Roberto Rossellini

Peter Brunette's book is the first full-length study of Roberto Rossellini, combining close analyses of his formal and narrative style with an account of his position in postwar Italy's political and cultural landscape. It explores over forty films, including Open City, Paisan, Voyage to Italy, and The Rise to Power of Louis XIV, and is based on eight years of research and interviews with Rossellini and his family.

Format: Hardback
Length: 444 pages
Publication date: 13 May 2022
Publisher: University of California Press

This groundbreaking study is the first comprehensive examination of the most influential filmmaker of Italian Neorealism in any language. Peter Brunette meticulously analyzes Roberto Rossellini's formal and narrative style, while also providing a comprehensive account of his position in the political and cultural landscape of postwar Italy. The book explores over forty films, including Open City, Paisan, Voyage to Italy, The Rise to Power of Louis XIV, and films made in the director's later years that documented crucial epochs in human history. Brunette's extensive research, spanning eight years, involved interviews with members of Rossellini's family and the director himself. Additionally, he draws on a vast body of European and American criticism, engaging in a thoughtful discussion of the various intellectual debates sparked by Rossellini's work. This landmark study serves as an excellent introduction to one of the most influential practitioners of contemporary cinema, while also offering a fresh and original perspective on Italian Neorealism.

Published in 1996, this title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which celebrates the University of California Press's commitment to discovering and nurturing exceptional minds, providing them with a platform to express their ideas, reach a wider audience, and have a significant impact. Voices Revived leverages print-on-demand technology to make high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible again, drawing from a backlist dating back to 1893.

Weight: 771g
Dimension: 234 x 156 x 28 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780520359376