Pasolini's second feature closely follows the neo-realist films, especially Rossellini's Roma, città aperta from 1945.

Mamma Roma means above all a masterly role of Magnani. She plays a prostitute who thinks she can escape the red light when her pimp Carmine gets married. She becomes a market merchant and rustles a job for her solitary seventeen-year-old son Ettore. Her dream for a respectable life is quickly dashed, because her love turns out to be a stubborn teenager who hangs out with the wrong friends.

This tale of false happiness and fate, a pessimistic life full of larmoyant outbursts, reflected reality: Franco Citti played the pimp but was arrested by the police during the filming for a crime from the past. This jeopardized the film's completion. Despite fierce resistance from the producer, Pasolini continued to wait for the release of his favorite actor from prison, with whom he had co-wrote the screenplay.

 

In August 2022 we will show 3 Italian classics: Mamma Roma, La Dolce Vita & Otto e Mezzo (8 1/2). We welcome you to our Italian Summer!

 

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