Microanalysis of the ending of Rome Open City

 


The still that will be examined in this report is of the final shot of Roberto Rossellinis black and white film Roma Citta Operta. A group of young children are walking along a hillside overlooking the city of Rome in 1944, seen in the long shot of the dome of St Peter’s which is clearly visible in the distance. The still takes place just after the children have witnessed the execution of the anti-fascist priest Don Pietro during the Nazi occupation of Italy. The camera angle is situated slightly above the heads of the children, giving an overview of the both the landscape and the children, connecting the two together.

Some of the children are in groups of two, walking arm in arm, supporting and holding each other up. No matter the individuals that have been lost during the course of the film such as Don Pietro, there will always be others who would take their place as seen through the significance of a group rather than the individual. The children appear to be galvanized by Don Pietro’s martyrdom rather than allowing it to defeat them, marching forwards back into Rome. The specific use of children suggests that they are the ones responsible for creating a new beginning in post-war Italian society, becoming a symbol of national rebirth. In such a context they appear to be quite grown up but the cloths they are wearing are mismatched and at times ill-fitting. Some of the children have bare legs whereas others appear to be wearing coats that are too big for them, suggesting that they still have to grow into their role as a resistance fighter and in terms of rebuilding society. The children convey a sense of hope for their future but it is still burdened by the weight of their past and the traumatic events they have undergone throughout the film.

The use of an establishing shot creates a deep focus on the background. The dome of St Peters is situated above the rest of Rome, allowing the eye to be immediately drawn towards it, and reminding the audience of the importance of the role of religion. The Vatican is part of the Catholic Church and in the context of the film, the Church was seen as representing the values of charity and kindness as witnessed through the actions of the Priest, Don Pietro. While other parts of Rome were bombed during the second world war, some of the buildings in the background of the still have been damaged, the dome of St Peters continues to remain intact. The values that the Church upholds can’t be damaged by the atrocities of war and as such the dome becomes a symbol of hope and unity as it overlooks the children walking by in the still.

The ending of the film has been intentionally left ambiguous has to whether the closing shot was a message of hope or rather if it conveyed a message of defeat at the enormity of the task that the children faced when they returned back into the city.


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