In this 1945 Roberto Rossellini classic, the director dramatizes Italian heroism against the Nazis during winter of 1943-44, the darkest months of the War. 

Rather than risk destruction of its treasures, authorities “opened” the Eternal City to German occupation. Awaiting the Allied Liberation, working-class Romans courageously resist their oppressors in underground activity led by a Partisan priest. 

The film, based on a true story, is a powerful anti-fascist statement. A young Federico Fellini contributed to its screenplay, and it made Anna Magnani an international star.

Rome, Open City, foundational in Italy’s post-war cinema, is defining for the style known as Neorealism (Neorealismo). In 1946 it won the world’s highest prize for filmmaking: the Grand Prix at Cannes, predecessor of the Palme d’Or. 

What makes it a great film? Why has it endured to earn the label “classic”?