Open City

Play trailer

Open City

Released Feb 25, 1946

1h 45m

Drama

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

100%

Tomatometer

47 Reviews

92%

Popcornmeter

5,000+ Ratings

Rome, 1944. Giorgio Manfredi, one of the leaders of the Resistance is tracked down by the Nazis. He goes to his friend Francesco's, and asks Pina, Francesco's fiance, for help. Pina must warn a priest, Don Pietro Pellegrini, that Giorgio needs to leave the town as soon as possible.

Watch on Fandango at Home

Buy Now

Critics Consensus

Open City fills in the familiar contours of its storyline with three-dimensional characters and a narrative depth that add up to a towering -- and still powerfully resonant -- cinematic achievement.

Read Critics Reviews

Kevin Maher

Times (UK)

One of the toughest, bleakest, war films ever made, this Roberto Rossellini classic simply couldn't be any other way.

Rated: 5/5

Jan 28, 2022

Full Review

Kate Muir

Times (UK)

The neo-realist film's genius lies in a slow undertow, inexorably dragging the audience from laughter to tears.

Jan 2, 2018

Full Review

Richard Brody

The New Yorker

Handheld cameras tremble with the urgency of open wounds and violent emotion in Roberto Rossellini's 1945 drama of the Italian resistance to the capital's occupation by Nazi Germany.

Oct 26, 2016

Full Review

Clotilde Chinnici

Loud and Clear Reviews

Rossellini’s message of unity against injustice, wish for peace and hope for the future remains incredibly relevant and timely even today as the spectre of Fascist seems alive and well

Rated: 5/5

Sep 14, 2024

Full Review

Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

One emotionally powerful scene follows another.

Rated: 4/4

Nov 3, 2021

Full Review

Asher Luberto

L.A. Weekly

Rossellini forever changed the way we look at movies. By shooting just six months after World War II, he was able to film Italy's recovery through actual bombed out buildings, using a mix of professional and non-professional actors for authentic results.

Apr 5, 2020

Full Review

Read all reviews

Audience Member

A poetic style with substance but it runs very slow. The precepts of the neorealist cinema is very well developed. 4/10

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

02/22/23

Full Review

dave s

Not only is Roberto Rossellini's Rome, Open City an influential cornerstone of the Italian neorealism movement, it's also a great movie. Set in Nazi occupied Rome of 1944, members of the Resistance desperately try to escape the German army, knowing that capture will lead to certain torture and probable death. It's a compelling story from the get-go, thanks primarily to remarkably well-developed characters, characters filled with courage, principles and humanity. While the first part of the film is filled with intrigue and suspense, the second half is something else altogether and is unforgettable in its impact. Rome, Open City is a film that is worthy of the praise bestowed upon it.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Builds to a dramatic and emotional closing half hour. At time a little confusing what's going on, partly as subtitles were worse than I've seen before, missing huge chunks. Worth watching for the ending scenes as much as anything.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

01/28/23

Full Review

Tony S

Monumental achievement of neo-realism. Hardly a tired parable of 'Fascism = Bad' but more of a examination of what makes one human and what it takes to lose all sense of humanity. Not even by how you treat other people but how you perceive and treat yourself as a person. As Don Pietro said: "It isn't hard to die well, It is hard to live well."

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

08/28/21

Full Review

Audience Member

Rome open city is a masterpiece of Italian and world cinema. This film is truly thrilling and realistic. All these thanks to the touching interpretations of Anna Magnani and Aldo Fabrizi and the excellent direction of Roberto Rossellini. A must-see at least once in a lifetime.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/12/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Classic! That film is the model of every film.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/01/23

Full Review

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

POST RATING

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

Roberto Rossellini

Director

Aldo Fabrizi

Don Pietro Pellegrini

Anna Magnani

Pina

Marcello Pagliero

Luigi Ferrari

Maria Michi

Marina Mari

Harry Feist

Major Bergmann

Show Less Cast & Crew

Show More Cast & Crew

Bicycle Thieves

99%

94%

Bicycle Thieves

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Bicycle Thieves

A Scandal in Paris

75%

62%

A Scandal in Paris

Watchlist

Shoeshine

100%

92%

Shoeshine

Watchlist

The Fugitive

71%

61%

The Fugitive

Watchlist

Tomorrow Is Forever

60%

83%

Tomorrow Is Forever

Watchlist

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

View more photos

Synopsis

Rome, 1944. Giorgio Manfredi, one of the leaders of the Resistance is tracked down by the Nazis. He goes to his friend Francesco's, and asks Pina, Francesco's fiance, for help. Pina must warn a priest, Don Pietro Pellegrini, that Giorgio needs to leave the town as soon as possible.

Director: Roberto Rossellini
Producer: Ferrucio DeMartino, Roberto Rossellini
Screenwriter: Sergio Amidei, Alberto Consiglio, Sergio Amidei, Federico Fellini, Roberto Rossellini
Distributor: Criterion Collection, Image Entertainment Inc., Reel Media International [us], Kino Video, Video Yesteryear
Production Co: Excelsa Film
Genre: Drama
Original Language: Italian
Release Date (Theaters): Feb 25, 1946, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Oct 6, 2015
Runtime: 1h 45m
Sound Mix: Mono
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.37:1)

Most Popular at Home Now