Rocco e i suoi fratelli (English: Rocco and His Brothers) is a 1960 Italian film directed by Luchino Visconti. Set in Milan, it tells the story of an immigrant family from the South and its disintegration in the society of the industrial North. The title is a combination of Thomas Mann’s Joseph and his Brothers and the name of Rocco Scotellaro, Italian poet who described the feelings of the peasants of southern Italy.[1]
The film stars Alain Delon, Renato Salvatori, Annie Girardot, and Claudia Cardinale, in one of her early roles before she became internationally known.[2] The film’s score was composed by Nino Rota.
Plot
The drama is a study of a rural Italian family led north from a poor farm in Basilicata to Milan by the matriarch (Katina Paxinou). Presented in five distinct sections, the film weaves the story of Vincenzo, Simone, Rocco, Ciro and Luca as they struggle to adapt to life in a large, impersonal city.
The plot revolves around the prostitute, Nadia (Annie Girardot), who is pursued and desired by both Simone and Rocco (Alain Delon). The pivotal scene in the film comes when Simone rapes Nadia in front of Rocco, who then gives her up to his brother out of a tragic, misplaced desire to do whatever it takes to keep his family whole.
In typical fashion for a director known for helping build Italian neorealism, the film ends with no substantive resolution, but with clouds of doom hanging over the family.
During shooting, the film was seized and Visconti asked to delete the scenes showing Nadia’s rape and murder. Visconti was not vindicated until a court judgement of 1966.[3]
Cast:
- Alain Delon as Rocco Parondi
- Renato Salvatori as Simone Parondi
- Annie Girardot as Nadia
- Katina Paxinou as Rosaria Parondi
- Max Cartier as Ciro Parondi
- Alessandra Panaro as Ciro’s Fiancée
- Spiros Focás as Vincenzo Parondi
- Rocco Vidolazzi as Luca Parondi
- Claudia Cardinale as Ginetta, Vencenzo’s fiancée
- Claudia Mori as Laundry Worker
- Adriana Asti as Laundry Worker
- Enzo Fiermonte as Boxer
- Nino Castelnuovo as Nino Rossi
- Rosario Borelli as Un biscazziere
- Renato Terra as Alfredo, Ginetta’s brother
- Roger Hanin as Morini
- Paolo Stoppa as Cecchi
- Suzy Delair as Luisa
Critical response
The film critic for The New York Times, Bosley Crowther, gave the film a positive review and appreciated the direction of the film and acting. He wrote, “A fine Italian film to stand alongside the American classic,The Grapes of Wrath, opened last night …It is Luchino Visconti’s Rocco and His Brothers (Rocco e i suoi fratelli), and it comes here garlanded with laurels that are quite as appropriate in this context as they are richly deserved…Signor Visconti has clearly conceived his film and that is what his brilliant handling of events and characters makes one feel. There’s a blending of strong emotionalism and realism to such an extent that the margins of each become fuzzy and indistinguishable…Alain Delon as the sweet and loyal Rocco…is touchingly pliant and expressive, but it is Renato Salvatori …who fills the screen with the anguish of a tortured and stricken character. His raw and restless performance is overpowering and unforgettable…[and the] French actress Annie Girardot is likewise striking as the piteous prostitute…”[4]
The staff at Variety magazine lauded the drama, and wrote, “With all its faults, this is one of the top achievements of the year in Italy…Scripting shows numerous hands at work, yet all is pulled together by Visconti’s dynamic and generally tasteful direction. Occasionally, as in the near-final revelation to the family of Simone’s crime, the action gets out of hand and comes close to melodrama. Yet the impact of the main story line, aided by the sensitive, expertly guided playing of Alain Delon as Rocco, Annie Girardot as the prostie, and Renato Salvatori as Simone, is great. Katina Paxinou at times is perfect, at others she is allowed to act too theatrically and off-key.”[5]
When the film was released in DVD format, critic Glenn Erickson said, “A major pleasure of Rocco and his Brothers is simply seeing its portrait of life in working-class Milan in 1960. Beautifully directed in the housing projects and streets of the city, this is a prime example of a film which will accrue historical interest simply because it shows so much of how people lived and what places looked like (now) 40 years ago.”[6]
Awards
- Awards
- Venice Film Festival: FIPRESCI Prize, Luchino Visconti; Special Prize, Luchino Visconti; 1960.
- Venice Film Festival: Silver Lion
- David di Donatello Awards, Italy; David, Best Production (Migliore Produzione), Goffredo Lombardo, tied with Tutti a casa (1960); 1961.
- Italian National Syndicate of Film Journalists: Silver Ribbon, Best Cinematography, B/W (Migliore Fotografia in Bianco e Nero), Giuseppe Rotunno; Best Director (Regista del Miglior Film), Luchino Visconti; Best Screenplay (Migliore Sceneggiatura): Pasquale Festa Campanile, Suso Cecchi d’Amico, Luchino Visconti, and Enrico Medioli; 1961.
- Bodil Awards, Copenhagen, Denmark: Bodil, Best European Film (Bedste europæiske film), Luchino Visconti (director); 1962.
- Nominations
- Venice Film Festival: Golden Lion, Luchino Visconti; 1960.
- British Academy of Film and Television Arts: BAFTA Film Award, Best Film from any Source, Italy; Best Foreign Actress, Annie Girardot, Italy; 1962.
References
- Henry Bacon, Visconti: Explorations of Beauty and Decay, Cambridge University Press, 1998, p.105
- Rocco and His Brothers at the Internet Movie Database.
- Buss, Robin. Italian Films, “Rocco and His Brothers,” page 142. London: Anchor Press Ltd. ISBN 0-7134-5900-X.
- Crowther, Bosley. The New York Times, film review, January 28, 1961. Last accessed: December 31, 2007.
- Variety. Film review, September 6, 1960. Last accessed: December 31, 2007.
- Erikson, Eric. DVD Savant, DVD/film review, November 11, 2001. Last accessed: december 2, 2009.
UTK Cinema Studies: History of Italian Cinema 