Monday, March 31, 2014
The Children Are Watching Us
As Don Pietro is executed for his participation in the Resistance, his only witnesses are a group of children who whistle him a tune. Afterward these same children march back into Rome as the movie ends. What do your make of this ending? Other examples of children acting and watching in the movie include Romoletto blowing up a truck and Marcello helping Don Pietro rescue Romoletto and watching his mother's murder. What is the role of children -- and children watching adults -- in this film?
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ReplyDeleteAs seen in many other art forms, the children in Rome: Open City can be viewed as symbols of hope and change. For this ending, the children come to the execution, whistling Don Pietro's song as he is going to be executed. By having the children present for his execution, the film both emphasizes strength in youth and the resistance, and the growth of Italian youth from naivety and innocence to adulthood and consequences. All of the children staying and watching the execution, whistling the same defiant tune, and leaving together as one represents their unity. Together, they all turn their backs away from the place of execution and death and walk towards the open city. This can also be symbolic of their turn away from the evils of the time and towards a new and open future, hopefully free of this corruption. These children are the future generation of Rome. By watching these horrors, they can fight to ensure that future generations will not undergo similar tragedies. Unlike other movies, the importance and significance of children in this world is evident. By ending the movie with these children, the audience can regain a slim sense of hope after the horrific murders that have taken place mere seconds before.
After watching this film, I thought a lot about the significance of the children watching the execution of Don Pietro, as well as their role in the Resistance in general. They at first seem like such innocent, playful children, but in reality they play a significant role in the political tumult in Rome. They constantly sneak around in military-like outfits, stay out way past curfew, and crawl through tiny passageways in the apartment building in order to avoid getting caught. They even set up a bomb that takes the city by surprise. The boys are whistling the song that had been a symbol of commonality previously in the film when Don Pietro had gone to meet an ally. They are in no way simply passive witnesses to the commotion, though the film tries to make them out to be. The children are direct witness to the violent atrocities that are occurring, from the bombing that they induce themselves to witnessing the vicious murder of Pina. They do not simply stand by and watch, but rather involve themselves as a collective, unified group as Elanna points out in her comment. I agree with Elanna in that the closing scene in which the boys walk back into the city of Rome as an exhausted and disappointed yet united group is foreshadowing their future and greater role in the politics of society. What I would add, however, is that their role in the ruckus has already begun. They are already involved on a personal and communal level. The film ending with the boys consoling each other as they stroll back into Rome is and ending that leaves open the hope or fears for the future. Just as the city is open to change and corruption, so are the boys’ futures.
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ReplyDeleteI agree with both Elanna and Julia in a sense but also have a slightly different spin on the children’s role in the film. As Elanna highlights, the children are the future for Rome and are the ones who will dictate what Rome will be like a few years down the road. As they watch Don Pietro’s execution, they witness the corruption, terror, and cruelty of the Nazi’s. However, I think their role in the film adds a layer of irony to Rome Open City. When children are typically portrayed in films, they are shown as weak, innocent, followers, and much less important than the adults in society. However, in Rome Open City, the children are actually the ones who decide what the future will be like and are the only ones who are enforcing change. The children blow up a truck, sneak through passageways to avoid authorities, help rescue Romoletto, and even delay Don Pietro’s execution as they whistle the tune of the resistance and the soldiers intentionally all miss Don Pietro. The children are truly the faces of the resistance rather than Don Pietro or other adults. The symbolism of the children watching the adults is actually very interesting, as the children truly are watching over the adults and taking care of society rather than vice versa. Adults in the film are more reserved and hidden, while the kids are outgoing and truly want peace and righteousness. The ending of the film gives the best hope for a positive future because, as Elanna was saying, the children are all united, all have motivation to initiate the change, and have truly proven to be powerful enough to make a real impact on society. Without the children, there would not be much hope for a positive future, but the symbolism of the children turning their backs on corruption and evil after the execution and march toward the “Open City” of Rome makes it clear that they will soon fix the city and make it what it was like before the Nazi invasion.
ReplyDeleteThe children in this film play the role of a group kids who are more knowledgeable and have more pride than the average gang of children in this time. In the whistling scene, they truly represent bravery and their willingness to unify and pay respect to Don Pietro as he is being executed. Like everyone has mentioned, the children are the future of Rome and they have a good understanding of their surroundings as they want to be involved with the military and keeping Rome safe. After the boys are done whistling, they turn back to the city as if they are not fazed by the brutal execution. It shows that they are strong and while a respected figure in Rome has been killed, they walk away as if to say that they will get revenge and to show that the city of Rome will not be deterred. The children know all of the secret passage ways, had enough knowledge to build a bomb and have to intuitiveness to fight back. These children had grown up watching their fathers, or whoever provided them with the bravery to take a stand for Rome and the people in it. Even with their parents not agreeing with them going out and causing what seems to be mayhem, they want to be involve themselves in the chaos to help fight back. While it is very dangerous for these kids to be doing what they’re doing, they will not rest until Rome is peaceful again, and will continue training for their next encounters.
