Roberto Rossellini film retrospective presented at CSULB

On October 10th and 17th, The George L. Graziadio Center for Italian Studies at California State University Long Beach held a Roberto Rossellini film retrospective on the famed Italian director’s late and post-neorealist works, Il Generale della Rovere (1959) and Viaggio in Italia (1954). These films were shown during the popular course on Italian Films which is offered every semester at CSULB and is currently being taught by Dr. Enrico Vettore.

Il Generale della Rovere stars Vittorio De Sica as a con-man during World War II in Nazi-occupied Genoa who presumes the identity of famed resistance fighter and partisan, General Giovanni Fortebraccio Della Rovere, in order to save himself from execution by assisting the Nazis in locating another partisan operative.

Viaggio in Italia stars Ingrid Bergman and George Sanders as a married couple visiting the Naples area to dispose of a deceased uncle’s estate and realize their marriage is in shambles. The event was well received by students, faculty and members of the community alike as they were entertained and educated by Rossellini’s films along with the lectures and discussions that were given by Dr. Thomas Harrison of UCLA and Dr. Enrico Vettore of CSULB.

For the October 10th screening of Il Generale della Rovere, The Graziadio Center was happy to welcome as their guest, Dr. Thomas Harrison of UCLA, specialist in Italian film, who provided an in-depth analysis of the film. Dr. Harrison emphasized how the film departed from Rossellini’s other well-known neo-realistic works such as Rome, Open City and Paisà due to the artificial appearance of the scenery. Many of the scenes were actually filmed within the sound studios of Cinecittà in Rome which was clearly evident in the synthetic quality of several backgrounds used in Il Generale della Rovere.

Rossellini’s use of authentic footage in his earlier films had given him international acclaim and he had since been referred to as ‘The Father of Neo-Realism’, a title which he would later repudiate. What lacked in realistic scenery was made up for by the superb acting of Vittorio De Sica, a famed director himself. De Sica captures the essence of the title character with such conviction and credibility that the viewer is transported into his character’s psychological torment.

De Sica’s poignant acting displays the turmoil of a man caught between his initial solitary struggle for survival and the unity and camaraderie he develops with his fellow Italians. In the end, Rossellini’s Il Generale della Rovere conveys the significance and values of human morality, righteousness and the meaning of self-sacrifice in the face of evil.

The October 17th screening of Viaggio in Italia and back-ground lecture was provided by CSULB’s own Dr. Enrico Vettore, a Rossellini enthusiast and scholar. Viaggio in Italia more closely resembled Rossellini’s earlier neo-realistic works as it was filmed on location in and around Naples, Italy. Dr. Vettore informed those in attendance that Rossellini filmed Viaggio in Italia without a completed script, thus allowing the actors to write and improvise it with him as the filming took place. Rossellini further shot scenes on the spur of the moment and captured real footage of the locals as they conducted their everyday lives.

Actor George Sanders, frustrated by this free-wheeling approach, isolated himself from the rest of the cast and crew. His irritation gave his portrayal of the British curmudgeon in Naples a rare veracity and depth against the backdrop of natural scenery. The use of authentic footage is reminiscent of Rossellini’s earlier films of Neo-realism, German, Year Zero and Rome, Open City. What deviates from the conventions of Neo-Realism is the use of actors, Ingrid Bergman and George Sanders, who seemed to be invaders and out of place in the genuine atmosphere of Naples.

They seemed to be encapsulated in their own world for the entire film as for most of their scenes; Bergman and Sanders interacted solely with the locals who entered their space.
Even during their ventures into Naples by car, never leaving the protective enclosure of it and appearing as spectators of Neapolitan life, Bergman and Sanders lives ultimately merge with the local residents in the final scene as they exit their vehicle and become lost in the crowd. Viaggio in Italia demonstrates Rossellini’s vision of film making in which reality and idealism converge in a filmatic work of art. The George L. Graziadio Center for Italian Studies offers a course on Italian cinema every semester.

Special film screenings are also organized every semester by Club Italia, for students, faculty, staff and the community. Club Italia has rescheduled their Italian Contemporary Comedy Film Series for Tuesday November 22nd and invite all to attend the showing of the 2010 hit, Benvenuti al Sud.

Additional information for The George L. Graziadio Center for Italian Studies and Club Italia CSULB can also be found at www.csulb.edu/graziadio as well as on facebook.

Alessandro Russo
contributor