Review of Paisa (2013) by Hans L — 05 Sep 2008

This is arguably Roberto Rossellini's finest moment as he sketches the Allied liberation of Italy in six loose, episodic chapters. His usual themes of alienation, the failure of communication- especially across people who do not speak the same language but through circumstance are compelled to work together- and the role of the individual in times of state crisis are wonderfully worked through.

Forget the "dodgy" camera work (it was made in 1946 and Rossellini had to steal the stock and camera/s) and use of unprofessional actors, it's all about how we speak of the world we live in.

Much more than neo realism and demonstrates what a long way he had come in the brief time since Roma, Citta Aperta. The images of Partisans crucified in the Po Valley by fascists will always linger.