The War Trilogy
To approach The War Trilogy without prior knowledge of what it took to create it - is like approaching a filet mignon without the knowledge of how to chew. Very few times in the history of film has the story surrounding the making of a film (much less three) is every bit as intriguing as the film itself. Now before you're done fathoming what that must require - factor in how each of the films was hailed as a masterpiece. Before you reach the solution - it's fair to admit, Rossellini's War Trilogy officially began the neorealist movement in Italian Cinema. There's no easy way to explain exactly how influential this was but maybe if I babble for a bit - it'll make more sense.
What makes these films so important? They were the first images anyone could see from post-war Europe. In some cases, the films were created in a clandestine, cat-and-mouse game with the occupied forces (Nazis). Rossellini pilfered and stole film stock to use to make these. Put them together in dark, underground editing rooms and did it all for art. The power of the independent filmmaker cannot be stopped - and there is no better example.
Rossellini, his cast and crew - and anyone associated with these films risked (not just silly arrest)
death to make these films. You'd think that would be enough to seal these films into history just based on that factor alone - but they're also insanely good movies. Compulsively viewable, atmospheric, well-written, suspenseful as heck and standing up to 21st century sensibilities, the three films in Roberto Rossellini's War Trilogy have been restored back to their original (close, close) format for the first time in fifty years. Hell, one was even considered lost...the work involved in bringing these three movies back from the dusty corridors of antiquity is as amazing of a story as any found in the films in the trilogy.
The Nazis weren't really fond of Germany, Year Zero which showed post-war Berlin up close and personal and they did their best to destroy it. Paisan was ripped apart - for decades the only copies available omitted nearly a third of the film - what remained was so splotchy you could barely make any sense of it. Rome, Open City is the only film that required less restoration - but it was still a mammoth achievement. Once you're done being engrossed by film perfection - check out the special features by Criterion on exactly how agonizing the restoration job was on each of these three whoppers.
1) "ROME, OPEN CITY" (1945): A film about Italian natives evading capture after their city becomes occupied by the Nazis - while Rome was actually occupied by Nazis, this is the film that started it all. Stocked mostly with non-professional actors, shooting mostly improvisational dialogue - Rome, Open City was meant to document the Italian's experience during the war. While not a huge hit in native Italy upon its initial release, it has gone on to become one of the most influential films of all time. Awards? Oh sure, it's got a few - Grand Prize (highest of all) at Cannes, NYFCC named it Best Foreign Language Film, it's star - Anna Magnani won Best Actress at the National Board of Review. It goes on and on. This film takes you by surprise. You will be shocked how much you end up liking this movie. The final scene stays with you forever. It's iconic and burns its way into your consciousness. This renegade style of filmmaking, hiding from Nazis, using stolen film stock, filming without lights - established what would become known as Italian Neorealism (one of the most powerful of all movements in film history). When I first came to this movie - I was thinking, "Oh, sure - an old Italian war movie. I've seen that before," and by the final ten minutes - my mind was leaking out of my ears, I was bawling like a toddler and I wanted to see the next film in the War Trilogy as quickly as humanly possible. This is my #2 favorite of the three films.
2) "PAISAN" (1946): Now this was supposed to be the one I liked most, but as it turns out - I actually enjoyed this one the least of the three films in Rossellini's War Trilogy. What makes Paisan ridiculously interesting is the amount of restoration it took to bring this film back from obscurity. This film was a HUGE hit in the United States and paved the way for an entire wave of foreign films to invade art houses in NYC. Even an episode of I Love Lucy mentions this film - that's how popular it was. National distribution by co-funder MGM probably helped that a lot, based on the success of the previous film American big-boy MGM chipped in to help aid in the creation of Paisan, the story of the Allied invasion and ultimate liberation of Italy. Again in the neorealism style, this movie plays out in six distinctly different episodes. Using some of Italy's brightest young writers, each of the episode focuses on a different aspect of Italian life, scarred, maimed and changed by the recent war. One of the writers was newfound auteur Federico Fellini, each of these "snippets" is very compelling cinema. Some in Italian, some in English - it should be the audience favorite but to me it lacks that emotional sucker-punch that the other two films in the trilogy have. This is my #3 favorite of the three films.
3) "GERMANY, YEAR ZERO" (1948): My number one at number three. The final film in Rossellini's War Trilogy - Germany, Year Zero is just so good I can hardly stand it. The scars of war are even more visible as he finishes up the trilogy on the streets of Berlin, Nazi headquarters. Rossellini was granted permission to film (or finagled it, rather) in the heart of enemy territory based solely on the success of his previous two films - and boy...did he deliver the whopper of all whoppers. One of the few times you'll ever get to see Berlin shortly after the war, this film documents a young boy named Edmund. One of the best child characters ever created, you would never want to tell Edmund that you'd be better off dead - because he'll actually try to kill your ass. Completely blinded by the graphic horrors he saw during the war, this young boy's emotional compass is burned up and as we watch the final twenty minutes of this movie - it's hard to keep your jaw off the floor. I can't even describe what the last few seconds are like but you're almost guaranteed to gasp, howl, shriek, stand-up, throw a shoe or pee a little. This movie came out in 1948 and will blow your face right off. This is my #1 favorite of the three films.
