Career
In 1937, Rossellini shot his first film, Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune, which was possibly unreleased and later lost. After this film, he was called to work as assistant director on Goffredo Alessandrini's in making Luciano Serra pilota, one of the most successful Italian films of the first half of the 20th century, and later worked on Francesco De Robertis's 1940 film Uomini sul Fondo. His close friendship with Vittorio Mussolini, son of Benito Mussolini, has been interpreted as a possible reason for having been preferred to other apprentices.
Some writers have described the first part of his career as a sequence of trilogies. His first feature film, The White Ship (1941) was sponsored by the audiovisual propaganda centre of Navy Department and is the first work in Rossellini's "Fascist Trilogy", together with A Pilot Returns (1942) and The Man with a Cross (1943). During this period he developed relationships with Federico Fellini and Aldo Fabrizi. The Fascist regime collapsed in 1943, and two months after the liberation of Rome (4 June 1944), Rossellini began preparing the anti-fascist Roma città aperta (Rome, Open City, 1945), with Fellini assisting on the script. Fabrizi played the role of the priest, while Rossellini self-produced, filming commencing in January 1945. Most of the money came from credits and loans, and film had to be found on the black market. This dramatic film was an immediate success. It has been called the first film of the Neorealist Trilogy, the second title of which was Paisà (1946), produced with non-professional actors, and the third, Germany, Year Zero (1948), was sponsored by a French producer and filmed in Berlin's French sector. In Berlin also, Rossellini preferred non-actors, but he was unable to find a face he found "interesting"; he placed his camera in the centre of a town square, as he did for Paisà, but was surprised when nobody came to watch.
As he declared in an interview "in order to really create the character that one has in mind, it is necessary for the director to engage in a battle with his actor which usually ends with submitting to the actor's wish. Since I do not have the desire to waste my energy in a battle like this, I only use professional actors occasionally". One of the reasons for success is supposed to be Rossellini's rewriting of the scripts according to the non-professional actors' feelings and histories. Regional accent, dialect and costumes were shown in the film as they were in real life.
After his Neorealist Trilogy, Rossellini produced two films now classified as the 'Transitional films': L'Amore (1948) (with Anna Magnani) and La macchina ammazzacattivi (1952), on the capability of cinema to portray reality and truth (with recalls of commedia dell'arte). In 1948, Rossellini received a letter from a famous foreign actress proposing a collaboration:
:I saw your films *Open City* and *Paisan*, and enjoyed them very much. If you need a Swedish actress who speaks English very well, who has not forgotten her German, who is not very understandable in French, and who in Italian knows only "ti amo," I am ready to come and make a film with you.
:::Ingrid Bergman
With this letter began one of the best-known love stories in film history, with Bergman and Rossellini both at the peak of their careers. Their first collaboration was *Stromboli terra di Dio* (1950) (in the island of Stromboli, and its volcano quite conveniently erupted during filming). This affair caused a great scandal in some countries (Bergman and Rossellini were married to other people); the scandal intensified when Bergman became pregnant with Renato Roberto Ranaldo Giusto Giuseppe ("Robin") Rossellini. Rossellini and Bergman had two more children, Isabella Rossellini (actress & model) and her twin, Ingrid Isotta. *Europa '51* (1952), *Siamo Donne* (1953), *Journey to Italy* (1954), *La paura* (1954) and *Giovanna d'Arco al rogo* (1954) were the other films on which they worked together.
In 1957, Jawaharlal Nehru, the prime minister of India at the time, invited him to India to make the documentary *India* and put some life into the floundering Indian Films Division. Though married to Bergman, he had an affair with Sonali Senroy Dasgupta, a screenwriter, herself married to local filmmaker Harisadhan Dasgupta, who was helping develop vignettes for the film. Given the climate of the 1950s, this led to a huge scandal in India as well as in Hollywood. Nehru had to ask Rossellini to leave. Soon after, Bergman and Rossellini separated.
In 1971, Rice University in Houston, Texas, invited Rossellini to help establish a Media Center, where in 1970 he had begun planning a film on science with Rice professor Donald D. Clayton. They worked daily for two weeks in Rome in summer 1970, but financing was insufficient for filming to begin. In 1973, he was invited to teach at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, where he taught a one-semester course titled "The Essential Image."
Rossellini's final project was the documentary *Beaubourg*, filmed in 1977 and first premiered in 1983.
