Film Review
Mamma Roma, Pasolini's second and perhaps most important film, shows some marked
similarities with his first,
Accattone (1961). Both are keenly observed and
intensely poignant portraits of Italian poor people trapped in a life from which there
is no escape, filmed using a starkly neo-realist yet alluring style of cinematography.
Post-war Italian film icon Anna Magnani stars as the tragically framed lead character,
Mamma Roma, giving a characteristically gripping performance, full of emotional power
yet totally believable. Thanks to her contribution, the film leaves a lasting impression
on the spectator, in spite of (or perhaps because of) the simplicity of the narrative
and the harsh melodramatic ending.
© James Travers 2002
The above content is owned by filmsdefrance.com and must not be copied.
Next Pier Paolo Pasolini film:
Il Vangelo secondo Matteo (1964)
Film Synopsis
Now that she is in her forties and fast losing her good looks, Mamma Roma
has made up her mind to give up her life as a prostitute and try to make
a respectable living, for the sake of her 16-year-old son Ettore. The
latter has grown up in the country with his foster parents and knows nothing
about his mother, although he is keen to renew her acquaintance. After
finding modest accommodation on a housing estate in a poor neighbourhood
on the outskirts of Rome, Mamma Roma moves in with her son and immediately
throws herself into her new job, selling vegetables in the market place.
Now, at last, it seems that she has everything she could want to be happy.
Despite her best efforts, Mamma Roma has a hard time trying to make ends
meet. When an old lover of hers shows up and demands money off her,
she has no choice but to fall back on her old profession. It is an
emergency that she hopes will not recur. Unfortunately, Ettore has
by now discovered his mother's shameful secret. So shocked is he by
his mother's former life as a prostitute that he goes completely off the
rails and becomes mixed up with a gang of petty criminals. When her
son is arrested and thrown into prison, there is only one way that Mamma
Roma can raise the money to have him released. She must become a full-time
prostitute once more...
© James Travers
The above content is owned by filmsdefrance.com and must not be copied.