Rossellini 120 to Open at Film Forum With Isabella Rossellini

Film Forum, Cinecittà and the Italian Ministry of Culture are presenting ROSSELLINI 120, a three-week retrospective of filmmaker Roberto Rossellini (1906-1977), marking the 120th anniversary of his birth. The festival runs from November 20 through December 10 at Film Forum, 209 West Houston Street, New York, NY 10014. The 25 films in the festival include new 4K restorations from Cinecittà and eleven 35mm prints from their library in Rome, imported especially for the festival.

The director's daughter Isabella Rossellini will introduce two opening night screenings of VOYAGE TO ITALY, starring her mother Ingrid Bergman, along with MY DAD IS 100 YEARS OLD, directed by Guy Maddin, written by Ms. Rossellini, and will appear again on November 26 (Thanksgiving) to introduce THE FLOWERS OF ST. FRANCIS and EUROPA '51. Ms. Rossellini and her twin sister Ingrid will introduce ROME, OPEN CITY on Saturday, November 21.

Roberto Rossellini entered Italy's film industry as a sound effects man before becoming a screenwriter. Summing up his time writing for others, Rossellini declared, 'I was their slave.' He maintained his disdain for scripts in a career that swerved between fiction and documentary, cinema and television, present-day reality and the lessons of history.

Rossellini's breakthrough came with ROME, OPEN CITY, the film that revitalized Italy's battered industry, brought a new frankness to the screen, introduced moviegoers around the world to the legendary Anna Magnani, and helped prove that international films could be big box office in U.S. arthouses. His next two films, PAISAN and GERMANY YEAR ZERO, became classics of 'Neorealism' in their own right. Rossellini's iconoclasm would later prompt François Truffaut to famously cite him as the father of the French New Wave as well.

Following his neorealist trilogy, Rossellini moved on to L'AMORE, a two-part film starring both Magnani and OPEN CITY co-screenwriter Federico Fellini, the latter in a controversial episode ('Il Miracolo') that spurred a landmark U.S. Supreme Court case; the dark satire THE MACHINE TO KILL BAD PEOPLE; and THE FLOWERS OF ST. FRANCIS, a loose biographical film of Saint Francis of Assisi.

After receiving a fan letter from Hollywood star Ingrid Bergman, Rossellini cast her in his next film, STROMBOLI, a visceral character study shot on location on the Sicilian island. The film's artistry was overshadowed by the tabloid-fueled scandal provoked by Rossellini's affair with Bergman and their protracted divorces. The couple made four more features together: EUROPE '51, FEAR, JOAN OF ARC AT THE STAKE and the masterpiece of the collaboration, VOYAGE TO ITALY. A new 4K restoration of the latter by Cinecittà labs will have its New York premiere as part of the Rossellini retrospective.

'I have never been able to do what I wanted to do from beginning to end,' Rossellini once lamented in an interview. 'In cinema, my desire to speculate has been stronger than my desire for survival.' Rossellini actually wound up doing both, speculating and surviving, crafting a body of work that evolved alongside an industry whose assembly-line method he so vehemently rejected. Tossed together, shakily financed, and often refined during shooting to conform to an obscure plan Rossellini kept in his own head, the films retain a sense of dangerous spontaneity.

Manuela Cacciamani, CEO of Cinecittà, states, 'Film Forum has long been one of New York's most beloved homes for repertory cinema, a place where generations of audiences have discovered the great masters of world film. It is the ideal setting for the work of Roberto Rossellini, who changed the language of cinema and whose films continue to speak powerfully to our present. Cinecittà has held the rights to ten of his most representative films for thirty years, restored in our own laboratories and preserved in valuable 35mm prints, which we are delighted to make exceptionally available for this occasion, that follows the steps of many joint past initiatives, like the legendary 1993 TUTTO FELLINI. We thank our U.S. partners Janus Films and The Criterion Collection for their care in distributing Rossellini's legacy through the years'.

Says Isabella Rossellini, daughter of the director, 'Our family is coming en masse to see the retrospective at Film Forum. It's an occasion for my sister Ingrid and I to show the films to the youngest family members, who never met their Nonno (grandfather) or bisnonno (great-grandfather), in the 120th year since his birth. We're super-grateful to both Film Forum and Cinecittà, who for years have restored and presented our father's work. His films continue to inspire filmmakers all around the world.'

ROSSELLINI 120 has been programmed by Bruce Goldstein, Film Forum's Founding Repertory Artistic Director.

For Cinecittà, restorations and film processing supervision were handled by Paola Ruggiero, with event conception and production by Camilla Cormanni.

Screening Schedule

ROME, OPEN CITY (Roma, Città Aperta) — Italy, 1945. Directed by Roberto Rossellini, co-written by Federico Fellini. Starring Anna Magnani, Aldo Fabrizi. Approx. 103 min. 4K Restoration courtesy Janus Films. 35mm print courtesy Cinecittà.

