MovieChat Forums > Rocco e i suoi fratelli (1961) Discussion > Overrated because its Italian? (spoilers...

Overrated because its Italian? (spoilers)

posted 15 years ago by superbartje
23 replies | jump to latest

Seriously, this movie isn't that great.

- Cinematography is very standard, mostly medium shots to cover all the dialog.
- The scenario is too obvious in its stereotypes, and too explanatory. For instance: Ciro explaining who represents the good and the bad at the end.
- The end of this movie, with Simone coming home, is just a hilarious crying frenzy.

Some thoughts on why it seems old-fashioned/reactionary (possibly even back then):

- Moral: better get some education so you can work in the factory.
- Moral: life was better on the countryside.
- The boxing scenes were terrible. Even Charlie Chaplin's punches in City Lights seemed more realistic (being made 30 years before this one).
- Ridiculously Catholic: Simone just murdered Rocco's sort-of-girlfriend. Ciro wants to call the cops. Rocco, crying in the arms of the man that just killed his girl (?!), doesn't think it's a good idea (!): he don't believe in the laws of men.. But when his mother curses, he hysterically cries: 'Don't curse, mom!'
- The depiction of women is just silly, it makes Hitchcock's Marnie seem feminist. For instance: Rocco mostly feels sorry for himself when his brother almost rapes his girlfriend out of jealousy. As a solution Rocco tells the girl she should be his brother's girl again. She obeys..

- Admitted, Alain Delon is great, and so is the music. But 3 hours is a very long time. Looking past the exotic 'Italian cinema' predicate, I think its just not that good..

[–] rayn0rrr 15 years ago

I agree for the most part, it just did not withstand the test of time. I watched it in the cinema last night mostly with people from the generation from when it came out. The last scene (you call crying frenzy) was absurd, everybody started laughing.

Looking past it, there's a good movie with good moments (the rape scene was intense) but a story introduction that takes too long and many melodramatic (probably for its time and place a signature) moments took me out of the story.

It lost the test of time.

[–] patrick-180-667941 9 years ago

The last scene (you call crying frenzy) was absurd, everybody started laughing.

It is not the last scene. I think your laughing only shows a cultural divide. Rocco really wants to first help his brother, whatever he has done wrong and he knows it's terrible. I think that kind of brotherly love, family loyalty at all cost, even if the brother has done wrong, has simply disappeared and been replaced by plain individualism. Hence your very modern laughter.

[–] trupodur 15 years ago

hmm to accuse "Rocco..." of antifeminism is a bright idea.
Let's accuse "Titanic" of anticaptainism!:)

[–] superbartje 15 years ago

eh..?

[–] 15 years ago

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[–] Jaws67 14 years ago

You nailed it Professor Puppy. I agree with all your points. Intensely brutal violence and emotion for the period, and the operatic ending scene (Simone coming back)is powerful BECAUSE of its mixture of self-conscious melodrama and pure emotion.

I'd add that Salvatori and Annie Girardot are even better than Delon here.

[–] arnis12 15 years ago

"Cinematography is very standard"

The scene where Simone comes home towards the end of the film is one of my all time favorite sequences. There's no CGI or over the top camera moves. It's simply a mother opening the door to reveal her prodigal son. The way the scene is composed, lit, and the way the characters are choreographed within the frame is breathtaking. And then Simone looks up and seems to look at the camrea, and at the audience, and then his mother turns towards us to tell us he's home. Visconti was a master.

[–] patrick-180-667941 9 years ago

"Cinematography is very standard"

Even if that were true (not sure at all about that, read arnis12's answer), this is again not a criticism. Doing unstandard Cinematography just to do unstandard things does not make a good movie.

Being modern (not reactionary), neither. Especially when part of the film is precisely about the effects of the city/individualistic urban setting on old family structures and loyalties.

[–] Cold_Sweat 14 years ago

The boxing scenes were terrible. Even Charlie Chaplin's punches in City Lights seemed more realistic (being made 30 years before this one).

Huh, really?! These were the best boxing scenes I've seen in a movie! Visconti really manages to immerse the viewer into the rage of the ring. As a comparison, the boxing scenes in Raging Bull were really dull.

[–] g_monte 14 years ago

I agree with the OP. This movie was a big disappointment for me. It's not that much better than the average Hollywood melodrama from that time period. Overlong and not very compelling.

[–] hcim90 14 years ago

Nothing Italian is overrated.

I wish I could think of something witty to put here... but I can't.

[–] marbanasin 12 years ago

sono in accordo.

Can't keep me off this escalator!

[–] zarathustra_777 13 years ago

Well, put it in this context. Visconti was a rich Milanese and he made a movie about poor southerners emigrating to his city, so its not exactly a story about his own world, so maybe he overdoes the southerner stereotype. I do agree that the ending was a bit melodramatic, Visconti got better with age.

[–] Replicant-88 12 years ago

how many english film overrated because it's....

my favorite films://www.imdb.com/list/iFa7p7uwsr8/

[–] 12 years ago

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