It was night in Rome
| Movie | |
|---|---|
| German title | It was night in Rome |
| Original title | Era notte a Roma |
| Country of production | Italy , France |
| original language | Italian |
| Publishing year | 1960 |
| length | 120 minutes |
| Rod | |
| Director | Roberto Rossellini |
| script |
Sergio Amidei Diego Fabbri Brunello Rondi Roberto Rossellini |
| production | Giovan Battista Romanengo |
| music | Renzo Rossellini |
| camera | Carlo Carlini |
| occupation | |
| |
Escape by Night is a film by Roberto Rossellini from the year 1960 .
action
Rome in the winter of 1943/1944. After the armistice between Italy and the Allies, Germany went from being an ally to being an occupying power.
Three black market traders disguised as nuns take three escaped prisoners of war with them to Rome when they go shopping in the countryside. The men, an Englishman (Michael Pemberton), a Russian (Fyodor Nasukow) and an American (Peter Bradley) were able to hide with farmers. For fear of possible reprisals by the Germans, the farmers now want to get rid of the Allied prisoners. For taking in these men, the "nuns" get a ham and wine from them for free. Esperia, one of the “nuns”, accommodates the three men in the attic, which can only be reached through a secret closet door.
When she learns that anyone who helps prisoners of war will be shot by the German occupying forces, she tries to get rid of the men. Her fiancé Renato, a resistance fighter, can prevent that. Because Peter Bradley, the American, is injured in the leg, Esperia asks a doctor friend, Dottore Costanzi, for help. The presence of the refugees does not go unnoticed in the densely populated city district. However, Esperia can bribe the caretaker so that he does not betray her.
Esperia, Renato and the three soldiers celebrate Christmas together. Thereafter it is planned that two resistance fighters from the group around Renato should bring the refugees out of Rome to safety. They learn from Dottore Costanzi that the two partisans were killed by the Germans. Fyodor stays with the resistance fighters in the basement to help them manufacture explosive devices. Michael and Peter are still hidden in the attic.
When Esperia and Renato go down to the resistance cellar with food, they are arrested by German soldiers. Fyodor tries to escape and is shot dead. Tarcisio, an informant from the neighborhood, betrayed them.
When Michael and Peter have to flee, the son of Prince Alessandro Antoniani, resident of a neighboring palazzo, comes to help over the roofs and brings them to his house. The prince's family gave shelter to some opponents of the Germans. When German soldiers penetrate the palazzo in search of the fugitives, Antoniani receives help from Baron von Kleist, a German officer who is friends with the prince. Thanks to Prince Antoniani's good relations with the Catholic Church, Michael and Peter are accommodated in the Vatican. There everyone involved learn of the massacre in the Ardeatine Caves .
Renato is murdered by the Germans, Esperia is released. Michael sneaks over the rooftops to Esperia. Tarciso knocks on Esperia's door and tries to persuade her to flee with him to Florence, but she deeply despises him. When Tarcisio attacks her, Michael kills him. Esperia tearfully admits that she betrayed him and Peter in order to save Renato.
The Allied troops enter Rome by night and are greeted with joy.
Awards
- 1960: Special Jury Prize at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival
- 1960: Giovanna Ralli for Best Actress at the San Francisco International Film Festival
Reviews
“The attempt by Italian resistance fighters during World War II to bring soldiers of various nationalities to safety through occupied Italy. Captivatingly portrayed in the style of a chronicle. Rossellini's film focuses entirely on the portrayal of individual fates and interpersonal relationships. "
“Once again Roberto Rossellini deals with his favorite topic: People who cannot communicate verbally meet each other, which inevitably leads to misunderstandings. In this film, with the help of a zoom lens he designed, Rossellini found the adequate means to minutely follow his people in all their internal and external movements. "
“In It was night in Rome , many see a revival of neo-realistic tendencies in the director's oeuvre, and the story of a form of humanistic commitment that ensures understanding across language barriers certainly makes an interesting comparison with Rossellini's masterpiece Paisà (1946 ) to. "
Individual evidence
- ^ It was night in Rome in the Lexicon of International Films
- ↑ It was night in Rome on prisma.de
- ↑ It was night in Rome on critic.de
Web links
- Escape by Night at theInternet Movie Database(English)