What makes these films so important? They were the first images anyone could see from post-war Europe. In some cases, the films were created in a clandestine, cat-and-mouse game with the occupied forces (Nazis). Rossellini pilfered and stole film stock to use to make these. Put them together in dark, underground editing rooms and did it all for art. The power of the independent filmmaker cannot be stopped - and there is no better example.
Rossellini, his cast and crew - and anyone associated with these films risked (not just silly arrest) death to make these films. You'd think that would be enough to seal these films into history just based on that factor alone - but they're also insanely good movies. Compulsively viewable, atmospheric, well-written, suspenseful as heck and standing up to 21st century sensibilities, the three films in Roberto Rossellini's War Trilogy have been restored back to their original (close, close) format for the first time in fifty years. Hell, one was even considered lost...the work involved in bringing these three movies back from the dusty corridors of antiquity is as amazing of a story as any found in the films in the trilogy.
The Nazis weren't really fond of Germany, Year Zero which showed post-war Berlin up close and personal and they did their best to destroy it. Paisan was ripped apart - for decades the only copies available omitted nearly a third of the film - what remained was so splotchy you could barely make any sense of it. Rome, Open City is the only film that required less restoration - but it was still a mammoth achievement. Once you're done being engrossed by film perfection - check out the special features by Criterion on exactly how agonizing the restoration job was on each of these three whoppers.
1) "ROME, OPEN CITY" (1945): A film about Italian natives evading capture after their city becomes occupied by the Nazis - while Rome was actually occupied by Nazis, this is the film that started it all. Stocked mostly with non-professional actors, shooting mostly improvisational dialogue - Rome, Open City was meant to document the Italian's experience during the war. While not a huge hit in native Italy upon its initial release, it has gone on to become one of the most influential films of all time. Awards? Oh sure, it's got a few - Grand Prize (highest of all) at Cannes, NYFCC named it Best Foreign Language Film, it's star - Anna Magnani won Best Actress at the National Board of Review. It goes on and on. This film takes you by surprise. You will be shocked how much you end up liking this movie. The final scene stays with you forever. It's iconic and burns its way into your consciousness. This renegade style of filmmaking, hiding from Nazis, using stolen film stock, filming without lights - established what would become known as Italian Neorealism (one of the most powerful of all movements in film history). When I first came to this movie - I was thinking, "Oh, sure - an old Italian war movie. I've seen that before," and by the final ten minutes - my mind was leaking out of my ears, I was bawling like a toddler and I wanted to see the next film in the War Trilogy as quickly as humanly possible. This is my #2 favorite of the three films.
2) "PAISAN" (1946): Now this was supposed to be the one I liked most, but as it turns out - I actually enjoyed this one the least of the three films in Rossellini's War Trilogy. What makes Paisan ridiculously interesting is the amount of restoration it took to bring this film back from obscurity. This film was a HUGE hit in the United States and paved the way for an entire wave of foreign films to invade art houses in NYC. Even an episode of I Love Lucy mentions this film - that's how popular it was. National distribution by co-funder MGM probably helped that a lot, based on the success of the previous film American big-boy MGM chipped in to help aid in the creation of Paisan, the story of the Allied invasion and ultimate liberation of Italy. Again in the neorealism style, this movie plays out in six distinctly different episodes. Using some of Italy's brightest young writers, each of the episode focuses on a different aspect of Italian life, scarred, maimed and changed by the recent war. One of the writers was newfound auteur Federico Fellini, each of these "snippets" is very compelling cinema. Some in Italian, some in English - it should be the audience favorite but to me it lacks that emotional sucker-punch that the other two films in the trilogy have. This is my #3 favorite of the three films.
3) "GERMANY, YEAR ZERO" (1948): My number one at number three. The final film in Rossellini's War Trilogy - Germany, Year Zero is just so good I can hardly stand it. The scars of war are even more visible as he finishes up the trilogy on the streets of Berlin, Nazi headquarters. Rossellini was granted permission to film (or finagled it, rather) in the heart of enemy territory based solely on the success of his previous two films - and boy...did he deliver the whopper of all whoppers. One of the few times you'll ever get to see Berlin shortly after the war, this film documents a young boy named Edmund. One of the best child characters ever created, you would never want to tell Edmund that you'd be better off dead - because he'll actually try to kill your ass. Completely blinded by the graphic horrors he saw during the war, this young boy's emotional compass is burned up and as we watch the final twenty minutes of this movie - it's hard to keep your jaw off the floor. I can't even describe what the last few seconds are like but you're almost guaranteed to gasp, howl, shriek, stand-up, throw a shoe or pee a little. This movie came out in 1948 and will blow your face right off. This is my #1 favorite of the three films.
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