Customer Reviews

Open Doors [VHS]

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I bought "Open Doors" because it was an Oscar nominee in the category of Best Foreign-language films and that's as good a recommendation as any in my book. "Open Doors" is a pre-WWII Italian courtroom drama. The movie starts out by depicting the triple murders carried out by the perpetrator. There was no mystery as to Who, What and How; just Why was left unanswered. The Why was addressed in several ways by one judge in particular. Essentially, the movie uses this judge as a probe into guilt and innocence, crime and punishment, rationale and irrationality. By presenting the murders at the beginning, Director Gianni Amelio was able to strip away mystery and suspense and replace it with his inquiry into the morality of justice. If it sounds unappealing (and I had left it on the shelf for several months before viewing it) don't be misled. The personalities, passions and moralities are excellently done. How does society deal with a man who has been wronged and then reacts by creating greater wrongs? What is the definition of guilt and innocence in a corrupt world?

The cast of "Open Doors" is excellent and the serious approach to the subject is impressive. As a courtroom drama, "Open Doors" rates high. As a morality play, it rates even higher. There are a few speed bumps in the film to keep it from the highest rating but its' impact is still quite significant.

The Italian film "Open Doors" is set in 1937 Fascist Italy. A minor government official, Tommaso Scalia is sacked for embezzling funds. He retaliates by murdering his former boss, the man who replaced him, and then rapes and murders his own wife. Following the bloodshed, Scalia returns home to his young son, lies down on the bed, and waits to be arrested.

Judges are rounded up for the trial, and they are pressured to hand down a guilty verdict which is to be followed by execution. Even Scalia demands the death penalty, and the trial begins with a heated political statement from Scalia to the courtroom. One judge, Vito Di Francesco does not bend to the pressure of public opinion but quietly and stubbornly insists on conducting a through trial.

While the film attempts to deal with broader issues--Fascism vs. democracy, the death penalty, and whether or not Scalia is a victim of a corrupt system and guilty of crimes with extenuating circumstances--for me the story did not really move much beyond repugnance for Scalia's character. It's true that I wanted to know "why" he murdered three people, but I failed to see--even with the facts--that Scalia was the slightest bit sympathetic or even a victim of circumstance. Scalia was repulsive, and he committed some repulsive crimes. The film failed to present a convincing argument that Scalia was a victim of the Fascist state or any other such stuff. The film was ponderous, and only the performance of Gian Maria Volonte really made it worth watching. His character was the most interesting in the entire film. Compared to Amelio's other films "Lamerica" and "Stolen Children", "Open Doors" was a disappointment--displacedhuman