Paisà
Encyclopedia
Paisà is a 1946 Italian film directed by Roberto Rossellini
, the second of a trilogy by Rossellini. It is divided into six episodes. They are set in the Italian Campaign
during World War II
when Nazi Germany
was losing the war against the Allies
, using themes such as the difficulty of communication between people who do not speak the same language, and how they seek to understand each other.
It was nominated for both the Academy Award for Best Writing (Original Screenplay)
and the BAFTA Award for Best Film
from any source.
, a small American reconnaissance patrol makes its way to an Sicilian village at night. Only one of the Americans speaks Italian. Local Carmela (Carmela Sazio) agrees to guide them past a German minefield. They take shelter in the ruins of a seaside castle. While the others take a look around, Joe (Robert Van Loon) is assigned to keep an eye on Carmela. Despite the language barrier, Joe starts to overcome her indifference. However, he is shot by a German sniper. Before the Germans reach the castle, Carmela hides Joe in the basement. When the Germans send her for water, she sneaks back and checks on Joe, only to find him dead. She takes his rifle and starts shooting at the enemy. The Germans throw her off a cliff to her death and leave. When the Americans return, they find Joe's body and assume Carmela killed him.
is captured. An orphaned street urchin named Pasquale (Alphonsino Pasca) happens upon Joe (Dots Johnson), an embittered, somewhat drunk African-American soldier. When Joe falls asleep, Pasquale takes his boots. The next day, Joe, a military police
man, nabs Pasquale in the act of stealing supplies from a truck. Joe demands his boots back, but when the boy takes him to where he lives, the sight of the squalor causes Joe to leave without them.
. During a rest stop, he gets out of his tank and persuades city resident Francesca (Maria Michi
) to let him wash up in her apartment. In the little time they spend together, they are attracted to each other, and Fred promises to return.
Six months later, Fred is back in Rome, where he is taken by a street prostitute back to her place. He wants nothing to do with her; instead he tells her how he futilely searched for Francesca, not recognizing her as the prostitute. When he falls asleep, Francesca slips out, asks the building manager to give her home address to Fred when he wakes up, and hopefully changes into more demure clothing. However, she waits in vain; the now-cynical Fred throws away the piece of paper with her address on it and heads back to his unit.
is freed, but fierce fighting continues across the river in the other half between Italian partisans and the Germans and their die-hard fascist supporters. All the bridges other than the Ponte Vecchio
have been blown up, stalling the Allied advance. American nurse Harriet (Harriet Medin) is frantic to get across and be reunited with a painter. She learns that he is now "Lupo", the leader of the partisans. She and partisan Massimo (Renzo Avanzo), a man desperate for news of his family, risk their lives and find a way across. However, Harriet is devastated to learn that Lupo has been killed.
When they sit down to supper, Martin learns that the monks have decided to fast in hopes of gaining the favor of Heaven to convert the other two.
are operating behind German lines with Italian partisans. They rescue two downed British airmen, but, low on supplies, run out of ammunition during a battle with the enemy and are captured. The partisans are summarily executed the next day, as they are not protected by the Geneva Conventions
; two of the outraged prisoners of war are shot when they try to interfere.
of the New York Times hailed it, writing it "marks a milestone in the expressiveness of the screen." He went on to say "It is useless to attempt an explanation, in familiar and concrete terms, of its basic theme and nature, for it is not an ordinary film—neither in form nor dramatic construction nor in the things it has to say", "the antithesis of the classic 'story film'". He ended his review with "This is a film to be seen—and seen again."
TV Guide
called it "perhaps Rossellini's greatest achievement", "a wartime portrait full of humor, pathos, romance, tension, and warmth", and "a film unlike any other the world had seen". "PAISAN highlights the power of the neorealist style better than almost any other film."
The Chicago Readers Dave Kehr
observed that "The episodes all seem to have an anecdotal triteness ... but each acquires a wholly unexpected naturalness and depth of feeling from Rossellini's refusal to hype the anecdotes with conventional dramatic rhetoric."
