The Moviegoer

If the Italian film "Open City" were nothing more than a grim study of wartime underground in Rome, it would stand as one of the most terrifying pictures of this type to come out of the war. If its only effective shots were the fearful pictures of the captured Italian underground leader about to die from German torture, and if the man's screams were the only stunning use of sound in the movie, "Open City" would burrow deep into the memory. If its epic simplicity were its only virtue, it would nonetheless rank as a fine motion picture.

But the Italians have put an clusive extra quality in the movie that permeates every scene and multiplies many times the effect and distinction of the whole. This quality can only be called religion, but it is religion in a new role, presented with new perspective. The religion is built around the priest, Don Pietro, a worker in the underground. The children of his neighborhood, as sincere while praying and singing in his church as they are while blowing up a building with dynamic, typify the contrasts the movie makes. Even more striking is the picture of Don Pietro himself, as he is forced to watch the torture of his underground comrade. The religious idea in "Open City" reaches a sky-smashing climax when Don Pietro puts God's curse on the German tormentors.

As its religious point of view strengthens its dramatic story, so does the artistry of its production enhance "Open City's" effect as a movie. The performances are simple and restrained, but never miss an opportunity for full dramatic expression. Because the subtleties of acting and of direction are more of the camera than of the sound-track, Americans need not be disturbed by the poor English titles. Nor should they become impatient if the plot seems complicated at first, for they will find much more in "Open City" than its story of manhunt, torture, and death.