Rocco and His Brothers (2018)

Rocco and His Brothers, one of the greatest emotional experiences of all time, is a film of overwhelming ferocity and love. Luchino Visconti, the Italian director who helmed this masterwork, lays down the most naked essentials of the family drama, and stretches the potentially stagy narrative to a sprawling 3 hours of visceral understanding. The movie follows the silent rivalry of siblings in their transition to adulthood, taking time to carefully dissect the moral crises of each. Innocence is counterweighted by passion and love by jealousy. Visconti moves his camera in numerous long takes to, without monologue or melodramatic whines, detail the tragedy of a family fighting poverty, repression, and a loyalty to each other enforced by their protective and religious mother. The soundtrack by Nino Rota, which evokes his later masterwork The Godfather, underscores each moment of heartwrenching sincerity with organic passion and Italian prominence. The music never excesses and always excels, and never does it interrupt powerful moments; silence is used on numerous occasions to great impact. The actors Delon and Salvatori, at their undeniable best, are completely believable in their respective roles and are totally effective. Overall, this film is essentially every aspect of film extended to its highest possible quality. See it, prepare for a 3 hour runtime but don't expect to be disappointed.

This Italian film was featured in the book 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die, so naturally, without knowing the story, plot or really any other details, apart from the near three hour length, I was going to watch it regardless, from director Luchino Visconti (Ossessione, Senso, Death in Venice). Basically the film is seeing into the lives of a rural Italian family, the Parondi family, led by matriarch Rosaria Parondi (Katina Paxinou), who are heading north to Milan, and we see the individual five stories weaved together as each family member struggle to adapt to life in the large city. The family include Vincenzo (Spiros Focás), Simone (Renato Salvatori), Rocco (L'Eclisse's Alain Delon), Ciro (Max Cartier) and Luca (Rocco Vidolazzi), and one by one we see their stories unfold as they have problems, but they each manage to find something to do. We see prostitute Nadia (BAFTA nominated Annie Girardot) having both Simone and Rocco pursuing and desiring her, the pivotal moment sees her raped by Simone with Rocco watching, he starts military service, and he gives her up in order to somehow keep the family whole. There are a few bad things going on, but essentially building Italian neorealism the film does not end with a substantial resolution, much more with doom and gloom hanging over the family, with a family feud and a murder. Also starring Roger Hanin as Morini, Paolo Stoppa as Cerri, Suzy Delair as Luisa and Claudia Cardinale as Ginetta. I will admit that I found it hard to concentrate on most of the stuff going on because of having to read the subtitles and knowing that the film was pretty long, but it was a good soap-like melodrama, filmed with good black and white photography to create the feel of the grim urban environment, but for the hard hitting material it is worth it, an interesting enough drama. It was nominated the BAFTA for Best Film from any Source. Worth watching!

Katina Paxinou is Mama Parondi. She moves with her four sons from an impoverished village in southern Italy to the big city of Milan in the north. Three sons -- Salvatore (Simone), Delon (Rocco), and Focas (Vincenzo) have varied careers trying to make a living in what's supposed to be an anomic atmosphere. The family falls apart, a bit like "The Grapes of Wrath." It's a gripping film once in gets going but it still induces fatigue, almost three hours long, loud and theatrical, and filmed in gritty black and white. Some reviewers have mentioned the beauty of the images but it got by me, except for some startling shots during a climactic stabbing. Almost all the settings are drab and smoky. The night scenes were shot at night with stark but minimal lighting. When a man rapes a woman they roll around in the mud and belt one another, although how a man who is supposed to be drunk, enraged, surrounded by horrified witnesses, freezing, and splashed with mud can rape anybody -- well, it's beyond me.Delon is young, handsome, naive, loyal, and generous. I guess he represents the virtues and values of the sunny South. "You must have faith," he tells Annie Girardot, the hooker he has fallen in love with. "Faith in what?" "In everything, everybody." Wouldn't it be pretty to think so, to quote someone of a tougher temperament.The acting is okay. Delon certainly looks the part of the unspoiled naif. Katina Paxinou as the queen of this brood is always on the edge of frenzy, dashing around and running off at the hands, full of territorial pride and prejudice. The best role may be that of Renato Salvatore as the good boxer who doesn't quite have the necessary speed but who is ready to murder anyone who gets too close to the girl friend he hasn't been with in two years, Girardot. He's the son who most clearly illustrates the kind of corrupted behavior the tentacular city generates in weaker personalities. "He had good roots but he was poisoned by the herbs." Although, come to think of it, there's no way of being sure that the same tragic confrontations wouldn't have taken place in the sunny South. Maybe the South is supposed to "stand for something," a kind of state of mind, of mechanical solidarity or a parallel existence like the Chinatown in "Chinatown." The director, Luchino Visconti, was born into an aristocratic and very wealthy family in Milan, so he must know the city, but he brings us down into the murky depths of gymnasiums and cheap cafés. That Visconti was gay had nothing to do with it, but that he belonged to the Communist Party probably did. Nino Rota's fine score anticipates that of "The Godfather."I saw this when it was released and found it enthralling. But I'm beginning to wonder if my patience for long, drawn-out dramas is growing thinner with age. I think it might have been cut by about an hour without bleeding to death.

When this was released in 1960, For some unknown reason I did not see this film. If I had seen this back then, I wonder if I would have liked better.This tale of a family, who in the search for a better life in the big city (Milan Italy), come to eventual grief & tragedy.because of lust & jealousy between 2 brothers over the love of a loose young lady.This plot device is not the least bit logical & that is just one of the reasons why this long 177 minute tale is unpleasant & almost laughable in spots. Luchino Visconte directed & wrote this over wrought drama. Here is one of the illogical points, this family came to Milan from southern Italy, but the dialog suggests they maybe from a different country. The characters constantly mention they are from another country. TO ME this made no sense & it hurt my liking of the film.There are many prizefight scenes,most are badly done.The acting is quite often over done especially by Katrina Paxinou as the mother, She has always overacted, here she tries to out due Anna Magnani. Alain Delon heads an all star cast. Claudia Cardinale is the young lady that 2 of the brothers needlessly come to grief over,.As I stated maybe in 1960 I would have raved on this positively, today its a negative review.Ratings: **1/2 (out of 4)69 points (out of 100) IMDb 6 (out of 10)