Paisan (1946)
"Paisà" (original title)

Six vignettes follow the Allied invasion from July 1943 to winter 1944, from Sicily north to Venice. Communication is fragile. A woman leads an Allied patrol through a mine field; she dies ... See full summary »

Director:

Roberto Rossellini

Writers:

Sergio Amidei (story), Klaus Mann (story),

Stars:

Carmela Sazio, Robert Van Loon, Gar Moore

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 8 wins & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Carmela Sazio	...	Carmela (episode I: Sicilia)
Robert Van Loon	...	Joe, the American soldier (episode I: Sicilia)
Benjamin Emanuel	...	An American soldier (episode I: Sicilia)
Raymond Campbell	...	An American soldier (episode I: Sicilia)
Harold Wagner	...	Harry, a German soldier (episode I: Sicilia)
Albert Heinze	...	A German soldier (episode I: Sicilia)
Merlin Berth	...	Merlin, an American soldier (episode I: Sicilia)
Mats Carlson	...	Swede, an American soldier (episode I: Sicilia)
Leonard Parrish	...	An American soldier (episode I: Sicilia) (as Leonard Penish)
Dots Johnson	...	Joe - the American MP (episode II: Napoli) (as Dots M. Johnson)
Alfonsino Pasca	...	Pasquale (episode II: Napoli) (as Alfonsino)
Maria Michi	...	Francesca (episode III: Roma)
Gar Moore	...	Fred, an American soldier (episode III: Roma)
Harriet Medin	...	Harriet, the nurse (episode IV: Firenze) (as Harriet White)
Renzo Avanzo	...	Massimo (episode IV: Firenze)

Storyline

Six vignettes follow the Allied invasion from July 1943 to winter 1944, from Sicily north to Venice. Communication is fragile. A woman leads an Allied patrol through a mine field; she dies protecting a G.I., but the Yanks think she killed him. A street urchin steals shoes from a G.I. who tracks him to a shanty town. A G.I. meets a woman the day Rome is liberated; in six months they meet again: he's cynical, she's a prostitute. A US nurse braves the trip across the Arno into German fire in search of a partisan she loves. Three chaplains, including a Jew, call on a monastery north in the Apennines. Allied soldiers and partisans try to escape capture in the marshes of the Po.

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Plot Keywords:

partisan | nurse | prostitute | street urchin | sicily | 

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Genres:

War | Drama

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

Italy

Language:

Italian English German Sicilian

Release Date:

29 March 1948 (USA)

Also Known As:

Paisan

Filming Locations:

Florence, Tuscany, Italy

Company Credits

Production Co:

Organizzazione Film Internazionali (OFI), Foreign Film Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

134 min 134 min (restored)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Paisan was the opening film at the First Edinburgh International Festival of Documentary Films (now the Edinburgh Film Festival) in 1947, alongside Georges Rouquier Farrebique ou Les quatre saisons.

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Goofs

During night a GI lights up his lighter while following the rocky path through the lava canal. A flashlight might have been used in order to help increase the effect of the lighter being lit. When the soldier closes the lighter, the spot projected by the flashlight remains on for a fraction of a second, which is enough to observe the synchronization issue.

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Connections

Referenced in Splendor (1989)

User Reviews

Great Example of Neo-realism

Robert Rossellini series of short stories will have you at the edge of your seat. From romance to action, each story vividly portrays the Italian Neo-realist style. Paisan touches base on documentary, society and politics. I think that Rossellini did great job at hiring non- professional actors in order to incorporate them within the backdrop of the scenes. The storyline was also very detailed and made it seem like it was more of a documentary than an actual fictional film. The movie had me guessing at some points which kept me interested throughout the film. I noticed that Rossellini left room for us to fill in the story, letting us take on our own interpretation on things. For example, in each of the stories we don't really know much about the protagonist and I found myself creating their backgrounds in my mind. He did a wonderful job at inspiring emotion whether it be positive or negative. I have to admit that before I watched this film in class I was a bit skeptical. I definitely think that it portrays great characteristics of of neo- realism. One of the scenes that I thought was really interesting was when the baby is alone with no one to comfort or take care of him/her. It made me extremely sad but did a great job at illustrating the nature of war. He did a great job at illustrating Italy during World War II. I thought he provided several elements for us to choose from, giving us something to relate to and become emotionally attached to. Rossellini did a fantastic job at creating and directing a film that seemed extremely real. He blurred the lines between documentary and fiction beautifully. Now I see why he was very respected for his films.