The beginning for me felt quite slow and uneventful, as is characteristic of Italian neorealism. Italian neorealism likes to establish the normality of everyday activities which expresses the lives of locals, and being a pretty fast-paced person I did not like this much. Also, the dialogue delivery was a little awkward at first, but perhaps this could be a cultural difference in speech and conversation.
The acting was quite good. Magnani plays her part well, and her chemistry with Annichiarico is prominent, though not the same can be said between her and Francesco. She gives a moving performance in her last scene as well, with her desperation and emotions traversing the screen. Fabrizi as well gets into the shoes of his character well and plays the part of the priest convincingly. Francesco and Pagliero as part of the resistance to the Nazi occupiers don't really seem to be doing anything but talk. Understandably, they have to be cautious but I don't believe I actually saw them 'resisting' anything except via words. Well, there was an exchange with other rebels but it just seemed like they were pretty inactive.
Additionally, some characters are well developed, while others are ambiguous or stereotypical. Pina seems to be the protagonist and her character is pretty well established but she doesn't carry the narrative (not in the second half anyway). Don Pietro is another well established character who has no surprises. Francesco and Manfredi are depicted as the heroes but not in the conventional sense (as they don't do heroic stunts), and the other female characters in the film are shallow and presented as stereotypes.
The story doesn't flow in one continuous movement, and more or less feels like it plods along. There is a clear linear narrative, but it was just a little slow in the first half. Plus, there are a few discrepancies and ambiguity to what happens to some characters. I'm not sure if I missed some scenes (admittedly I fell asleep for a few minutes), but Francesco's character just disappears. Apart from that, there are some very saddening scenes which make this film quite depressing.
Read more movie reviews at: championangels.wordpress.com
The acting was quite good. Magnani plays her part well, and her chemistry with Annichiarico is prominent, though not the same can be said between her and Francesco. She gives a moving performance in her last scene as well, with her desperation and emotions traversing the screen. Fabrizi as well gets into the shoes of his character well and plays the part of the priest convincingly. Francesco and Pagliero as part of the resistance to the Nazi occupiers don't really seem to be doing anything but talk. Understandably, they have to be cautious but I don't believe I actually saw them 'resisting' anything except via words. Well, there was an exchange with other rebels but it just seemed like they were pretty inactive.
Additionally, some characters are well developed, while others are ambiguous or stereotypical. Pina seems to be the protagonist and her character is pretty well established but she doesn't carry the narrative (not in the second half anyway). Don Pietro is another well established character who has no surprises. Francesco and Manfredi are depicted as the heroes but not in the conventional sense (as they don't do heroic stunts), and the other female characters in the film are shallow and presented as stereotypes.
The story doesn't flow in one continuous movement, and more or less feels like it plods along. There is a clear linear narrative, but it was just a little slow in the first half. Plus, there are a few discrepancies and ambiguity to what happens to some characters. I'm not sure if I missed some scenes (admittedly I fell asleep for a few minutes), but Francesco's character just disappears. Apart from that, there are some very saddening scenes which make this film quite depressing.
Read more movie reviews at: championangels.wordpress.com