Rocco and His Brothers

Rocco and His Brothers
by Luchino Visconti

Rocco and His Brothers
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DVD Cover Information

Actor: Alain Delon, Alessandra Panaro, Annie Girardot, Katina Paxinou, Renato Salvatori
Director: Luchino Visconti
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Subtitled); Italian (Original Language)
Format: Black & White, DVD-Video, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
Picture Format: 1.66:1
Running Time: 168 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2001-10-30
Audience Rating: Unrated
Studio: Image Entertainment

Movie Reviews of Rocco and His Brothers

Movie Review: Rocco Bothers his Brother
Summary: 4 Stars

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.

Summary of Rocco and His Brothers

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!

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