ReplyDeleteIn the film Rome Open City the children are a symbol of hope and resistance. As the children watch Don Pietro being executed their hate grows even more for the German oppressors. A child is shaped by their experiences, and the children are in the middle of the German and Resistance. As the Germans kill their families and starve out them they can only have hate towards the Germans. When the children sit at the fence whistling a tune to Don Pietro they are symbolizing that Don Pietros actions will not be for nothing. As they walk back to the “Open City” they have the entire city on their side towards the oppressors. As the children grow up their hate will increase and the only way the children know how to mess with the Germans is violence. The children stick with the oldest and start blowing things up cause they don’t want the Germans hurting their parents. The children throughout the movie are seen as the ones that are actually doing something against the Germans, because they don’t care that their lives are on the line since all they see is their parents and friends dyeing. As the children turn to men and women violence will increase between the Germans and the citizens, thus creating a generational hate towards the Germans. The film Rome Open City shows that children are the last edge of hope in the resistance towards the oppressors.
ReplyDeleteThe film, 'Rome Open City," the children, and the children watching the adults, symbolizes a unified effort to expel the Nazis out of Rome. Normally, children are associated with innocence and naivety; however, in "Rome Open City", the children participate heavily in the resistance movement, along with the adults. In other words, the fact that even children are joining the resistance movement conveys the sense that not just the adults, but everyone in Rome, is part of a unified movement to end the Nazi occupation. The fact that the children watch Don Pietro's execution, and then march back to Rome, implies that the children are very dedicated to their cause; watching an execution would be difficult for even an adult, and the fact that the children are present before, during and after the execution implies that the children are always there, beginning to end. The ending also serves as a foreshadowing suggesting that it is the children who will determine the fate of the city; one could imagine the children plotting another plan to retaliate for the execution of their beloved priest. The children, who watch their parents participate in the resistance, and also get killed, also convey a sense of unity. Normally, a parent would want to shield their children from such harsh and gritty scenarios. However, the fact that the children are watching demonstrates at least an interest and motivation in their parents' roles in the occupation, and demonstrates that anyone, no matter what age, is effected by the Nazi occupation and has the potential to fight back.
ReplyDeleteThe children are important symbols because of who they are and what they do. The children themselves could be seen as symbols for change and progress, while their whistling could be a symbol of unity. At the end of Rome: Open City, they are the ones that witness the execution of Don Pietro. After he is executed, the children walk away into the city. This, to me, shows the kids representing progress because they witness the old or current way of life in their city, as shown through the execution, and they walk away from it once they see it has come to an end. The children represent the future, and they are bringing their positive future into the city as they are seen walking back into it. They are witnesses to the horrible world that they are in today, and so, as they walk back to the city, they are going to make sure the new society in their city will not be like that, shown by how they left the execution behind them. A big part of them walking back to the city is how they do it; they walk into the city together. When they walk together and start whistling the tune, it symbolizes a sense of unity among them. There is power in numbers, and this movie makes a statement that in order for them to make the change for a better future, they need to work together as one. In this movie, children represent something much larger than what they usually symbolize in movies.
ReplyDeleteThe ending of Rome: Open City, where the children walk away after the killing of Don Pietro portrays what the future of Rome may be. The children are turning their backs on the execution of Don Pietro and instead returning to Rome, now their city. The children are making the choice to reject the ways and mannerisms of the Nazi’s such as, killing, corruption, and spying. The children seem to be bound to take on the adults struggle for freedom. Throughout the movie the children watching the adults serve as a way for the children to learn from the adults past mistakes. In many movies children are commonly seen as the weaker characters. However in Rome: Open City the children are thrown into the thick of the battle from the beginning. Forced to learn on their feet the children look to the adults to learn. Taking their new skills they improve on the old practices of the adults. Because of this, they are able to be successful in their small actions of rebellion. Some of these actions include Romoletto blowing up a truck, Marcello helping Don Pietro rescue Romoletto, and watching his mother's murder. The children are bonded together in their hatred of the Nazis. Through this bond they are able to work together towards a whole new level of success that the adults could never achieve. The success of the children help show that the future of Rome may be much better than the recent history of Rome.
ReplyDeleteAs kids are growing up, parents try their hardest to keep them unexposed to the unfortunate realities of the real world. Kids that are raised overprotectively are the ones that find it hardest to go out into the world on their own. The kids in Rome Open City grow to be some of the strongest kids ever portrayed in a film because of the violence they’re exposed to. One child witnesses his own mother getting shot, and rather than violently retaliating, he accepts it. He seems to learn from this that violence isn’t the answer. The kids also whistle before Don Pierto is executed, showing the kids unity and bravery. The soldiers feel uneasy about killing Don Pietro in front of these kids, so they all shot in different directions. The leader of the soldiers has to do the shooting. The soldiers felt discouraged from committing this murder, showing the influence that these children had on them. It’s rare that children, especially around this age could have such a political influence on these men. This is a foreshadow that these children will grow to be powerful. Despite all the horrors these children witness, it’s essentially building them up to be good and moral leaders, and understand what not to do in the future. When Don Pierto dies surely the kids are upset, but they accept this death and move on because they know that fighting back will get them nowhere. The role of these children watching these instances is to learn what not to repeat.