## Personal life
In 1934, Rossellini married Assia Noris, a Russian actress who worked in Italian films; the marriage was annulled in 1936. On 26 September 1936, he married Marcella De Marchis (17 January 1916, Rome – 25 February 2009, Sarteano), a costume designer with whom he collaborated even after their marriage was over. De Marchis and Rossellini had two sons: Marco Romano (born 3 July 1937 and died of appendicitis in 1946), and Renzo (born 24 August 1941). Rossellini and De Marchis divorced in 1950.
::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/50/Roberto_Rossellini_and_Ingrid_Bergman,_1953.jpg" caption="Rossellini and Bergman in ''[[Photoplay]]'' magazine, January 1953. Bergman's pregnancy was a scandal that rocked Hollywood]]While filming ''Stromboli'', Rossellini had an affair with [[Ingrid Bergman]] (who was at the time married to [[Petter Lindström]]) in 1949. In the same month the film was released, Bergman gave birth to a boy, Renato Roberto Ranaldo Giusto Giuseppe ("Robin") Rossellini (born 2 February 1950). A week after their son was born, Bergman divorced Lindström and married Rossellini in Mexico. On 18 June 1952, she gave birth to their twin daughters Isotta Ingrid Rossellini and [[Isabella Rossellini]]."]
::
In 1957, Rossellini had an affair with Bengali screenwriter Sonali Dasgupta (née Senroy), and soon after, Bergman and Rossellini separated. Rossellini eloped with Dasgupta in 1957 when she was 27 years old. He adopted her young son Arjun, renamed Gil Rossellini (23 October 1956 – 3 October 2010), who became a New York-based film producer. Rossellini and Dasgupta had a daughter together, Raffaella Rossellini (born 1958), who is an actress and model.
In 1973, Rossellini left Dasgupta for producer Silvia D'Amico Bendicò, but he remained married to Dasgupta until his death of a heart attack at age 71 in 1977.
Along with Albert Einstein, Rossellini was one of the sponsors of the Peoples' World Convention (PWC), also known as Peoples' World Constituent Assembly (PWCA), which took place in 1950–51 at Palais Electoral, Geneva, Switzerland.
## Legacy
Rossellini's films after his early Neo-Realist films—particularly his films with Ingrid Bergman—were commercially unsuccessful, though *Journey to Italy* is well regarded in some quarters. He was an acknowledged master for the critics of *Cahiers du Cinéma* in general and André Bazin, François Truffaut, and Jean-Luc Godard in particular. Truffaut noted in his 1963 essay, *Roberto Rossellini Prefers Real Life* (available in *The Films in My Life*) that Rossellini's influence among the directors who became part of the nouvelle vague was so great that he was in every sense "the father of the French New Wave".
His posthumous ex-son-in-law Martin Scorsese has acknowledged Rossellini's seminal influence in his documentary *My Voyage to Italy* (the title itself a take on Rossellini's *Voyage to Italy*). Among works from Italian directors Fellini, Visconti, De Sica and Antonioni, Rossellini's films form at least half of the films Scorsese discusses, highlighting Rossellini's monumental role in Italian and world cinema. The films covered include his Neo-Realist films and films with Ingrid Bergman, as well as *The Flowers of St. Francis*, about St. Francis of Assisi. Scorsese notes that in contrast to directors who often become stylistically restrained and conservative as their careers advanced, Rossellini became more unconventional as his career advanced, and was constantly experimenting with new styles and technical challenges. Scorsese particularly highlights the series of biographies Rossellini made in the 60s of historical figures and singles out *La Prise de pouvoir par Louis XIV* for praise.
Certain of Rossellini's film-related material and personal papers are contained in the Wesleyan University Cinema Archives to which scholars and media experts from around the world may have full access. Rossellini's son Renzo is producing the *Audiovisual Encyclopedia of History by Roberto Rossellini*, a multi-media collection containing all of Rossellini's works, interviews, and other material from the Rossellini archive. The *Encyclopedia* existed in prototype form in 2011.
