Paisà (Paisan) (1946)
directed by Roberto rossellini
Rossellini’s Paisà (Paisan), is a six-episode series made in 1946, a year after the conclusion of WWII, which follows melodramatic storylines set in the Second World War. The fourth episode follows the story of Harriet, an American nurse helping wounded Italian soldiers, and her Italian friend, Massimo, as they struggle their way into German-occupied Florence. Harriet is desperate to find her lover, Lupo, and Massimo decides to go with her to find his family whom he fears is in danger, close to the violence between the Germans and the Italian Partisans (anti-Fascists).
The episode opens with establishing shots of war vehicles and tanks entering Florence. As a group of injured Italian soldiers make their way into a hospital, men and children stand on the street watching, as well as do American soldiers sitting in their vehicles looking on. The shots of these onlookers show the documentary style of cinematography employed within Italian Neorealist films. These shots also display people looking right into the camera as its filming, an indication of non-professional actors. These non-professional actors included random Italian citizens on the street, like this guy and the people behind him:
The episode opens with establishing shots of war vehicles and tanks entering Florence. As a group of injured Italian soldiers make their way into a hospital, men and children stand on the street watching, as well as do American soldiers sitting in their vehicles looking on. The shots of these onlookers show the documentary style of cinematography employed within Italian Neorealist films. These shots also display people looking right into the camera as its filming, an indication of non-professional actors. These non-professional actors included random Italian citizens on the street, like this guy and the people behind him:
Other non-professional actors included American soldiers, like this guy and the people behind him:
According to Ed Howard of “Only The Cinema,” the Americans depicted in Paisà were actual American soldiers still stationed in Italy (2011). He continues that “the effect isn’t quite realistic so much as amateurish; almost all of the Americans turn in awkward, still performances and not all of the Italians are much better” (2011). Howard believes that the effect that this convention has is that it captures how the film was produced using whatever was available – locations, materials and people, most of whom had lived through the events shown in the film (2011). Therefore, Italian Neorealist producers were an example of resourcefulness, relying on what was left from the war to make their stories come to life.
Another convention of Italian Neorealism exploited by Rossellini in Paisà is the use of “quasi-spontaneous shooting on location” (Dibben, 2015). This can be seen in captivating establishing shots of Harriet and Massimo climbing through the rubble and wreckage in Florence:
Another convention of Italian Neorealism exploited by Rossellini in Paisà is the use of “quasi-spontaneous shooting on location” (Dibben, 2015). This can be seen in captivating establishing shots of Harriet and Massimo climbing through the rubble and wreckage in Florence:
“Richly evocative representations of the Italian city” were achieved by “highly detailed urban mise-en-scene” (Ryan, 2012). This use of the actual ruins within Florence adds to the authentic atmosphere that Rossellini has created, despite the storylines being overly melodramatic and the dialogue being somewhat pallid.
In typical Neorealist fashion, the ending of Paisà does not leave audiences with a sense of fulfilment or happiness. Once they make it into Florence, Massimo runs off to find his family, putting the Partisans and Harriet in danger, exposing them to the Germans. During this sequence, one of the Italians is shot, and Harriet runs to save him, pulling him out of view from the Germans.
In typical Neorealist fashion, the ending of Paisà does not leave audiences with a sense of fulfilment or happiness. Once they make it into Florence, Massimo runs off to find his family, putting the Partisans and Harriet in danger, exposing them to the Germans. During this sequence, one of the Italians is shot, and Harriet runs to save him, pulling him out of view from the Germans.
This leads to a long-held close up of Harriet and the dying soldier, who tells her that her lover, Lupo, had been killed that day. This shot, zooming in on the pair, conveys anticipation, leading to a climax. Alas, this episode of Paisa conforms to the conventions of the Italian Neorealism film movement, where happy endings are neither expected nor welcomed.
Paisà shows a strong bias against Germany and Italian Fascism, foregrounding Italian Partisans as the heroes of war in Italy. The producers – Rossellini, Rod E. Geiger and Mario Conti – have aimed to position audiences to quell Italian Fascism. They have used the conventions of Italian Neorealist cinema to impose a pessimistic attitude on viewers. The audience is influenced to feel that, yes – life goes on. It isn’t fair, but it goes on.
Paisà shows a strong bias against Germany and Italian Fascism, foregrounding Italian Partisans as the heroes of war in Italy. The producers – Rossellini, Rod E. Geiger and Mario Conti – have aimed to position audiences to quell Italian Fascism. They have used the conventions of Italian Neorealist cinema to impose a pessimistic attitude on viewers. The audience is influenced to feel that, yes – life goes on. It isn’t fair, but it goes on.
Watch this episode of Paisà on YouTube here