Paisan (1946)

Paisan (“Paisá”)

Directed by Roberto Rossellini
Written by Sergio Amadei, Federico Fellini, Roberto Rossellini et al
1946/Italy
Organizzazione Film Internazionali (OFI)
First viewing/Hulu Plus
#195 of 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die
IMDb users say 7.8/10; I say 8/10

[box] I do not want to make beautiful films, I want to make useful films. — Roberto Rossellini[/box]

This is a powerful documentary-like dramatization of the human cost of liberation.

The film is divided into six vignettes taking place in locations from Sicily to north of Florence as Allied troops move northward driving German troops out of Italy.  They are:

1)  A Sicilian village girl shows an invading American Unit how to evade mines on their way north.  They discover a ruined tower and the girl and one of the soldiers overnight there while the others explore.  Tragic.

2) A street-wise child lucks into a drunken black American G.I. and attempts to take him for what he is worth.  They bond over music.  Heartbreaking.

3)  A prostitute in Rome (Maria Mischi of “Rome: Open City) picks up a drunk G.I..  It turns out they have already met.  Poignant.

4) An American nurse who has lived in Florence and apparently fell in love there meets an Italian man she used to know.  While enemy fire is raging, they attempt to get across the Po River to reach his family and her lover, now a leader of the Partisans.  Many sad pictures of the Renaissance city in ruins.

5) A trio of American Army chaplains, a Catholic, a Protestant, and a Jew, spends the night in a monastery in Northern Italy.  They break bread and share their faith but the monks would like to “save” the non-Catholic clergy.  Almost comic.

6) Allied solidiers and members of the Italian resistance are fighting side by side.  The little band is isolated on the Po river and is short of food and ammunition.  And then a German unit arrives …  More tragedy.

Rossellini’s documentary style makes the events shown seem very real  The overall effect is  to awaken pity for those caught in war and its aftermath  and respect for the resolution of the survivors. There is a pervasive sense of irony as the stories take place at a time of liberation and victory. There is a strong undercurrent of the way people are divided by language and culture even when they are fighting on the same side.

At the time the film was made, it was important to reintegrate Italy, an Axis enemy for much of the war, into the international community.  I can’t think of a more masterful way of doing so. The largely non-professional cast only adds to the realism.  Some vignettes are more compelling than others but they add up to a very moving experience.

The writers of Paisan were nominated for Best Writing, Story and Screenplay at the 1950 Oscar ceremony.

Clip (no subtitles but the soldier speaks English)