10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Do the Right Thing, April 18, 2009
I really wasn't too sure what to expect when I sat down to watch "General Della Rovere" this evening. The notes suggested that I would be watching a movie about a scoundrel. It didn't take long to find out that I was, in fact, watching a movie about a scoundrel. But oh what a scoundrel! There was an aspect to the preformance of Vittorio de Sica that oozed the suave, debonaire, coolness of a man who wanted others to know that he cares...so long as the money is paid up front. Our "hero" Bardone runs a sort of war-time Ponzi scheme with all the promises and down payments. It doesn't take long to realize that there's only one person Bardone really cares about. Heck, I even caught myself sensing an inner heart of gold just before another sucker gets taken. All along I found myself engrossed in this man, his victims and the others who played a role in his theatre.
Eventually, things take a turn in a variety of ways. At that point I had no idea what was going to be the outcome. As a favor to you, I'll let you have the same opportunity. I was more than satisfied with the ending although it wasn't exactly what I expected.
There is a professionalism to "General Della Rovere" that had it scoring high in my book. The directing, the interpositioning of newsreel footage and cinematic creation, the sense of uncertainty, the excellent preformances from top to bottom; all this and more was very impressive. Above all was the role of Vittorio de Sica whose mascarade had already fooled us enough times that we were on our own as to what to believe about him. I kept trying to figure out where I had seen the German Colonel before until I recalled that he was the camp commander in "The Great Escape". His performance in this film was equally compelling.
All during "General Della Rovere" I kept thinking of a recent film I had seen entitled "Bread, Love and Dreams". It was an older Italian movie that had been around long enough to have been dubbed in English. In viewing that film I was left with the choice of an expressionless Enlish or a demonstrative and incomprehenisble Italian. I chose the former and came away disappointed. I thought of that film because de Sica's delivery in "General Della Rovere" was in a class by itself. I watched the subtitles to keep track of the plot; I listened to the actors to keep track of the emotional impact. The dubbed de Sica in "Bread, Love and Dreams" had no emotional impact which is why I always try to view a foreign-language film in the original presentaion (with English subtitles). "General Della Rovere" is one of the best examples of why that makes such a difference.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A film to see., May 22, 2010
Here is a story about "the only Italian hero" of World War II. Of course it IS dated, along with the other great Italian films of the period. Still a pleasure to see.
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3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Not his greatest, but still great...., January 7, 2010
Roberto Rossellini may be the single most under-appreciated director in the history of cinema. While Fellini has risen to god-like status, Rossellini remains rather obscure to the vast majority of modern film viewers, and that's a shame. Bertolucci, Antonioni, Visconti, etc, have all received more attention in the age of DVD, while Rossellini's films have been practically ignored. But, as Martin Scorsese once said: "He is the father of us all," and that oversight is finally being rectified. As chic as the New Wave remains, the neo-realism of Rossellini is one of the most enlightening, powerful, and exciting eras in cinema.
This absorbing look at the Italian resistance during World War II rates among his more interesting films. Though not as arresting as his earlier
Roberto Rossellini's War Trilogy (Rome Open City/Paisan/Germany Year Zero) (Criterion Collection) (Which is also available from Criterion as of January, 2010, and may be the single greatest release from the esteemed company!), it is nonetheless riveting in its own unique way. Again he makes use of old footage and finds piles of rubble to add to the sense of the time. The humor is dark, but then so were the times, and the final act really comes together as our faulty hero reassesses his life and his place in a nation being torn apart by war. De Sica is truly magnificent here, and he alone is reason enough to give this a thumbs up...one of the great performances of his career - and remember, while an esteemed director, he also acted in over 150 films!
For a lower-tier criterion release, there are also some great extras here, particularly the interviews with Rossellini's family members, Isabella among them, and their memories of the film and where it fits in his career. As usual, Tab Gallagher steps up and contributes an excellent video essay as well. These innovative features he has done on different Rossellini discs are among the coolest uses of the format. It ads some great context to the film's narrative, and really hits at the heart of Italy's national conscience that was so tortured in the 1950s - having of course to reconcile their contributions and suffering during the War. It was only in the late 50s that it became possible to look back, for naturally in the immediate aftermath it was just too painful to do so. So in some ways Rossellini contributes to the healing by suggesting even a worthless con man was a nationalist at heart...but it's naive to suggest that is all that is going on here. Nevertheless, the context is absolutely imperative to understanding and appreciating Il Generale Della Rovere.
In short, you really can't go wrong with Rossellini, and you can do a lot worse than this little-known gem from the late 50s. The recent output from Criterion will hopefully help to bring his canon into the limelight, and we can only home more is on the way - how about a Rossellini-Bergman Box Criterion?!?!??!
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