Massacre in Rome

Original title: Rappresaglia

1973
PG
1h 50m

IMDb RATING

6.5/10

1.6K

YOUR RATING

MASSACRE IN ROME depicts one of the worst atrocities of the War which took place in Nazi occupied Rome sparking a searing political outrage: did the Vatican, then led by Pope Pius XII (referred to by some as Â“Hitler's PopeÂ”), kowtow to Nazism?

After Italian Partisans killed 33 German soldiers by exploding a roadside bomb, Hitler ordered the immediate execution of 10 Roman citizens for each dead soldier. When the Vatican withdrew from the matter, a deadly confrontation ensued between a priest, (Mastroianni) and a Nazi Officer Kappler (Burton at his best) who had been ordered to administer what would become one of the most heinous war crimes: the massacre of 335 civilians.

Director Cosmatos and writer Robert Katz crank up the tension in this nerve-wracking dramatisation of KatzÂ’s own, highly contentious, 1967 best-seller Â“Death in RomeÂ” in which he blamed Pope Pius XII for the massacre; and for which the author was sued, upon the filmÂ’s release, by the PopeÂ’s heirs and sentenced to jail. The controversy continues to date as the present Pope, Benedict, has just declared Pius XII Â“venerableÂ” - the first step towards Sainthood.

Argent Films presents THE MOST COMPLETE EVER VERSION, NOW 4 MIN LONGER, RESTORED TO ITS SUMPTUOUS ORIGINAL WIDESCREEN FORMAT.

Play trailer1:22

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61 Photos

Drama History War

Rome, March 23, 1944: 33 German soldiers are killed by a bomb. Lt. Col. Herbert Kappler is ordered to execute ten times that many Italians.Rome, March 23, 1944: 33 German soldiers are killed by a bomb. Lt. Col. Herbert Kappler is ordered to execute ten times that many Italians.Rome, March 23, 1944: 33 German soldiers are killed by a bomb. Lt. Col. Herbert Kappler is ordered to execute ten times that many Italians.

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

6.5/10

1.6K

YOUR RATING

See production info at IMDbPro

Awards
- 1 win & 1 nomination total

Trivia
Filmed in the winter of 1972-73, the film had a limited release in the summer of 1975.

Goofs
All of the SS officers in Kappler's Security Police headquarters are shown to be wearing the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross, which was a high level decoration for valor and heroism in combat. It would have been highly unusual for so many security officers to have this award, since the Security Police dealt with "behind the lines" actions and not front line combat.

Quotes
Father Pietro Antonelli: I would prefer a world that didn't need protecting.
Lieutenant Colonel Herbert Kappler: And I would prefer a religion that didn't need priests.

Connections
Referenced in Escape to Athena: Cast and Crew Interviews (1978)

User reviews26

Featured review

A movie that reminds us of our humanity

People watch war movies for action, but rarely to be reminded of their humanity, and this film touches more to the latter. There's not much action, but there is a lot of character in this fact-based drama. Burton plays the same historical character that Christopher Plummer impersonated in the televison drama THE SCARLET AND THE BLACK, Col. Herbert Kapler, an art-loving, but genocidal, Nazi officer, who carried out the massacre. The real Kapler also authorized the execution of the priest that Rosselini's OPEN CITY was based on. Both films are worthy companions to this one, and together all three convey what Rome was like during the days of Nazi occupation.