“Rome, Open City”, was truly a watershed film that
would be a harbinger to independent and foreign cinema. Its use of true
location filming, non professional actors, and on the fly non-studio shooting
would be a hallmark for future films to follow. However all of the techniques
that where utilized throughout the production of this piece of Cinema, the core message which came down to religious faith remains almost
equally as fascinating. The film tackles the lack of faith in Rome during the
influx of Fascism and thus leading to a crisis of religious emptiness during
the time of occupation. This lack of
faith is represented throughout the mise en scene, characters, scenes, and
the directors allegorical intent to give hope for the future. Lastly how
Rossellini hints towards another occupation by Capitalist forces in the Allied
invasion and how a religious society may shift towards a consumerist/capitalist
one and this may not be a positive change.
The film although relying on its unique authenticity like a newly minted badge that it proudly shows throughout history, its subvert metaphors and aversions to religion are as intriguing as its shooting techniques. At the beginning of the film we see a series of Nazi troops ascending a series of stairs; they quite literally have taken the role of the higher power as they assume religious and totalitarian dominance over Italian Citizens. The religious takeover from Christianity to Nazi Fascism is represented by the character they chase throughout the apartment building. The individual must leap from the pious perch upon the building from Gods eye to the Spanish Embassy. The man like most citizens now has leaped over to the Spanish Embassy (which was a fascist country at the time) and thus either becomes Fascist or live under their rule, fundamentally leaving his old Abrahamic God like most of the citizens. The camera keeps a study eye from above to suggest that even God is watching and slightly judging him and the Nazi’s. Further long in the film we see the Italian Partisan Priest Don Pietro descend down a series of archaic cellar stairs, representing the religious decay of religion in the face of terror and poverty, all of this shown from a lower angle. Even shots of the church reveal itself to be completely devoid except for the Priest and the Altar boy. Religion has been circumvented to be privately hosted in the sanctity of one home. The only masses and crowds circle around the bakery hoping for the last morsel of food within the besieged city, thus the streets have become the altars and pews.
The lack of religion isn’t however the only
point the film is trying to make but however the subversion society has to
endure without a God to guide people and the Nazi’s taking over in the absence.
The character of Maria becomes an unwed heavily pregnant woman who wants to
marry in a church even though under some protest. When she is talking about
this to the Priest we see them crossing a series of trains at a track. This
brings forth the famous historical line about the “Trains Running on Time”
by Mussolini. The society has been
broken to such a point where simple moralistic guides have arrived late or
non-existent, the characters which were
supposed to live under the safe and prosperous guise of Fascism are now near
ruins. The deficiency of moral standards
does not end here however but rather with Ingrid the Gestapo Assistant the
dissolution of religious ethicality is continued. She subverts the gender norms
and becomes an over aggressive lesbian. She smokes cigarettes like a man,
dresses like them with a suit and a dress shirt, and commands attention. Like
the character of Laura in Double Indemnity her characters lack of gender roles
endanger their strict religious moral society. This attack is caused by the
lack of beliefs of the Fascists and the cruel tasks they undertake to take
control of everything. Lastly, the children in the film also represent a society
of younger individuals who all have a lack of a father figure much like a God
to guide them. They form the bane of a smaller resistance group that although
disorganized find their way with Don Pietro. This idea is strengthened at the
end when they witness the murder of the priest and thus find a rekindling with God
and a new martyr to continue with life and find a clerical solution to their
political woes.
The Nazi’s take this religious affinity to
even higher levels by even directly assuming the religious roles that are
required by them. In one particular scene with the Gestapo agent interrogating
the Priest he assumes the role of a Devil or a demon of some sort. He questions
the faith of Pietro who becomes a Martyr like Peter and Manfredi becomes
Christ. He endures the wrath and torture of the Nazi’s like Christ and his own
betrayal and torture by the Romans. He like Christ sacrifices himself without
renouncing his religion and becomes an iconic Martyr. This idea is talked about
in David Forgacs book “Rome Open City”. “The Whole of this Sequence, with these
temptations and rebuttals, the torture scenes and Manfredi spitting into
Bergmann’s face has been seen by critics both as Grand Guignol, with its spectacle
of violence, and of a Christian mortality, with Bergmann as the devil, ridiculing
the priest’s faith and Manfredi and Don Pietro sharing the part of Christ or playing,
respectively, of the Christian Martyrs Paul and Peter.”[1] The
Nazi’s belief in Nietzsche’s idea of them being a superior race to rule over
the lesser comes into direct contrast with what happens in these and
foreshadows their own demise. The film hints that although throughout history
we have seen many aristocratic and totalitarian regimes, the invariable will
always lead to religion overcoming their adversaries.
In the end “Rome, Open City” references to the many political infightings that would be consistent throughout the political system. This furthermore foreshadows the American dominance and political prowess in the post WW2 cold war era of Europe as they kept an Iron grip interest on issues in the region. The lost children without parents or religious figure also shows the political stagnation and inner fighting of contemporary Italian politics. Without a proper guide we see the corruption, controversy and the elites taking advantageous rule over society. However the end of this film still suggests a hope for the Italians but whether it resides completely in Religious hope could be up for debate.
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