Open City is considered one of the most important and representative works of Italian neorealism, and an important stepping stone for Italian filmmaking as a whole. The film is the first in Rosselini's 'Neorealist Trilogy', followed by Paisan (1946) and Germany, Year Zero (1948). The title refers to the status of Rome as an open city following its declaration as such on 14 August 1943. Set in Rome in 1944, the film follows a diverse group of characters coping under the Nazi occupation, and centers on a Resistance fighter trying to escape the city with the help of a Catholic priest.
Rome, Open City ( Italian: Roma città aperta), also released as Open City, is a 1945 Italian neorealist war drama film directed by Roberto Rossellini and co-written by Sergio Amidei, Celeste Negarville and Federico Fellini.
