I know that this is a very well respected film and there are a lot of people who loved it. However, as for me, it did little for me. Now I am NOT saying it's a bad film--I didn't particularly enjoy it. Much of this might just be because I have never understood the appeal for Anna Magnani. In the films of hers I have seen, she just seems very loud and coarse. To each his own.
Mamma Roma (Magnani) is a middle-aged prostitute who has been scrimping and saving for years to afford to retire and bring her son (now 16) to come live with her. He'd apparently been raised for her by someone in the country. The problem is that despite her best intentions, it really is too late to make him into the gentleman she'd envisioned. He prefers to hang with low-lifes, steal and avoid work--proving the old saying "you can never go back". A very sad story, indeed.
The best thing about the film is that it does NOT have clichés like some films about prostitutes. There is no magical happy ending and the life is tough and sad. I can applaud Pasolini for this. But life is awfully short and sometimes I wonder if my time would be better spent watching something a bit more enjoyable. This ISN'T to say I only want to see happy films--it's just that with little connection to the characters, I just never felt particularly drawn to finish the film once it began--something that is actually pretty rare for a film nut like myself.
Mamma Roma (Magnani) is a middle-aged prostitute who has been scrimping and saving for years to afford to retire and bring her son (now 16) to come live with her. He'd apparently been raised for her by someone in the country. The problem is that despite her best intentions, it really is too late to make him into the gentleman she'd envisioned. He prefers to hang with low-lifes, steal and avoid work--proving the old saying "you can never go back". A very sad story, indeed.
The best thing about the film is that it does NOT have clichés like some films about prostitutes. There is no magical happy ending and the life is tough and sad. I can applaud Pasolini for this. But life is awfully short and sometimes I wonder if my time would be better spent watching something a bit more enjoyable. This ISN'T to say I only want to see happy films--it's just that with little connection to the characters, I just never felt particularly drawn to finish the film once it began--something that is actually pretty rare for a film nut like myself.