Hi all,
Can someone please explain the closing scene of the movie where Rocco's youngest brother sees his pic in the newspaper and walks away.
I am looking for a critical explanation of the scene.
Thanks.
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Well, he stood for a few moments to look at Rocco's picture and then he touched it. This means that Luca looks up to Rocco, that he sees him as his role model and a hero.
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Well I thought that it meant that Rocco was a great boxing champion and had finally taken Simone's place. It also meant I think that he had basically become trapped into becoming something he was not. Remember he wanted to go back to his hometown and help the poor people there and in the end that's failed. As Ciro says in the end, they're a long way off from taking care of themselves leave alone a town and that by the time they headed back it would have changed completely.
People dissapear ever day...sometimes when you leave the room - The Passenger
Remember, the last section is entitled "Luca," and the final images need to be understood in terms of this youngest Parondi brother.
shareIf I am not mistaken, the movie first depicts a little of the life and personality of Vincenzo, who sticks to family and yet remains with his girlfriend (whom his mother dislikes)-He is very conservative; then we have Simone, very selfish, foolish and ambitious; then Rocco, who is willing to sacrifice the things he loves for his family; Ciro, who is more pragmatic, meaning he is an straightforward guy with a regular job to support the family; and, in the end, we see Lucca, the youngest brother, who has got all these different influences, which of course will affect his personality. I think he represents innocence. He is like the embodiment of the way of the countryside, in contrast of that of a city (Milan being the case this time), which is represented in part by the box manager and more notably by Nadia, the prostitute...Well, that's what I believe
shareAlso earlier in the last scene Ciro describes Rocco as a saint so fittingly he depicted as such in the form of posters. visconti is drawing a line between idolatry of saints and modern day worship of celebrity.
one major theme of the film is the effect of urbanization, mainly its fracturing of good old fashioned Italian notion of family. it is bittersweet (or just plain bitter) that the fraternal conflicts are finally settled through backstabbing, fistfights and whole lotta drama that in the end creates each sibling to hold a critical distance from each other. Ciro's cold objective assessment of each of his brother's faults is one such consequence of citylife creating fissures in traditional ideal of unconditional love. and that disassociation between siblings is further emphasized when Luca is only able to "look up" to his brother Rocco only by posters (as it is implied he is now busy touring Europe and such).
I think thats why the last scene is extra poignant because had they stayed in the country (the "land"), which was in dire poverty, this strange gaps between brothers would not have happened. and Luca will probably grow up as the most lonely of all his brothers. many neorealist films dealt with social implications of post-war economic conditions and its threat against fundamental values, though these changes weren't necessarily seen as purely negative but just inevitable, which is what makes them all the more tragic.
All these replies mean I was wrong in my understanding of the closing scene.
After Simone had killed Nadia and Rocco consoles him, I assumed that Rocco would take the crime on himself and go to jail in place of Simone. And that in the last shot, his picture appears in the newspapers as a criminal. Luca loves his brother and is heartbroken at seeing his brother's picture as a criminal.
And then he walks away on an empty road. This to me signified that ultimately you have to move on though I am sure there is more to the child walking away on an empty road.
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Are the newspapers you are referring to the posters on the wall? They celebrate Rocco as a boxer and were probably advertising the big match that took place in the segment before while Simone was killing Nadia.
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were probably advertising the big match that took place in the segment before while Simone was killing Nadia.
You probably saw another copy of the movie 'cause in my case posters clearly were related to some boxing competition!
Ok, 1 minute ago Luca accepted the idea which was completely new for him: that from some point of view some things could be more important then brotherhood, and that Rocco's all-forgiving attitude could be unacceptable. Maybe Rocco's wrong but that doesn't lessen Lucca's love for Rocco and desire to ease his agony and he's sad that Rocco's away presumably doing his gall and wormwood boxing and instinctively finds a way to express his attachement in body language.
Hi, pawankhatri-1 ! I think EXACTLY like you about this scene :)
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Wow! Yes, what does the writing in the newspaper say? I was hoping for a subtitle
--
GEORGE
And all's fair in love and war?
MRS. BAILEY
[primly] I don't know about war.
Yes the ending is 'bittersweet'. Giving up their "paese" for the big city has had a high cost for the Parondi family. Simone is a fallen character, Rocco has gone on his own to boxing success, Ciro is resigned to a monotonous job in the Alfa Romeo factory....but Luca's call at the very end represents the strength of the family ties. The family is broken, but not completely. They will survive despite tragedy.
Throughout the film we saw the effect that Simone's actions were having on the family and Ciro especially being concerned with how Luca would respond to being exposed to Simone's bad behavior. The ending scene is fluid in its entirety with the conversation between Luca and Ciro touching on everything from tradition to morals. I felt that when Luca reached out and touched the picture of Rocco it indicated that he had made up his mind to be more like the saintly brother instead of the evil Simone.
shareItalian-Americans, especially of the older generation. often touch a statue in church or a holy picture at home, in this way. Some Hispanics also have this custom.
shareThis is a truly magnificent ending. It's very sad with an elegic tone. Luco looks up to Rocco but it's not necessarily a good thing. The world is changing, which is sad, although it is inevitable. Rocco is unreachable. The family has broken up. At least this is how I've always seen it. But I don't think anyone should 'explain' it. However, it seems that this thread hasn't become a place of explanation rather than discussion and personal interpretation. Interesting reading!
shareThe family has broken up.