Italy's Realist Christians: Post-War Theology in Rome: Open City

Indianapolis, IN

Rome: Open City, a 1945 film directed by Roberto Rosselini, was made just two months after the end of the Nazi occupation of Rome. In it, members of the Italian Resistance movement spend there days in hiding, relaying tactical information and material support to those fighting the Nazi forces on the frontline. Our main characters are a couple of engaged-to-be-wed lovers meant to signify the ordinary, war-torn, people of Rome, Pina and Francesco, played by Aldo Fabrizi and Francesco Grandjacquet; Francesco's partisan friend, Giorgio Manfredi, played by Marcello Pagliero, who turns out to secretly be among the leaders of the Resistance; and don Pietro Pellegrini, a Catholic priest who aids in the Resistance and, ultimately, gives his life at the hand of the Gestapo. Among the often humorous shots of children taking the roles of adults in an attempt to portray children of the Resistance, don Pietro's drama is that which begs the most attention in the film, for his role is representative of one of the greatest themes in the movie: the role of not only the Catholic Church, but of man's faith in God in the wake of war. Don Pietro's investment into the Italian Resistance is symbolic of a moral duality in man and reflective of more secular, post-war understandings of faith.