All eight Rotten Tomatoes
reviews are favorable toward the film.
Roberto Rossellini
Roberto Rossellini was an Italian film director and screenwriter. Rossellini was one of the directors of the Italian neorealist cinema, contributing films such as Roma città aperta to the movement.-Early life:Born in Rome, Roberto Rossellini lived on the Via Ludovisi, where Benito Mussolini had...
, the second of a trilogy by Rossellini. It is divided into six episodes. They are set in the Italian Campaign
Italian Campaign (World War II)
The Italian Campaign of World War II was the name of Allied operations in and around Italy, from 1943 to the end of the war in Europe. Joint Allied Forces Headquarters AFHQ was operationally responsible for all Allied land forces in the Mediterranean theatre, and it planned and commanded the...
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
when Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
was losing the war against the Allies
Allies
In everyday English usage, allies are people, groups, or nations that have joined together in an association for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not explicit agreement has been worked out between them...
, using themes such as the difficulty of communication between people who do not speak the same language, and how they seek to understand each other.
It was nominated for both the Academy Award for Best Writing (Original Screenplay)
Academy Award for Best Writing (Original Screenplay)
The Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay is the Academy Award for the best script not based upon previously published material. Before 1940, there was an Academy Award for Best Story for writing. For 1940, it and the award in this article were separated into two awards. Beginning with the...
and the BAFTA Award for Best Film
BAFTA Award for Best Film
This page lists the winners and nominees for the BAFTA Award for Best Film, BAFTA Award for Best Film not in the English Language and Alexander Korda Award for Best British Film for each year, in addition to the retired earlier versions of those awards...
from any source.
1st Episode
During the Allied invasion of SicilyAllied invasion of Sicily
The Allied invasion of Sicily, codenamed Operation Husky, was a major World War II campaign, in which the Allies took Sicily from the Axis . It was a large scale amphibious and airborne operation, followed by six weeks of land combat. It launched the Italian Campaign.Husky began on the night of...
, a small American reconnaissance patrol makes its way to an Sicilian village at night. Only one of the Americans speaks Italian. Local Carmela (Carmela Sazio) agrees to guide them past a German minefield. They take shelter in the ruins of a seaside castle. While the others take a look around, Joe (Robert Van Loon) is assigned to keep an eye on Carmela. Despite the language barrier, Joe starts to overcome her indifference. However, he is shot by a German sniper. Before the Germans reach the castle, Carmela hides Joe in the basement. When the Germans send her for water, she sneaks back and checks on Joe, only to find him dead. She takes his rifle and starts shooting at the enemy. The Germans throw her off a cliff to her death and leave. When the Americans return, they find Joe's body and assume Carmela killed him.
2nd Episode
With the Allies fighting on mainland Italy, the port of NaplesNaples
Naples is a city in Southern Italy, situated on the country's west coast by the Gulf of Naples. Lying between two notable volcanic regions, Mount Vesuvius and the Phlegraean Fields, it is the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples...
is captured. An orphaned street urchin named Pasquale (Alphonsino Pasca) happens upon Joe (Dots Johnson), an embittered, somewhat drunk African-American soldier. When Joe falls asleep, Pasquale takes his boots. The next day, Joe, a military police
Military police
Military police are police organisations connected with, or part of, the military of a state. The word can have different meanings in different countries, and may refer to:...
man, nabs Pasquale in the act of stealing supplies from a truck. Joe demands his boots back, but when the boy takes him to where he lives, the sight of the squalor causes Joe to leave without them.
3rd Episode
Fred (Gar Moore) is one of the soldiers who helped liberate RomeRome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
. During a rest stop, he gets out of his tank and persuades city resident Francesca (Maria Michi
Maria Michi
Maria Michi was an Italian supporting actress who worked with Roberto Rossellini on his two early neorealism masterpieces: Rome, Open City and Paisà. In 1948, she worked with Christian-Jaque in La Chartreuse de Parme...
) to let him wash up in her apartment. In the little time they spend together, they are attracted to each other, and Fred promises to return.