## Filmography
### Feature films
::data[format=table]
| Year | English title | Original title | Notes | 1941 | 1942 | 1943 | 1945 | 1946 | 1948 | 1950 | 1952 | 1954 | 1959 | 1960 | 1961 | 1962 | 1970 | 1974 | 1975 | 1977 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| *The White Ship* | *La nave bianca* | Fascist Trilogy | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| *A Pilot Returns* | *Un pilota ritorna* | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| *The Man with a Cross* | *L'uomo dalla croce* | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| *Rome, Open City* | *Roma città aperta* | Neorealist Trilogy | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| *Paisan* | *Paisà* | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| *Desire* | *Desiderio* | Co-directed with Marcello Pagliero | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| *L'amore* | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| *Germany, Year Zero* | *Germania anno zero* | Neorealist Trilogy | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| *Stromboli* | *Stromboli terra di Dio* | 1st collaboration with Ingrid Bergman | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| *The Flowers of St. Francis* | *Francesco, giullare di Dio* | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| *The Machine to Kill Bad People* | *La Macchina ammazzacattivi* | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| *Europe '51* | *Europa '51* | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| *Where Is Freedom?* | *Dov'è la libertà...?* | Abandoned, completed by studio | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| *Journey to Italy* | *Viaggio in Italia* | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| *Fear* | *La Paura* | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| *Joan of Arc at the Stake* | *Giovanna d'Arco al rogo* | Last collaboration with Ingrid Bergman | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| *India: Matri Bhumi* | Documentary | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| *General Della Rovere* | *Il generale Della Rovere* | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| *Escape by Night* | *Era Notte a Roma* | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| *Garibaldi* | *Viva l'Italia!* | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| *Vanina Vanini* | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| *Black Soul* | *Anima nera* | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| *Da Gerusalemme a Damasco* | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| *Year One* | *Anno uno* | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| *The Messiah* | *Il messia* | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| *Beaubourg, centre d'art et de culture Georges Pompidou* | Documentary | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
::
### Short films
::data[format=table]
| Year | English title | Original title | 1939 | 1940 | 1941 | 1952 | 1953 | 1954 | 1963 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| *Lively Teresa* | *La Vispa Teresa* | | | | | | | | |
| *Il Tacchino prepotente* | | | | | | | | | |
| *Fantasia sottomarina* | | | | | | | | | |
| *Il Ruscello di Ripasottile* | | | | | | | | | |
| *Envy* (segment of *The Seven Deadly Sins*) | *Envie* | | | | | | | | |
| *Ingrid Bergman* (segment from *We, the Women*) | *Siamo donne* | | | | | | | | |
| *Napoli 1943* (segment from *Mid-Century Loves*) | *Naples 1943* | | | | | | | | |
| *Illibatezza* (segment from *Ro.Go.Pa.G.*) | | | | | | | | | |
::
### Other credits
- *Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune* (1937) - lost project
- *Luciano Serra, Pilot* ([1938](1938-in-film)) screenplay
- *L'Invasore* (1949) - supervisor
- *Rivalità* (1953) - supervisor
- *Benito Mussolini* (1962) - producer
- *Les Carabiniers* (1963) - co-screenwriter
-
- *The Night of Counting the Years* ([1969](1969-in-film)) - producer
- *Intervista a Salvador Allende: La forza e la ragione* (1971) - interviewer
## Television
Following the critical failure of *Anima nera* and his participation in the various artists film *Ro.Go.Pa.G.*, Rossellini began directing films for TV in 1966 with *La Prise de pouvoir par Louis XIV*, and continued predominately in the medium until the end of his career in 1977.
### TV films
- *The Taking of Power by Louis XIV* (1966)
- *Idea di un'isola* (1967)
- *Socrates* (*The Philosophers*, 1971)
- *Rice University* (1971) - with Beppe Cino
- *Pascal* (*The Philosophers*, 1972)
- *Agostino d'Ippona* (*The Philosophers*, 1972)
- *Cartesius* (*The Philosophers*, 1974)
- *The World Population* (1974) - with Renzo Rossellini
- *Concerto per Michelangelo* (1977)
### TV series
- *L'India vista da Rossellini* (1959) - director, mini-series
- *L'Età del ferro* (1964) - director, mini-series
- *Atti degli apostoli* (1969) - director, mini-series
- *La lotta dell'uomo per la sua sopravvivenza* (1970) - writer
- *L'Età di Cosimo de' Medici* (1973) - director, mini-series
Some sources associate Rossellini with the 1961 *Torino nei cent'anni*, but the status and completion of the project is unconfirmed.
## Notes
## References
1. (22 October 1998). ["The adventures of Roberto Rossellini – Tag Gallagher – Google Books"](https://books.google.com/books?id=_HpZAAAAMAAJ&q=%22Roberto+Gastone+Zeffiro+Rossellini+%22). *Hachette Books*.
2. (14 June 2004). ["Roberto Rossellini's Rome Open City – Google Books"](https://books.google.com/books?id=iHqUsrLiPm4C&q=%22Roberto+Gastone+Zeffiro+Rossellini+%22&pg=PA2). *Cambridge University Press*.
3. (1992). ["My method: writings and interviews"](https://books.google.com/books?id=eY5ZAAAAMAAJ). *Marsilio Publishers*.
