MovieChat Forums > Rocco e i suoi fratelli (1961) Discussion > Bad acting

Bad acting

posted 12 years ago by chapmanshomer
13 replies | jump to latest

I now understand why melodrama has negative connotations. While the film had many redeeming features such as locations and music, the much talked about end sequence was ridiculous. The acting was appalling in scenes of emotional intensity, and while I am very much a fan of the old school of acting, this is a film which could have benefited from the method acting of Marlon Brando or Robert DeNiro.

Actors like Robert Mitchum, Jean Gabin, Marcello Mastroianni, Alain Delon and Humphrey Bogart have style, panache and cool in abundance, and while I am a big fan of them, I do not think them capable of the dramatic scenes required in Rocco. While much can be said for the decline in film, in this aspect things have improved. Distress, disturbance and anger can be portrayed more convincingly today.

Don't get me wrong, I still prefer Mitchum to someone like Edward Norton any day

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[–] Mr-Garcia 12 years ago

I was skeptic when I first read your headline, but I actually understand your point. In retrospect, it's true that the performances in "Rocco..." were a little too theatrical, but I wouldn't say the acting was bad.

You have to keep in mind that Alain Delon and Annie Girardot were dubbed, which was really detrimental to their performances. As for Salvatori, I kinda felt the method acting you talked about in his performance, as his acting felt more instinctive and spot on.

I've never seen Alain Delon or Annie Girardot delivering bad performances in their long long careers, so your message really caught my eye. I'm pretty sure that in 1960 they were both the best choices for the roles.

[–] 12 years ago

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[–] ageraldinepageturner 12 years ago

I was actually very impressed by the performances. Alain Delon and Annie Girardot were especially moving. There were hints of melodrama, mostly towards the end of the film but I was very pleased with the acting overall.

[–] littlemartinarocena 12 years ago

Operatic acting at its best. It's structured like a Greek tragedy and has Katina Paxinou no less, as the mother.

[–] ilpohirvonen 11 years ago

Yea well you can't really compare Italian acting with American. Their work is mostly based on stage acting. I am one of those who enjoy it and was very impressed by Delon's performance. I can't find a bad word about the melodrama towards the end. Visconti had experience as an opera and theater director which he reflected in all of his films. I think it works magnificently in the context of the film. But I guess it's a matter of opinion. Some accuse Kurosawa's films for bad acting as well. I think they neglect the fact that it is intentional and based on theater too. Not to mention his attempt for expressionism. I think this also qualifies for Visconti. He focuses on the visual expression of what is essential.

[–] mikainen 11 years ago

The dubbing takes a lot away from actors performance.

[–] patrick-180-667941 9 years ago

The French dubbing is excellent. What dubbing are you speaking of ;-)

[–] Sergeant343 10 years ago

It is hard to judge the acting from a non-Italian perspective, for the film was playing up stereotypes held by the north about the south, plus judging the acting from a language you don't speak is challenging.

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[–] svenrufus 9 years ago

I'd have to agree with this. I do think the most intense scenes were disappointing - the fight between Rocco and Simone, and the rape had the makings of one of the most riveting scenes, but the acting, by all three of them, was really frustrating.

I've often wondered how much my modern sensibilities alienate me from films of other eras, where the acting style is just so different from what I've come to expect. Many 'classic' films leave me feeling disappointed in the end because as beautiully filmed/scripted etc as they may be, I frequently end up feeling that the whole lacks credibility due to some of the performances. It's not always the case, and some of my favourites are from the 40's-60's. But as much as I try to view things through a filter of the times and context, if I haven't experienced that for myself, I find it difficult to truly connect with a film in the way I feel I should. I end up experiencing some films as an observer, rather than as a particpant.

As a big consumer of 'foreign' cinema, there's not a language barrier that bothers me, but perhaps as much as the context of the era presents challenges for me here, the context of the cultural expectations from 60's Italian audiences have placed another barrier between me and the film. In the end I was engaged by the family and their situation, but I didn't enjoy the film.

[–] blanche-2 7 years ago

Alain Delon is certainly capable of a dramatic performance, as in Two Men in Town. Acting styles have changed over the years. Way back in the '30s the actors came directly from theater and you could expect to see and hear the NOW outdated type of stage acting - the tremulous voice, talking too loud, etc. Those were the days of real melodrama.

Today's acting is more subtle but that's not always great. As Bette Davis said, "Actors today want to be real. But REAL acting is larger than life."

[–] rebtguy-39674 8 years ago

I recently saw the restored version, 3 hours, at Wexner Center for the Arts. It was subtitled. Whatever dubbing in Italian took place was not evident to me. Superb visually.

I thought it is truly an emotionally powerful film and very convincing as a family drama. Highly recommended.

I suppose the original post "Bad Acting" is referring to the differences in contemporary film acting from that of prior eras, in other words this film, like many others, has some of a stage-acting quality rather than stark naturalism. This is no way detracts from the outstanding power of this film, I believe, or the achievements of the actors and director.

If you look again at some of Brando's films as Streetcar, Wild One, On the Waterfront, you will detect a stage-acting quality to these performances also.