Mamma Roma (1962)

 Pier Paolo Pasolini's "Mamma Roma"


Pier Paolo Pasolini's films would get far more controversial into his directing career, but even his more neo-realist pieces in the early 1960s had some edge to them. His second directorial effort, 1962's "Mamma Roma," which starred the incomparable Anna Magnani, had a police complaint filed the day of its release for being "offensive to good morals" and "contrary to public decency." Pasolini was even confronted by neo-fascists in front of the Quattro Fontane Cinema, where he got into a scuffle. 

Personally, I don't understand the outrage over the film. There was nothing inherently sadistic about the film, beyond some of the thematic points it was making. Perhaps its inclusion of prostitution, or its sympathies with a petty criminal were enough to drive people over the edge.

"Mamma Roma" centers on former prostitute Momma Roma, who starts a new life as a marketer in Rome after her pimp Carmine marries. She is trying to give her 16-year-old son, Ettore, a better life. She tries to get him a job and away from his thieving friends and streetwalker girlfriend, Bruna. She succeeds temporarily until Carmine comes back into her life. Ettore returns to his old thieving ways until finally arrested, where he dies in jail from a fever. 

Thematically, the film is about the inescapability of poverty. Our character try to escape their situations, but are unsuccessful. Momma Roma is trapped by her pimp in her continued prostitution, while Ettore is pressured by his criminal friends to continue his bad behavior. Sure, they could evade their circumstances, but the people in their lives keep them from blossoming. 

The film seems to suggest that external mechanisms will always keep the impoverished in their current status. Being that Pasolini was an ardent communist and anti-fascist, the concepts of anti-capitalism and anti-fascism color the film in this context. The violent and physical suppression of our characters by fascistic forces enable their continued destitution. 

"Mamma Roma" is made all the more emotional by Anna Magnani's incredible performance. It would be one of her last great films roles before her untimely death only 11 years later. She is the heart of the film and its centerpiece. Her ability to bring so much life and emotionality into her character shepherds the film through any lack of dramatic engagement. She is what makes the film feel so alive and devastating. 

As controversial as the film appears to be, Pasolini would only dig his heels in more. However, the connectivity with neo-realism really makes his themes that much more visceral and immediate. "Mamma Roma" is a perfect blend of realism and intellectualism. 



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