Six months later, Fred is back in Rome, where he is taken by a street prostitute back to her place. He wants nothing to do with her; instead he tells her how he futilely searched for Francesca, not recognizing her as the prostitute. When he falls asleep, Francesca slips out, asks the building manager to give her home address to Fred when he wakes up, and hopefully changes into more demure clothing. However, she waits in vain; the now-cynical Fred throws away the piece of paper with her address on it and heads back to his unit.
4th Episode
The southern half of FlorenceFlorence
Florence is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany and of the province of Florence. It is the most populous city in Tuscany, with approximately 370,000 inhabitants, expanding to over 1.5 million in the metropolitan area....
is freed, but fierce fighting continues across the river in the other half between Italian partisans and the Germans and their die-hard fascist supporters. All the bridges other than the Ponte Vecchio
Ponte Vecchio
The Ponte Vecchio is a Medieval stone closed-spandrel segmental arch bridge over the Arno River, in Florence, Italy, noted for still having shops built along it, as was once common. Butchers initially occupied the shops; the present tenants are jewellers, art dealers and souvenir sellers...
have been blown up, stalling the Allied advance. American nurse Harriet (Harriet Medin) is frantic to get across and be reunited with a painter. She learns that he is now "Lupo", the leader of the partisans. She and partisan Massimo (Renzo Avanzo), a man desperate for news of his family, risk their lives and find a way across. However, Harriet is devastated to learn that Lupo has been killed.
5th Episode
Three American chaplains are welcomed to stay the night at a newly-liberated Roman Catholic monastery. However, the monks are later dismayed to find that only Captain Bill Martin (William Tubbs) is a Catholic; his friends are a Protestant and a Jew.When they sit down to supper, Martin learns that the monks have decided to fast in hopes of gaining the favor of Heaven to convert the other two.
6th Episode
In 1944, three members of the Allied OSSOffice of Strategic Services
The Office of Strategic Services was a United States intelligence agency formed during World War II. It was the wartime intelligence agency, and it was a predecessor of the Central Intelligence Agency...
are operating behind German lines with Italian partisans. They rescue two downed British airmen, but, low on supplies, run out of ammunition during a battle with the enemy and are captured. The partisans are summarily executed the next day, as they are not protected by the Geneva Conventions
Geneva Conventions
The Geneva Conventions comprise four treaties, and three additional protocols, that establish the standards of international law for the humanitarian treatment of the victims of war...
; two of the outraged prisoners of war are shot when they try to interfere.
Critical reception
Bosley CrowtherBosley Crowther
Bosley Crowther was a journalist and author who was film critic for The New York Times for 27 years. His reviews and articles helped shape the careers of actors, directors and screenwriters, though his reviews, at times, were unnecessarily mean...
of the New York Times hailed it, writing it "marks a milestone in the expressiveness of the screen." He went on to say "It is useless to attempt an explanation, in familiar and concrete terms, of its basic theme and nature, for it is not an ordinary film—neither in form nor dramatic construction nor in the things it has to say", "the antithesis of the classic 'story film'". He ended his review with "This is a film to be seen—and seen again."
TV Guide
TV Guide
TV Guide is a weekly American magazine with listings of TV shows.In addition to TV listings, the publication features television-related news, celebrity interviews, gossip and film reviews and crossword puzzles...
called it "perhaps Rossellini's greatest achievement", "a wartime portrait full of humor, pathos, romance, tension, and warmth", and "a film unlike any other the world had seen". "PAISAN highlights the power of the neorealist style better than almost any other film."
The Chicago Readers Dave Kehr
Dave Kehr
Dave Kehr is an American film critic. A critic at the Chicago Reader and the Chicago Tribune for many years, he writes a weekly column for The New York Times on DVD releases, in addition to contributing occasional pieces on individual films or filmmakers.-Early life and education:Dave Kehr did...
observed that "The episodes all seem to have an anecdotal triteness ... but each acquires a wholly unexpected naturalness and depth of feeling from Rossellini's refusal to hype the anecdotes with conventional dramatic rhetoric."
All eight Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
reviews are favorable toward the film.