Rotten Tomatoes

Movies / TV

    Celebrity

      No Results Found

       View All       Movies Tv shows Shop News Showtimes

      Paisan

      Released Mar 29, 1948 2h 14m War Drama List
      100% Tomatometer 13 Reviews 86% Audience Score 1,000+ Ratings Roberto Rossellini's film, made in the aftermath of WWII, consists of six distinct chapters, showing various relationships between the American occupiers and the newly liberated Italians. Two of the outstanding episodes see black military policeman Dotts Johnson robbed of his shoes by a cheeky street urchin while the film ends with a reminder that the war was still not won, as German troops prefer to fight a battle to the death. Read More Read Less Watch on Max Stream Now

      Where to Watch

      Paisan

      Max

      Watch Paisan with a subscription on Max.

      Critics Reviews

      View All (13) Critics Reviews
      Nell Dodson Russell Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder Hollywood still has to grow up.... We've been too safe, too smug, too secure. European films reflect the suffering, the stark realism, the appreciation of human values that two wars in a generation have brought. Jan 15, 2022 Full Review Matt Brunson Film Frenzy More ambitious in its structure than Rome, Open City. Rated: 3.5/4 Nov 3, 2021 Full Review Yasser Medina Cinefilia Its collection of episodes on the aftermath of war is rather sober when Rossellini portrays hell on earth and the price of dehumanization with gritty and stark realism. [Full review in Spanish] Rated: 7/10 Aug 15, 2021 Full Review Emanuel Levy EmanuelLevy.Com One of Rossellini's neo-realistic films, Paisan received an Oscar nomination for its screenplay, co-penned by the young Fellini and others, and centering on the interaction between the Allied Forces and Italian people at the end of WWII. Rated: A- Feb 13, 2011 Full Review Fernando F. Croce CinePassion Chillingly blunt, doggedly unsentimental, emotionally overwhelming Jul 16, 2010 Full Review James Kendrick Q Network Film Desk effectively maintains the rough-hewn, in-the-streets feel of neorealism, and in its best moments it feels like something captured, rather than something produced Rated: 3.5/4 Feb 5, 2010 Full Review Read all reviews

      Audience Reviews

      View All (80) audience reviews
      Isaiah Y One of Roberto Rossellini's finest films, showcasing the best of Italian Neorealism Rated 4 out of 5 stars 04/26/24 Full Review s r 1001 movies to see before you die. A groundbreaking film for neorealism, but it seemed dated despite its powerful 6 acts. It was on YouTube. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review William L Paisan is a distinctive vision of the experience of Italians and their relationship with allies and aggressors alike during the Second World War, told through a series of half a dozen vignettes told in Rossellini's blunt neorealist style, contrasting the sentimental romantacism of war as portrayed in many media outlets with a more brutal reality. The first of these episodes is a good example of the strengths of this kind of filmmaking style when applied to the wartime subject matter - the audience is initially lulled into a false sense of security with an idealized portrait of the conflict, as a US GI and a local Italian woman begin to establish a connection despite a language barrier, only to be suddenly disposed of by a passing German reconnaisance patrol, and the actual events of their demise misunderstood by those that find them. Rosselini's chief orchestrating theme is just that: misunderstanding, often through a language barrier, but occasionally touching on cultural divides as well, and it is often profound, as in the two lovers (a soldier and a prostitute) who initially found each other at the beginning of the war, but whose subsequent experiences render them all but unrecognizable to each other, and ultimately a failure to communicate prevents them from reuniting. When it's good, it's great, and must have been particularly stirring while the country was still in the process of rebuilding and the wounds were fresh. But the six stories are of somewhat inconsistent quality, a couple have pacing issues, and the decision to use non-professional actors in places seems to be more of a drag than a touch of sincerity. You can see the influence that the production style would have upon New Wave movements, and the stories are often quite touching, but there are creases that were never ironed out. (4/5) Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/17/21 Full Review Audience Member The episodic format was questionable but had benefits, such as being able to focus on narrow themes without shoehorning them together. Technically flawed but so was technology of the time. Resonates after the fact but hard to keep eyes open during. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/21/23 Full Review Audience Member One of the greatest war movies, especially World War 2, I've ever seen. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/01/23 Full Review Audience Member There's a conflict of idea and execution, the former being it's strength, the latter it's weakness. It's episodic, which is perhaps the best expression of any war. Just as I get caught up in one story, it drifts away to another. This is sometimes frustrating, yet satisfying in other ways. I was interested in what would happen to the Protestant and Jew at the monastery, but it leaves with their Italian-speaking Catholic leader having some nice words to say about the people that took them in. At it's core is the theme of communication and language barriers, which is a far more interesting point to highlight than the usual battle mission fare. The dubbing was pretty bad and it often has that Godzilla effect. The filmmaking was not always strong, and often became boring to look at it, despite the circumstances being interesting. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 01/12/23 Full Review Read all reviews Post a rating

      Cast & Crew

      Show Less Cast & Crew Show More Cast & Crew

      More Like This

      View All Best Movies to Stream at Home
      90% 74% In Which We Serve 96% 86% Germany Year Zero 96% 86% Twelve O'Clock High 71% 61% The Desert Fox 97% 92% Grand Illusion Discover more movies and TV shows. View More

      Photos

      View All Paisan photos

      Paisan

      Paisan (1946) Paisan (1946) Paisan (1946) Paisan (1946) View more photos

      Movie Info

      Synopsis Roberto Rossellini's film, made in the aftermath of WWII, consists of six distinct chapters, showing various relationships between the American occupiers and the newly liberated Italians. Two of the outstanding episodes see black military policeman Dotts Johnson robbed of his shoes by a cheeky street urchin while the film ends with a reminder that the war was still not won, as German troops prefer to fight a battle to the death.
      Director
      Roberto Rossellini
      Distributor
      Arthur Mayer & Joseph Burstyn Inc.
      Production Co
      Organizzazione Film Internazionali (OFI)
      Genre
      War, Drama
      Original Language
      English
      Release Date (Theaters)
      Mar 29, 1948, Original
      Release Date (DVD)
      Jul 11, 2017
      Runtime
      2h 14m
      Most Popular at Home Now