Review XCVII
Rocco e i suoi fratelli (1960)
I debated reviewing this film because Luchino Visconti's Rocco and His Brothers is... special in its own Italian way. But then I realised I watched this film for Alain Delon, and I should review this film for the other Delon lovers out there. The film also stars Renato Salvatori, Annie Girardot, Renato Terra, Rocco Vidolazzi, and Spiros Focás. Oh, and Katina Paxinou as the mother. Oh, and ignore the Russian poster - it just looked the prettiest.
The Parondi family is forced to displace from the south of Italy to Milan in the north in order to find work. They meet up with the oldest son of the family, Vincenzo (Focás), who is getting it on with a girl (Claudia Cardinale) - I mean, settling down. The family doesn't get the welcome they were hoping for and soon realise Milan is not exactly the city they thought it would be. And a woman (Girardot) might just cause the family to close the only thing they know - each other.
After that completely awful synopsis, let's actually talk about the movie. I finished another Luchino Visconti film prior to Rocco e i suoi fratelli - Il gattopardo, or The Leopard in English. That one also stars Alain Delon! But seriously, it's a long film that I had trouble getting into, though the shots were beautiful, and the final scene was particularly heart-breaking. Nonetheless, the film aged well. It was released in 1963, but it's still watchable today. Granted, it is set in the 1800s, but the acting and the way the plot was adapted is timeless. Rocco e i suoi fratelli? Not really. The film is very 1960s. The acting isn't bad per se, but the plot is just so... melodramatic. Everyone is so melodramatic. I had a good chuckle here and there over the crying and ranting and rape (!), but the film really didn't age well. Even Alain Delon was not enough to hold my attention. While I make the film sound bad, it's just a bit boring and aged.
Rocco e i suoi fratelli has not aged well in my opinion. The idea of this family having to move for work and finding itself in a heartless town is touching, but you can get the same idea from another better film, I'm sure. Watch this film for the absolute melodrama and the innocence of Alain Delon. Fine.
