Rocco and His Brothers (1960)
"Rocco e i suoi fratelli" (original title)

Having recently been uprooted to Milan, Rocco and his four brothers each look for a new way in life when a prostitute comes between Rocco and his brother Simone.

Director:

Luchino Visconti

Writers:

Luchino Visconti (story), Suso Cecchi D'Amico (story),

Stars:

Alain Delon, Renato Salvatori, Annie Girardot

Nominated for 2 BAFTA Film Awards. Another 9 wins & 7 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Alain Delon	...	Rocco Parondi
Renato Salvatori	...	Simone Parondi
Annie Girardot	...	Nadia
Katina Paxinou	...	Rosaria Parondi
Alessandra Panaro	...	Ciro's Fiancee
Spiros Focás	...	Vincenzo Parondi (as Spiros Focas)
Max Cartier	...	Ciro Parondi
Corrado Pani	...	Ivo
Rocco Vidolazzi	...	Luca Parondi
Claudia Mori	...	Laundrey Worker
Adriana Asti	...	Laundrey Worker
Enzo Fiermonte	...	Boxer
Nino Castelnuovo	...	Nino Rossi
Rosario Borelli	...	Un biscazziere
Renato Terra	...	Alfredo, Ginetta's brother

Storyline

The widow Rosaria moves to Milano from Lucania with her 4 sons, one of whom is Rocco. The fifth son, Vincenzo, already lives in Milano. In the beginning, the family has a lot of problems, but everyone manages to find something to do. Simone is boxing, Rocco works in a dry cleaners, and Ciro studies. Simone meets Nadia, a prostitute, and they have a stormy affair. Then Rocco, after finishing his military service, begins a relationship with her. A bitter feud ensues between the two brothers, which will lead as far as murder...

---

Plot Keywords:

prostitute | murder | widow | dry cleaners | boxing | 

---

Taglines:

DARING in its realism. STUNNING in its impact. BREATHTAKING in its scope.

---

Genres:

Crime | Drama | Sport

---

Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

Italy France

Language:

Italian

Release Date:

26 June 1961 (USA)

Also Known As:

Rocco and His Brothers

Filming Locations:

Bellagio, Como, Lombardia, Italy

Company Credits

Production Co:

Titanus, Les Films Marceau

Technical Specs

Runtime:

177 min 168 min (DVD edition)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Frenchman Alain Delon was dubbed.

---

Quotes

Rocco Parondi: There's no hope now!

---

Connections

Featured in The Story of Film: An Odyssey: Episode #1.7 (2011)

---

Soundtracks

"Calypso in the Rain"
Written by Lelio Luttazzi
Editions Titanus

User Reviews

a true masterwork

State-of-the-art directing, acting (Katina Paxinou, Alain Delon, Annie Girardot, Renato Salvatore), photography, superb musical score. A film to bring any sensitive and open mind to tears near the end. The destruction of a family order, jealousy, betrayal between brothers and the saintliness of Rocco, always ready to forgive, thinking more about his family than himself. All this in black and white! I hope film directors will never give away this format. By the way, I would like to know whether the plaque in Rosaria's new apartment (when Rocco's back from the army) reads "Pafundi" instead of "Parondi" on purpose (why?) or was it a flaw? I also would like to know which language do some characters spoke on stage(I think it's french), namely Rocco and Ginetta. I am watching a Russian edition whose dubbing is disastrous. Thanks to the ease of DVD players I could choose the Italian soundtrack and disable subtitles...