''Rome 11 o'clock'' or ''Roma, ore 11'' (1952) is an Italian film directed by

Giuseppe De Santis Giuseppe De Santis (11 February 1917 – 16 May 1997) was an Italian film director. One of the most idealistic neorealist filmmakers of the 1940s and 1950s, he wrote and directed films punctuated by ardent cries for social reform. He was ...

and one of the best examples of Neorealist filmmaking. The dramatic plot is based on the real story of an accident that happened on 15 January 1951 on Via Savoia in Rome when a staircase collapsed because of the weight of two hundred women waiting for a job interview. One woman was killed and 76 were injured.

Augusto Genina Augusto Genina (28 January 1892 – 18 September 1957) was an Italian film pioneer. He was a movie producer and director. Biography Born in Rome, Genina was a drama critic and wrote comedies for the ''Il Mondo'' Magazine, under advise of Aldo ...

made the film '' Tre storie proibite'', based on the same tragic event.

Plot

In the early 1950s, Italy was suffering from serious unemployment and it was especially difficult for women to get jobs. In response to a newspaper ad seeking a secretary for an accountant's office, the two hundred women crowded the small building's staircase, hoping for an interview. They came from diverse backgrounds: fallen nobles, prostitutes seeking to change their lives, wives with unemployed husbands, and affluent daughters with not enough pension to survive. Waiting on the stairs, the women exchange impressions and discuss their lives of misery and their tricks for making a living. Gianna, played by

Eva Vanicek Eva or EVA may refer to: * Eva (name), a feminine given name Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional characters * Eva (Dynamite Entertainment), a comic book character by Dynamite Entertainment * Eva (''Devil May Cry''), Dante's mother in t ...

is first in line, the pawn of a strong-willed mother, while Caterina, played by

Lea Padovani Lea Padovani (28 July 1920 – 23 June 1991) was an Italian film actress. She appeared in 60 films between 1945 and 1990. She starred in the film '' Black Dossier'' which was entered into the 1955 Cannes Film Festival. Partial filmography ...

, is a prostitute hoping for a new life. Angelina, played by

Delia Scala Delia Scala (born Odette Bedogni; 25 September 1929 – 15 January 2004) was an Italian ballerina, actress and singer who played a leading role in the nascent ''commedia musicale''. Career Scala was born as Odette Bedogni in Bracciano, Lazi ...

is a servant, also hoping to escape her situation. Other characters include a pregnant unwed mother (

Elena Varzi Elena Varzi (21 December 1926 – 1 September 2014) was an Italian film actress. Life and career Born in Rome, in spite of a non-professional acting background, Varzi made her film debut in a leading role, as the Sicilian Maria Antonia in Renat ...

), a young woman who wants to be a singer (

Irène Galter Irène Galter (16 September 1931 – 7 June 2018) was an Italian actress. Life and career Born in Merano as Irene Patuzzi, during the first half of the 1950s Galter was called the "ideal girlfriend" of Italians. She was casually discovered in ...

), and an artist's mistress (

Lucia Bosè Lucia Bosè (28 January 1931 – 23 March 2020) was an Italian actress. Life and career Lucia Bosè was born in Milan to Francesca Borloni and Domenico Bosè. After a number of years working in a bakery, Pasticceria Galli, in her native city, ...

). When a poor workman's wife, Luciana Renzoni, played by

Carla Del Poggio Carla Del Poggio (2 December 1925 – 14 October 2010) was an Italian cinema, theatre, and television actress. Biography Born Maria Luisa Attanasio in Naples, she was the wife of Italian director Alberto Lattuada for 60 years, from 2 April 1945 ...

, tries to move ahead in the line, the resulting scuffle among the women causes the staircase to collapse. The injured are taken to a hospital, but to be treated, the hospital is demanding a payment of 2,300 Lire per day. Many of them are unable to pay and are forced to go home.

Cast

* Lucia Bosé, Simona *

, Luciana Renzoni *

Maria Grazia Francia Maria Grazia Francia (17 September 1931 – 4 March 2021) was an Italian actress of classic cinema. Career Born in Florence, in the mid-1940s Francia moved to Rome to attend the Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia. She eventually left the cou ...

