Rocco and His Brothers (1961)

In sweeping epic style, the prize-winning Rocco and His Brothers tells the story of four poor Italian brothers and their mother who leave their country home and move to bustling Milan with hopes of improving their bitter fortune. The family is thrown into chaos when two of the brothers are torn apart by their love for the same woman and their struggles to succeed in a viciously competitive world. French heartthrob Alain Delon is the gentle, idealistic Rocco, and Italian movie star Renato Salvatori is the undisciplined, savagely jealous Simone. Internationally renowned director Luchino Visconti (Senso, The Leopard, Death in Venice) combined keenly realistic observations and strong passions to create one of his most satisfying and deeply affecting films -restored and unedited!

Rocco Bothers his Brother

For some reason, I had it in mind that "Rocco and his Brothers" was a comedy. When I got the DVD, it appeared I was mistaken. When I watched the movie, I KNEW I was mistaken. My error but no bother; I like a good drama as well. "Rocco and his Brothers" IS a good drama but, as in other Visconti films I've seen, this one is about 40 minutes too long.

The film begins with a rural Southern Italian family arriving in Milan. They've come to join the eldest son/brother and ended up crashing his engagement party. Nothing like an over-bearing and demanding mother to show up and spoil the party. After that, the trials and tribulations eased up and the family of 5 sons and a widowed mother seem to go about their life with more distractions than challenges. Nonetheless, credit must be given to Director Visconti's talent for showing us the life and times of the Italian worker.

There is a female character that seems as though she will end up being involved with all 5 brothers although the movie centers around her relationship with two of them; Simone and Rocco. This triangle is the crux of the movie. Family circles and lover's triangles don't always go together well, be it in geometry or life. An apparent lack of imagination regarding the script leaves both brothers with the same profession as well as the same girl. An ironic twist has each gaining the upper hand in the arena that the other one should have excelled in. By the time the film ends, most viewers will likely feel exhausted (I did) from the emotional impact of the film (as well, for some, as from its' length).

"Rocco and his Brothers" is a movie worth seeing. I rank it below "La Tierra Trema" and "Ossessione" but well above "The Damned" and "The Leopard". All of the aforementioned Visconti movies were longer than they should have been. In some cases, the added footage was a gift. In others it was a burden. I put "Rocco and his Brothers" in the latter category. I have renewed appreciation of the craft of film-editing. September 20, 2008

Rocco and His Brothers

A film of sizeable sweep and authenticity, "Rocco" is another near-masterpiece by Visconti. Though each Parondi brother is profiled, it's the emerging rivalry between Rocco and the mercurial Simone that drives the story forward. French actress Girardot would also achieve stardom playing Nadia, the woman of the streets who comes between them. Long but amply rewarding throughout. June 28, 2007

What the Italian family is all about

(My copy is a Region 2, European version). A masterpiece by Italian director Lucino Visconti. Intense, emotional, realistic, passionate, dramatic story of an Italian family from the poor south (Lucania) who immigrates to the northern city of Napoli.

A 3-hour film that, alternatively, focuses on each one of the sons of the 'mamma'. If "Il Gattopardo" was the drama of the aristocratic Italian family from the south, this one corresponds to the poor family also from the south. Both are cinematic gems, worthy of being included among the best in film history. Although a long film, its intensity never diminishes. Every shot is full of emotion and meaningful and beautiful.

The only thing that disappointed me a little was the way it ended, the last half-hour. It's more of an open ending, no conclusion.

One of the most gorgeous films in b/w that I've seen. Italy to the bones.
December 29, 2006

Another jeweled film of Luchino Visconti!

If the Neo Realism was born with a forgotten film of 1934 named Tony directed by Jean Renoir, you can read frequently that Roberto Roselini has been designed as his Italian father. In these terms, if we assume the cycle initiates with Paisa (1945), Roma cittá apperta and Germania Anno Zero, Vittorio De Sica would follow the traces, many people tend to forget a hidden film of Visconti dated in 1943 -Ossesione- , and best known as "The postman always rings twice."
In this sense Visconti knocked the door before Roselini, and his brilliant career, during three decades until The innocent in 1976 that would constitute his Final Opus..
Rocco is a powerful, magisterial and still actualized film about the life and illusions of Rocco trying to bring back his family the lost dignity. Somehow the striking performance of Alain Delon in this movie meant for him his leap to fame, after his shining acting in Purple Noon 1959.
To talk about the art and influence of Luchino Visconti, his slender camera traveling and expressive close ups woul surpass the limits of this brief comment.
Go for this superb gem of the Italian Realism in those painful years of the Post War.
August 31, 2005

What movie did the other reviewers watch?

Luchino Visconti is a master of the epic, however, his epic style always takes place within a family and always leads downward towards an inevitable doom. His movies tends to remind us of the 'Godfather' but Visconti, dare I say, even gets closer to the marrow of the issues than Coppola does at his best (I am nevertheless, a big fan of 'the Godfather'). To Visconti the finest details of a film are of the utmost importance - you can watch a film like 'Rocco' or the 'Leopard' several times and still miss things. Visconti's cinema is one which reveals itself in every character, in every piece of furniture, in every moment.
'Rocco and his Brothers' is if not my favorite Italian film - certainly one of the top ten. To see the brilliant camera work of Giussepe Rotuno combined with Visconti at his peak is simply magnificent. The film itself is extremely radical in structure - slowly revealing itself - focusing sometimes on what appear to be small conversations - but everything is woven to make a perfect whole - wherein the seams are all neat - and though at times are barely hanging together - it always holds as if there is some greater purpose in mind. Visconti reveals much about both the family and their society. One could be bold and comment that the whole film is about fighting to survive (sometimes fighting one another). Life - sometimes- is like a boxing match but the match is sometimes not the one you choose to fight - you are thrown into it and some of the factors working for or against you are money, pride, love, and family. December 2, 2004

More reviews at Amazon.com ...