Mamma Roma - Criterion Collection

Rating:
Summary: A Great vision that all little boys and girls should see
Review: Absolutely fantastic film, and a good starting point for seeing inside the brilliant and twisted mind of Pasolini. It gets my five stars, and all my compliments.

Molto Fantastico!

Rating:
Summary: Incredible camera movement and realism
Review: I love this movie not entirely for the storyline, but more so for the camera movement which creates a great sense of realism to the film. I have noticed many similarities in Pasolini's style in Martin Scorsese's work. The scene in Goodfellas where the couple walks into the Copa Cabana through the back entrance is a derivative of the scene in the city with all the street lights. I don't know too much about directing but I do know when a good director has worked on a film. I recommend this movie to those interested in the art of italian realism cinema.

Rating:
Summary: Un Figlio Di Puttana - A PG-13 Review.
Review: That's pretty much what this film is about. For those of you who don't know "figlio di puttana" is Italian for "a whore's son" or "son of a whore". It is a common everyday Italian insult. It's used in the same way as the North American saying "son of a bitch."

This was my first time watching a film by Pier Paulo Pasolini and I was extremely impressed. I plan to watch all of his films in the near future. As I stated before Mamma Roma is a story about a whore (Mamma Roma) and her son (Ettore). I won't write any more about the story than what I already have. A review that reveals too much about a film really doesn't serve as a review but rather as a boring synopsis.

I would like to say that Criterion has done an amazing job with this DVD. The special features on this 2 disc set are really good and contain some very rare documentaries and short films. The DVD also contains Pasolini's previously banned, short and shocking film "La Ricotta." It stars Orson Welles and is a gem worth buying all it's own. It's the best special feature I have ever seen on a Criterion disc. Die hard fans of Orson Welles should really pick this DVD up. Even if they don't like Mamma Roma that short film is worth it alone.

5 Stars.

Rating:
Summary: Pasolini's Brilliant Cinematic Maternal Exploration...
Review: The legendary Pier Paolo Pasolini was an essayist, poet, political activist, and a film maker who made Mamma Roma in the 60s as Anna Magnani requested to make a film with him. The result of the collaboration between the two left the world with a marvelous cinematic experience. However, Mamma Roma was condemned after its release as it was deemed immoral. Mamma Roma is not Pasolini's most famous film, but it is an essential piece of cinematic history as it tackles many different issues such as the catholic church, prostitution, and parenting.

The tale begins with Mamma Roma (Anna Magnani) who has recently gotten rid of her pimp boyfriend as he has married another woman. Delighted Mamma Roma seeks out her 16-year-old son Ettore whom she has not seen since infancy as she struggles with her guilt of deserting Ettore when he was a baby. She is also ashamed of her past as a prostitute and wants to start over as a fruit vendor and be the mother she never was for Ettore. However, Mamma Roma has no skills in raising a child and is even less equipped to handle a teenager that has been neglected since childhood. This is in the backdrop of Mamma Roma's old boyfriend threatening to unveil her secret to her son, and her political thoughts of injustices in the 60s Italy.

Mamma Roma is an exploration of the symbiosis that exists between mother and son, but Pasolini removes this connection between the Mamma Roma and Ettore as she abandoned Ettore at infancy. The abandonment leaves the audience with the gap between Mamma Roma and Ettore. This gap is closely examined as Mamma Roma and Ettore initially reunite in order to later drift apart due to years of missing parental guidance. Pasolini personifies neglect and poor parental guidance through Anna Magnani, Mamma Roma, who is frenetically trying to be a good mother. Mamma Roma's parental attempts bring an understanding of the symbiosis that connects a mother and her son through parental care, yet her love for Ettore is not enough as her words do not mean anything to Ettore.