4. ["The Adventures of Roberto Rossellini"](https://www.nytimes.com/books/first/g/gallagher-rossellini.html). *nytimes.com*.
5. Serri, Mirella ''From the Odeon to the Odeon: The Experience of Roberto Rossellini from Fascism to Antifascism'', Kenneth Lloyd-Jones (translator) ''[[Telos (journal). Telos]]'' Vol. 139 (Summer 2007): pp. 70–78.
6. (h)ortus. ["La visione della realtà post-bellica italiana nel cinema"](http://www.vg-hortus.it/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=138:la-visione-della-realtost-bellica-italiana-nel-cinema&catid=13:studi-storici&Itemid=15).
7. Bondanella, Peter. The Films of Roberto Rossellini. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1991. 16–17. Print.
8. (2019-07-25). ["Roberto Rossellini: Magician of the Real"](https://books.google.com/books?id=LTr8DwAAQBAJ&dq=%22dafne%22+%22rossellini%22&pg=PA172). *Bloomsbury Publishing*.
9. [https://books.google.com/books?id=YbB9zKvpS88C&q=francesco%20%20de%20robertis Brunette, Peter. ''Roberto Rossellini''. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press. p. 11.]
10. [https://www.meetup.com/es-ES/DCitalian/events/84628342/ G., Anthony. "'Free' Cinema Italiano @ NGA:"Trip to Italy" by World Famous Director Rossellini." ''Meetup''. 14 October 2012.]
11. ["Rossellini's INDIA by Fereydoun Hoveyda"](http://www.hoveyda.org/india.html).
12. (1 June 2008). ["The scandal that rocked Calcutta"](http://www.telegraphindia.com/1080601/jsp/7days/story_9348365.jsp). *The Telegraph*.
13. ["PHOTO ARCHIVE IN NUCLEAR ASTROPHYSICS"](http://www.clemson.edu/ces/astro/NucleoArchive/PhotoList/1970s/70CRosselini1.html). *clemson.edu*.
14. (29 January 1993). ["The Films of Roberto Rossellini"](https://archive.org/details/filmsofrobertoro00bond). *Cambridge University Press*.
15. Joeanna Rebello. (25 May 2008). ["The Girl Who Turned Rossellini's Head"](http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/stoi/The-Girl-Who-Turned-Rossellinis-Head/articleshow/3069615.cms). *[[The Times of India]]*.
16. (1968). ["Einstein on peace"](http://archive.org/details/einsteinonpeace00eins). *New York, Schocken Books*.
17. ["[Carta] 1950 oct. 12, Genève, [Suiza] [a] Gabriela Mistral, Santiago, Chile [manuscrito] Gerry Kraus."](http://www.bibliotecanacionaldigital.gob.cl/bnd/623/w3-article-137193.html).
18. ["Cinema Archives – Wesleyan University"](http://www.wesleyan.edu/cinema/). *Wesleyan.edu*.
19. ["ROSSELLINI Film & TV | Enciclopedia del cinema di Roberto Rossellini"](http://www.rossellinifilm.com/it/file/enc/scheda.htm/).
20. (2012). ["Análise e reflexão sobre a construção e evolução do pensamento de René Descarte através do olhar cinematográfico de Roberto Rossellini"](https://www.13snhct.sbhc.org.br/resources/anais/10/1343767232_ARQUIVO_Trabalho13SNHCT-ThaisConconiSilvaUSP.pdf). *Sociedade Brasileira de História da Ciência (SBHC)*.
21. (2009-05-24). ["DVDs/Crítica: Em cinebiografia de Descartes, Rossellini fala para iniciados -"](https://www1.folha.uol.com.br/fsp/ilustrad/fq2405200912.htm).
22. (2021-12-01). ["Rossellini e a vida dos filósofos"](https://lumine.tv/blog/rossellini-filosofia/).
23. Gallagher, Tag. (June 1975). ["Roberto Rossellini and Historical Neorealism"](https://www.artforum.com/print/197506/roberto-rossellini-and-historical-neorealism-37658).
24. ["Roberto Rossellini"](https://publishing.cdlib.org/ucpressebooks/view?docId=ft709nb48d&chunk.id=d0e7684&toc.id=&brand=ucpress).
25. Brunette, Peter. (2022-05-13). ["Roberto Rossellini"](https://books.google.com/books?id=XCdoEAAAQBAJ&dq=Torino+nei+cent'anni+Rossellini&pg=PA241). *Univ of California Press*.
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