Rome, Open City12A

Directed by Roberto Rossellini | Italy | 1945 | 1h 43m | Italian w/ English subtitles | Starring Anna Magnani, Aldo Fabrizi, Marcello Pagliero, Vito Annichiarico, Nando Bruno

During World War II in Rome, an underground resistance leader tries to avoid the Gestapo by seeking aid from a local priest. However, it doesn’t take long for both the Nazis and the local police to take notice. Shot in the immediate aftermath of the war, Roberto Rossellini’s groundbreaking neorealist drama signalled a turning point in Italian cinema, garnering awards around the world and setting the stage for a new era in filmmaking.

Classic Season: Vive La Resistance

Reviews

‘Ubaldo Arata’s visceral cinematography blends the grit of a documentary with the heart and soul of a drama (Fellini collaborated on the screenplay) as the people of Rome wrestle with the constraints, compromises and collusions of life during wartime.’
★★★★★
Mark Kermode, The Observer

‘One of the toughest, bleakest, war films ever made, this Roberto Rossellini classic simply couldn’t be any other way.’
★★★★★
Kevin Maher, The Times

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We showed Rome, Open City between June 2, 2024 and June 6, 2024.

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Our beautiful art deco inspired auditorium can be found just off East Oxford's Cowley Road.We are open 7 days a week. We open the cinema and box office 30 minutes before the scheduled start time of each film, and the Box Office then closes 10 minutes after the film starts. We only show a few adverts – less than most cinemas – and we only play a couple of trailers, so please don’t be late as the film itself starts very close to the advertised time!

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