Friday, November 20 at 12:30

Saturday, November 21 at 2:30 and 7:20* - *Introduced by Ingrid & Isabella Rossellini

Sunday, November 22 at 2:40

Monday, November 23 at 12:15

Thursday, November 26 at 2:20 [35mm]

Friday, November 27 at 2:20

Saturday, November 28 at 5:50 [35mm]

Sunday, November 29 at 12:20

Monday, November 30 at 2:10

Wednesday, December 2 at 2:20

Thursday, December 3 at 8:50 [35mm]

Friday, December 4 at 2:00

Tuesday, December 8 at 2:10 [35mm]

Thursday, December 10 at 7:10

PAISAN (Paisà) — Italy, 1946. Directed by Roberto Rossellini. Starring Carmela Sazio, Robert Van Loon, Dots Johnson. Approx. 126 min. 35mm print courtesy Cinecittà.

Friday, November 20 at 2:45

Saturday, November 21 at 4:45

Sunday, November 22 at 4:50

Saturday, November 28 at 12:20

Sunday, November 29 at 5:30

Thursday, December 10 at 2:15

VOYAGE TO ITALY (aka Journey to Italy) (Viaggio in Italia) — Italy/France, 1954. Directed by Roberto Rossellini. Starring Ingrid Bergman, George Sanders. Approx. 97 min. New York premiere of new 4K restoration from Cinecittà.

Friday, November 20 at 5:30* and 8:10* - *Introduced by Isabella Rossellini (both shows)

Saturday, November 21 at 12:20

Sunday, November 22 at 9:10

Monday, November 23 at 2:45 and 8:40

Friday, November 27 at 12:15

Sunday, November 29 at 8:10

Saturday, December 5 at 9:10

Monday, December 7 at 4:10

Tuesday, December 8 at 9:10

Wednesday, December 9 at 12:15

Thursday, December 10 at 9:20

*Selected shows preceded by MY DAD IS 100 YEARS OLD (Canada, 2005), directed by Guy Maddin, written by Isabella Rossellini. Approx. 16 min. Courtesy Guy Maddin.

L'AMORE — Italy, 1948. Directed by Roberto Rossellini. Starring Anna Magnani, Federico Fellini. Approx. 80 min. 35mm print courtesy Cinecittà.

Sunday, November 22 at 12:50

Monday, November 30 at 12:20

Tuesday, December 1 at 2:20

Wednesday, December 2 at 4:30

Thursday, December 3 at 6:30

Friday, December 4 at 12:15

Sunday, December 6 at 8:30

GERMANY, YEAR ZERO (Germania, Anno Zero) — Italy/France/Germany, 1948. Directed by Roberto Rossellini. Starring Edmund Moeschke, Ernst Pittschau, Ingertraud Hinze. Approx. 78 min. 35mm print courtesy Cinecittà.

Sunday, November 22 at 7:25

Monday, November 23 at 4:50

Tuesday, November 24 at 12:15

Friday, November 27 at 4:35

Monday, November 30 at 4:20

Monday, December 7 at 8:20

Wednesday, December 9 at 4:40

WHERE IS FREEDOM? (Dov'è la liberta?) — Italy, 1954. Directed by Roberto Rossellini. Starring Totò, Vera Molnar, Nyta Dover. Approx. 93 min. Courtesy Rialto Pictures.

Tuesday, November 24 at 2:00

Wednesday, November 25 at 3:00

Friday, November 27 at 6:15

Wednesday, December 2 at 12:20

THE MAN WITH A CROSS (L'uomo dalla croce) — Italy, 1943. Directed by Roberto Rossellini. Starring Alberto Tavazzi, Roswita Schmidt, Aldo Capacci. Approx. 74 min. 35mm print courtesy Cinecittà. With FANTASIA SOTTOMARINO (Italy, 1940), directed by Roberto Rossellini, approx. 10 min., courtesy Cinecittà.

Tuesday, November 24 at 4:10

Wednesday, November 25 at 5:40

LES CARABINIERS — France/Italy, 1963. Directed by Jean-Luc Godard, co-written by Roberto Rossellini. Starring Marino Masé, Patrice Moullet, Geneviève Galéa, Catherine Ribeiro, Barbet Schroeder. Approx. 80 min. Courtesy Rialto Pictures.

Wednesday, November 25 at 7:40

Tuesday, December 1 at 4:10

THE ROSSELLINIS — Italy, 2020. Directed by Alessandro Rossellini. Featuring Isabella Rossellini, Ingrid Rossellini, Renzo Rossellini, Robin Rossellini, Gil Nur Rossellini. Approx. 90 min. Courtesy B&B Film.