ReplyDeleteIt's very easy to look at the children's presence in "Rome, Open City" in many ways, but two stand out in particular. What most of my classmates have been saying is that the children represent a new era in Italy, that they are symbols of hope and change. That's a fair argument, as the children whistling Don Pietro's song has an uplifting, revolutionary feel to it. However, taking a step back, one has to think about the trauma that all of the children have had to go through. We hear stories all the time about children growing up in broken homes or without families and going on to either do great things or terrible things because of what they experienced at such a vulnerable age. I believe, given the resistant feel of the film, that the director was trying to use this film as propaganda to show how unfortunate the time of the Nazi occupation was, and that the next generation was just as affected, if not more affected, by the violence and fear. So, while the whistling of the song is uplifting, sending hope, it's also a sign that this is a moment the children will never forget. That could either traumatize them or inspire them to do good. The director's hope, however, is not too clear. Having a child watch his mother be killed usually doesn't imply that that child will grow up to be particularly happy. It's a testament to the brutality of the Nazis and the unfortunate time that the Italians found themselves in.
ReplyDeleteThe children in the film symbolize hope and change for the future of Rome. They are living in the society where they see execution on a daily basis and although young they learn at an early age the difference between right and wrong. I believe the last whistling scene shows the respect the children are showing to Don Pietro and his willingness to stand up against the unfair society. Don Pietro is someone for the children to look up to and his legacy is something that will keep them going in the future. The last scene where the kids turn away from the execution and begin walking back to the city, symbolizes to me the beginning of change. They are walking back into the society where people are executed for sticking up for their own beliefs. They are at the advantage because as children you can become the product of your environment or be the change in it. Kids throughout this film were very mature and therefore had and will continue to have a large responsibility in the future of Rome. By witnessing firsthand the murders and executions of their loved ones, there is only a matter of time until they take the initiative to change the society and stand up against the hierarchy. Children will always symbolize hope and change because they are the next generation, if change were to occur they would have to take it upon themselves to do it. By showing their maturity throughout the film it is clear that the future of Rome relies on them.
ReplyDeleteIn the film, Rome: Open city, the children play a huge role in the rebellion that is taking place, symbolizing what hope and resistance the Romans have left against the Nazis. I was really surprised by the ending. I did not expect the children to stay and watch the gory execution of Don Pietro, while still showing great signs of hope when they whistle the hum that all of the Roman rebels know of. This hum represents that rebellion and how it will still continue on even without a strong leader like Don Pietro. I also feel it was important that the children witnessed the execution of Don Pietro, the blowing up of a Nazi truck, watching a rescue mission and watching a woman being murdered in front of her son. Because the children have witnessed all of this, it shows that not only the adults are a part of the rebellion but the children are as well and are affected by all of the chaos and will do anything to stop the Nazis. Also in the film, we observe the children sneaking out at night while the parents look everywhere for them, they are setting small bombs and blowing up property and material that the Nazis use or have. The children showed more rebellious actions than most of the adults in the film, risking their own lives by trying to destroy some of the Nazis property. The role of the children is to give hope to the adults and the rest of Rome by showing that they can handle watching the execution and can rebel against the Nazis themselves.
ReplyDeleteThe role of children in Rome Open City, is as many people of said, a foresee into the future of Rome. These kids are weak, yet so strong at the same time. They are weak and tired from the war with the Nazi's. They cannot handle the mental stress, yet when Don Pietro is killed right in front of them, they remain strong. This is to show the harsh nature of the times while fighting against the Nazi's. In today's world, children are kept away from the battlefield, but during that time, the age of those affected dropped dramatically to almost infantile.Also, In most films a child is portrayed as the weakest character, always crying. But in this film, we see the children with a sense of power almost. In the death scene on Don Pietro, the children begin to whistle. When the whistling begins, the soldiers hold fire on Don. They look at the children, and they see the innocence that is in Rome, and what consequences can come if they follow through with their actions. If it had not been for the German officer in charge of the execution, then the children may have stopped their beloved Don Pietro from being murdered. The children may have lost their role model that day, but they gained inner strength that unified, they can conquer any task. This I believe brought acceptance to Don Pietro. When he saw the children whistling at him,the youngest on the elder children's shoulders, he realized that his purpose on this earth was complete. Don Pietro's purpose was to prepare the children of Rome for the future ahead of them. Whether it be bright, or very dim, there will always a fire burning and waiting for them to spread that fire as far as it can spread, as one group of individuals, as one city of Rome.
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