The first feature film made in Italy after the end of WW II, Rome, Open City (1945) heralded the birth of Italy's neorealist cinema movement—which favored natural lighting, on-location shooting, and the prominent use of nonprofessional actors—and served as an inspirational call for unity at a turning point in Italy's history. Once Upon a Time... examines the political and cinematic history of Roberto Rossellini's landmark film, which so memorably dramatized the WWII Italian resistance to the German occupation. In addition to archival footage, which sketches in the relevant historical background, Once Upon a Time... includes scenes from this classic film, revisits some of its key locations today, and features interviews with many of its participants (Rossellini, Anna Magnani, Aldo Fabrizi, Federico Fellini, and Carlo Lizzani), family members (Luca Magnani, Isabella Rossellini, Renzo Rossellini, Ingrid Bergman), and other film directors and critics (Vittorio Taviani, Adriano Apra, Francois Truffaut) who discuss the historical and artistic importance of both Roberto Rossellini, and his groundbreaking film. More at frif.com Video projection
2006, color, 52 minutes, France