Rocco And His Brothers Details

Moving- great early Visconti

Alain Delon, undoubtedly handsome but not the most elastic of actors, sets a bit of a template for Visconti leading men.(C.F.-dreadful Helmut Berger in The Damned)Striking scenes and visuals in this moving tale of a poor southern Italian family's downward spiral in northern Milan. Boxing scenes and the main plot of two brothers obsession with the same woman play out in a compelling fashion. Nevertheless, having now viewed 4 Visconti films(Death In Venice & The Leopard with Burt Lancaster are the best)he is nowhere near as good as other old Italian masters Rosselini,De Sica & Fellini

[Highly rated reviewer]

realism meets melodrama

This film is a rather uneasy mix of Italian neo-realism and over-wrought melodrama. It has the theme, common in much of Visconti's work of people struggling to cope with change. In this case a rural family of a mother and five sons move to Milan from the impoverished south. It's strengths lie in the superb camerawork, Visconti's usual attention to detail and the performances of Renato Salvatore as Simone and the actress playing the love interest. The problem lies in the melodrama surrounding Rocco (rather colourless acting fron Alain Delon) and Simone's struggle to possess the same women which sits uneasily with the film's realistic take on the problems of a family adjusting to life in Milan. I was fascinated throughout by this urban jungle of a city around 1960 and Copolla and Scorcese clearly owe a great debt to Visconti in their own development as film-makers. Definitly worth a look if you admire the work of these three directors.