, Cornelia Riva *

, Caterina *

, Angelina *

, Adriana * Raf Vallone, Carlo * Massimo Girotti, Nando * Paolo Stoppa, father of Clara *

Armando Francioli Armando Francioli (21 October 1919 – 6 April 2020) was an Italian actor. He appeared in over 50 films since 1942. Selected filmography References External links * 1919 births 2020 deaths Male actors from Rome Italian centenaria ...

, Romoletto * Paola Borboni, Matilde *

, Clara *

, Gianna * Checco Durante, father of Adriana * Alberto Farnese, Augusto *

Bianca Beltrami Bianca is a feminine given name. It means "white" and is an Italian cognate of Blanche. Variants * Blanche: French * Bianca: Italian * Bianka (Polish, Hungarian, Slovak, German, English, French, Icelandic, Finnish, Dutch, Norwegian, Cor ...

Cabiria Guadagnino ''Cabiria'' is a 1914 Italian epic silent film, directed by Giovanni Pastrone and shot in Turin. The film is set in ancient Sicily, Carthage, and Cirta during the period of the Second Punic War (218–202 BC). It follows a melodramatic main pl ...

Teresa Ellati Teresa (also Theresa, Therese; french: Thérèse) is a feminine given name. It originates in the Iberian Peninsula in late antiquity. Its derivation is uncertain, it may be derived from Greek θερίζω (''therízō'') "to harvest or rea ...

Maria Pia Trepaoli Maria may refer to: People * Mary, mother of Jesus * Maria (given name), a popular given name in many languages Place names Extraterrestrial *170 Maria, a Main belt S-type asteroid discovered in 1877 *Lunar maria (plural of ''mare''), large, da ...

* Fulvia Trozzi * Donatella Trombadori * Helène Vallier * Nando Di Claudio * Fausto Guerzoni * Michele Riccardini * Renato Mordenti *

Pietro Tordi Pietro Tordi (12 July 1906 – 14 December 1990) was an Italian film actor. He appeared in 100 films between 1942 and 1988. He was born in Florence, Italy. Selected filmography * '' Doctor Antonio'' (1937) - L'altro conspiratore * '' Don C ...

Ezio Rossi Ezio is an Italian masculine name, originating from the Latin name ''Aetius''. It may refer to: * Flavius Aetius (c. 396–454), Roman general, after whom Metastasio's libretto and all the operas below are named. ** Ezio (libretto), opera libretto ...

* Henry Vilbert *

Marco Vicario Marco Vicario (20 September 1925 – 10 September 2020) was an Italian film actor, screenwriter, film producer and director. He appeared in 23 films between 1950 and 1958. He also wrote for 13 films, produced 12 and directed a further 11. He ...

* Mino Argentieri * Anna Maria Zijno (real survivor at via Savoia) * Maria Ammassari (real survivor at via Savoia) * Renata Ciaffi (real survivor at via Savoia)

Awards

Nastro d'Argento The Nastro d'Argento, also known by its translated name Silver Ribbon, is an Italian film award awarded each year since 1946 by the Italian National Syndicate of Film Journalists (Italian: ''Sindacato Nazionale Giornalisti Cinematografici Italiani ...

Best Music ( Mario Nascimbene)

Reception

New York Times film critic, Bosley Crowther called ''Rome 11:00'' a "vivid, raw-boned movie" and "a film of absorbing interest and persistent emotional power." He also praised

for her sensitive portrayal of the anguish felt by her character, Luciana Renzoni, after precipitating the tragedy.

Legacy

In 1956, filmmaker

Elio Petri Eraclio Petri (29 January 1929 – 10 November 1982), commonly known as Elio Petri, was an Italian film director, screenwriter, theatre director, and critic associated with the political cinema in the 1960s and '70s. His film ''Investigation ...

published ''Roma ore 11'', a collection of his interviews with people involved in the tragedy. The documentation originally served as a basis for the film. The work was republished in 2004.

References

External links

* {{Giuseppe De Santis 1952 films 1950s Italian-language films Italian black-and-white films Films set in Rome Italian films based on actual events Italian neorealist films Titanus films Films directed by Giuseppe De Santis 1952 drama films Films with screenplays by Cesare Zavattini Films scored by Mario Nascimbene Italian drama films 1950s Italian films