The Reception of Roberto Rossellini’s Films in Polish Film Journals, 1946-1956

Abstract

In this article I focus on examining the reception of Roberto Rossellini’s films in Polish film journals (period: 1946-1956) and cultural magazines. The analysis shows that while Rossellini’s first post-war film – “Roma città aperta” – was positively received in the People’s Republic of Poland until 1949, from the early 1950s onwards – i.e. during the Stalinist period – there was a rather critical turn, as Soviet cinema and the poetics of socialist realism came to the fore. From this moment on, Italian neo-realism was accused of pessimism and of having lost its “great revolutionary prospects”. This critical attitude changed during the so-called thaw period, when neorealism became a kind of reference model. However, because of their explicit religious themes, some neo-realist films were not allowed by the censorship in the Polish film circuit; as a consequence, some Rossellini’s films were never screened in cinemas in the People’s Republic of Poland.