An American in Rome (1954) User Reviews

freewheelin' Nando!

[elvinjones · 8/10 · 21 June 2003]

This is one of the most famous and loved pictures of the late Alberto Sordi. He plays the role of Nando Meniconi, a young man crazy about U.S.A., in line with the post-war attraction for the country that wins the comflict and "free" Italy. Wearing in denim with a basketball hat, crazy about Joe DiMaggio, Nando is a living danger for all is around him; parents, girlfriend, occasional partners. The plot is confused and low budget; some of the situations are only a veichle for the non-stop improvisative vein of the master actor but this movie is very memorable because is Sordi state-of-art. This is a portrait in which a lot of italians would be recognized. And, if you know italian language, you can laugh all the time. Is a counterpoint for the neorealism school; where you have realism and social critic here you have innocent but funny and realistic parody of costumes and mentality of the italian boys of the '50; chewing gum, toy guns and...hopes for a far, young, winner land...Noew is different but I think that America craze exist the same today!!! w Nando and his spaghetti!!!

Americano Americano Americano

[Apollo15AnnoPianoCatDogSnailAnt · 7/10 · 14 November 2020]

Spaghetti is called worm which is funny, funny stuff, great charming sequences and the title at first is like pedestrian but then you realize oh yeah it is a clever title, the guy Alberto is a great cosmic entity of awesomeness, epic ness, a just excellent picaro character portrayal of this sequences of heightened reality, improbable but not impossible events of craving for America while conjuring up ideas in Roma, the is a craving I already read about in other biographies of italian directors around this era so this is a well known craving and shown here awesome as they use the best thing while in some place craving for something else, imagination.

this film is amazing!

[jennyred49 · 1 June 2003]

I find his interpretation of the young "romano" who wants to be "americano" fantastic, and although I did not like Alberto Sordi when I first came to Italy (1970) I realize I did not understand the humor or the culture, but since then I have seen many of his films , and this remains one of my favourites. It is lively, funny, relaxing, and also shows how the "americanisation" has really come about (cereals for breakfast, fast food, cars, blue jeans) which were a joke then, are everyday reality today) However one thing has however survived, the love for spaghetti by the Italians, in fact one of the scenes I prefer is when Alberto decides to destroy his huge plate of spaghetti, as I like to destroy them in the same way. It is a film that can be seen over and over again . If you want to learn more about the Italians from the "inside" Alberto sordi is the actor to follow in the last 50 years

Young Italian crazy about Americans,drives everyone nuts !

[skulli99 · 9/10 · 23 August 2002]

In the early 1950's it seems that American prestige internationally was at its highest ! Americans could do nothing wrong ! They were the best ! So the youth in those times tried to emulate American customs,habits and musical taste's ! And Nando Mericoni in this film is no exception ! He loves America/Americans so much so, that he constantly talks in a Italianised version of American English, which for Italians is very amusing to hear, but would leave foreigners unamused ! Apparently Alberto Sordi learnt this speech from when American troops when they occupied Rome in 1944. (Americans must understand that film is really is making fun not of Americans, rather of the Italian youth gone completely crazy for anything American) !. The most famous and legendary scene is when after seeing an American western film,he walks home imitating John Wayne,in his pseudo American....comes into his kitchen insisting to eat cornflakes with ketchup ! "just like how the Americans do !" ..inevitably he finds it disgusting , and launches himself on a big bowl of spagetti with the phrase "Mi hai provocato, me te magno,..te distruggo !" (in Roman dialect "you have provoked me,I'll eat you,I'll destroy you !"). This scene was filmed with only one shot/take so perfect was Alberto's Sordi's performance, that the film Director Steno, had to be led away because he was laughing so much !

At the end of the film,Nando ends up on top of Colloseum threatening to kill himself, if he doesn't get permission to go to America !

The American Consul is sent up to reason with him, but ends up beating him, for having some weeks before caused an accident in which the consul broke his arm ! Great film, in the best Italian comedy tradition,after nearly 50 years this film is still seen, and is found everywhere in Italy on videotape ! But I think foreigners won't like this film , ....too bad for them !! My vote is 9.