Major Bergmann

The film Roma, città aperta is a historically-based story of the Italian Resistance movement and its struggle against the Nazi occupation of Italy. It was written in 1943-44 by Robert Rossellini while Rome was still occupied by German forces, and the film was shot almost immediately after the city was liberated while the Germans still occupied the streets. Rossellini even includes actual footage of German soldiers marching at the foot of the Spanish steps in Rome. In this neo-realistic film, the depicted villains are clearly the Nazis, and more specifically Major Bergman, played by Henry Feist. Since it is one of the first films created that dealt with such subject matter, the film creates archetypes for certain characters. Feist's Bergmann is one of these archetypes; he epitomizes Nazism for future films.
Major Bergmann is portrayed as a merciless, cruel, and godless authority. He parades around arrogantly in his brown uniform with his egotistical smirk on his face. He expresses his idea of Germans being a master race. Hartman, a fellow officer, asks what will happen if Manfredi does not give the needed information before dawn. Bergmann replies, “Then it would mean an Italian is worth as much as a German. It would mean there is no difference in the blood of a slave race and a master race. And no reason for this war.” This idea is consistent with the ideology and practice of Nazism. Major Bergmann is personified as a Nazi not only by his uniform, but also in his demeanor and conduct. This film was written in the neo-realist spirit. Because of this some would argue that there is no need to recreate or form anything, but Rossellini did more than just film things as they existed; he created a mold.

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