Thursday, November 26 at 12:20

Tuesday, December 1 at 6:00

GENERAL DELLA ROVERE (Il Generale Della Rovere) — Italy/France, 1959. Directed by Roberto Rossellini. Starring Vittorio De Sica, Hannes Messemer, Sandra Milo, Anne Vernon. Approx. 132 min. 35mm print courtesy Cinecittà.

Wednesday, November 25 at 12:15

Friday, November 27 at 8:20

Saturday, November 28 at 3:10

EUROPA '51 — Italy, 1952. Directed by Roberto Rossellini. Starring Ingrid Bergman, Alexander Knox, Ettore Gianini. Approx. 110 min. Courtesy Janus Films.

Thursday, November 26 at 7:10 - Introduced by Isabella Rossellini

Saturday, November 28 at 8:10

Saturday, December 5 at 2:35

STROMBOLI — Italy/U.S., 1950. Directed by Roberto Rossellini. Starring Ingrid Bergman, Mario Vitale, Renzo Cesana, Mario Sponzo. Approx. 106 min. 35mm print courtesy Cinecittà.

Monday, November 30 at 8:00

Friday, December 4 at 8:10

Saturday, December 5 at 12:20

Thursday, December 10 at 4:50

THE FLOWERS OF ST. FRANCIS (Francesco, giullare di Dio) — Italy, 1950. Directed by Roberto Rossellini. Starring Aldo Fabrizi, Gianfranco Bellini, Peparuolo. Co-written by Federico Fellini. Approx. 87 min. 35mm print courtesy Cinecittà. 4K restoration courtesy Janus Films.

Thursday, November 26 at 4:45 - Introduced by Isabella Rossellini

Tuesday, December 1 at 12:20 and 8:00

Friday, December 4 at 6:10 [35mm]

Sunday, December 6 at 1:40 [35mm]

Monday, December 7 at 12:20 [35mm]

Thursday, December 10 at 12:15 [35mm]

THE MACHINE TO KILL BAD PEOPLE (La macchina ammazzacattivi) — Italy, 1952. Directed by Roberto Rossellini. Starring Giovanni Amato, Marilyn Buferd, Pietro Carloni. Approx. 85 min. 35mm print courtesy Cinecittà.

Wednesday, December 2 at 6:20

Thursday, December 3 at 4:40

INDIA: MATRI BHUMI — Italy/France, 1959. Directed by Roberto Rossellini. Approx. 90 min. Courtesy Janus Films. And INTERVIEW WITH SALVADOR ALLENDE (La Forza e la Ragione: Intervista a Salvador Allende) — Italy/Chile, 1973. Directed by Roberto Rossellini and Emidio Greco. Approx. 43 min. Courtesy Janus Films.

Wednesday, December 2 at 8:10

Thursday, December 3 at 12:20

FEAR (La Paura) — Italy/Germany, 1954. Directed by Roberto Rossellini. Starring Ingrid Bergman, Mathias Wieman, Renate Mannhardt, Kurt Kreuger. Approx. 83 min. New York Premiere of New 4K restoration courtesy Cinecittà.

Thursday, December 3 at 2:30*

Saturday, December 5 at 5:10*

Tuesday, December 8 at 12:20

Wednesday, December 9 at 6:25

*Selected shows preceded by VIVA INGRID! (Italy, 2015), directed by Alessandro Rossellini. Approx. 19 min. Courtesy Cinecittà.

JOAN OF ARC AT THE STAKE (Giovanna d'Arco al rogo) — Italy/France, 1954. Directed by Roberto Rossellini. Starring Ingrid Bergman, Tullio Carminati, Giacinto Prandelli. Approx. 80 min. 35mm print courtesy Cinecittà.

Friday, December 4 at 4:15

Saturday, December 5 at 7:20

Sunday, December 6 at 3:40*

Monday, December 7 at 2:20

*Sunday's show followed by a special screening of Victor Fleming's Technicolor Joan of Arc (1948), starring Ingrid Bergman. 35mm restoration courtesy UCLA Film & Television Archive.

ANNO UNO — Italy, 1974. Directed by Roberto Rossellini. Starring Luigi Vannucchi, Dominique Darel, Rita Calderoni. In Italian with English subtitles. Approx. 115 min. Restored by Minerva Pictures and Cinecittà. 4K restoration courtesy Janus Films.

Tuesday, December 8 at 4:25

Wednesday, December 9 at 8:20

VIVA ITALIA! — Italy/France, 1961. Directed by Roberto Rossellini. Starring Renzo Ricci, Paolo Stoppa, Franco Interlenghi. Approx. 129 min. 35mm print courtesy Cinecittà.

Tuesday, December 8 at 6:50

Wednesday, December 9 at 2:25

Film Forum's repertory calendar is programmed by Bruce Goldstein, Founding Repertory Artistic Director.

Photo Credit: Archivio Luce Cinecittà