Review of Open City (2008) by Evan K — 03 Feb 2016

Open City initially presents an ambiguous view of the Church. The first Church representative we meet is the sexton who genuflects before joining the looting of a bakery. This hypocritical moment seems to be mocking not only the sexton but also the performative nature of Catholic reverence. The Church's main official, Don Pietro, is presented as a comical buffoon. He is introduced trying to keep up with the children while they play soccer; he ineffectually blows his whistle before the ball finally lands on his head. Moreover, he is incapable of exerting any control over or gaining the respect of these children. Later, running an errand for the Resistance, he acts prudish, worrying over the placement of a statue depicting a saint and a naked woman. Although he is in the midst of a serious and important task, his religious beliefs cause him to worry over an insignificant detail.

In contrast to Don Pietro, the portly middle-aged clown, are the young and handsome communists: Francesco and Manfredi. These two men are who the children aspire to be. The kids roam the streets wreaking havoc and referring to each other as "comrades." Pina sheepishly admits to Manfredi that she believes in God, and her main defense for her desire to be wed in a church is that it is preferable to being wed by a fascist in town hall. As it turns out, the atheist Resistance fighters embody what the people hope to be. The Church is a present force, but a largely incompetent and ridiculous one.

The Church gets redemption, however, in the final moments of Open City. Don Pietro refuses to relinquish the Resistance fighters, despite their lack of religious beliefs, and expresses an enlightened note of tolerance. Meanwhile, Manfredi's torture is reminiscent of the martyrdom of Christ, supporting the idea that religious ideals are powerful and relevant to the time frame of the film. At Don Pietro's execution, all the children who previously showed him no respect come out to mourn him. As they walk away, they are framed against a landscape of Rome, which prominently shows St. Peter's Church. Though the Church has flaws and weaknesses, Rossellini is establishing it - specifically in the form expressed by Don Pietro - as the bedrock of Italian society.