforce the feeling of spontaneity. As in Open City, nonprofessionals blend with seasoned actors seamlessly. It was clear after the success of both Open City and Paisan that Rossellini had paved new roads with his “caught-on-the-run” neo-realist filmmaking techniques; his influence on the cinema world would be profound and permanent. The screenplay, which Federico Fellini collaborated on, was nominated for an Oscar.

NEXT STOP… Open City, Generate Delia Rovere, Shoeshine

1946 115m/B IT Maria Michi, Carmela Sazio, Gar Moore, William Tubbs, Harriet White, Robert Van Loon, Dale Edmonds, Carla Pisacane, Dots Johnson; D: Roberto Rossellini; W: Federico Fellini, Roberto Rossellini. National Board of Review Awards ‘48: Best Director (Fellini); New York Film Critics Awards ‘48: Best Foreign Film; Nominations: Academy Awards ‘49: Best Story & Screenplay. VHS HTV, HHT, CAB