''Rome 11:00'' (), also known as ''Rome 11 o'clock'', is a 1952 Italian neorealist 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 ...

. It is based on the real story of an accident that happened on 15 January 1951 on Via Savoia in

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

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.

Plot

In response to a newspaper ad seeking a secretary for an accountant's office, two hundred women gather on a small building's staircase, hoping for an interview. They come 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 is first in line, the pawn of a strong-willed mother, while Caterina is a prostitute hoping for a new life. Angelina is a servant, also hoping to escape her situation. Other characters include a pregnant unwed mother, a young woman who wants to be a singer, and an artist's mistress. When a poor workman's wife, Luciana Renzoni, 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 Lucia may refer to: Arts and culture * ''Lucía'', a 1968 Cuban film by Humberto Solás * ''Lucia'' (film), a 2013 Indian Kannada-language film ** ''Enakkul Oruvan'' (2015 film), its 2015 Tamil-language remake, also known as ''Lucia'' * '' L ...

, Simona * Carla Del Poggio, 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 *

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 * '' ...

, Caterina *

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, Lazio ...

, Angelina *

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 ...

, Adriana *

Raf Vallone Raffaele Vallone (17 February 1916 – 31 October 2002) was an Italian actor and footballer. One of the top male Italian stars of the 1950s and 1960s, he first became known for his association with the neorealist movement, and found success in ...

, Carlo *

Massimo Girotti Massimo Girotti (18 May 1918 – 5 January 2003) was an Italian film actor whose career spanned seven decades. Biography Born in Mogliano, in the province of Macerata, Girotti developed his athletic physique by swimming and playing polo. While ...

, Nando *

Paolo Stoppa Paolo Stoppa (6 June 1906 – 1 May 1988) was an Italian actor. Biography Paolo Stoppa was born in Rome into a family of a ministerial official, Luigi Stoppa, and Adriana De Antonis. He began as a stage actor in 1927 in the theater in Rome ...

, 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. Filmography References External links * 1919 births 2020 deaths Male actors from Rome Italian men centenarians I ...

, Romoletto *

Paola Borboni Paola Borboni (1 January 1900 – 9 April 1995) was an Italian stage and film actress whose career spanned nearly eight decades of cinema. Early life Borboni was born on 1 January 1900 in Parma, Italy. Career Borboni made her stage deb ...

, Matilde *

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 ...

, Clara *

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 * Eva (''Devil May Cry''), in the ''Devil May Cry'' video game series * ...

, Gianna *

Checco Durante Francesco "Checco" Durante (19 November 1893 – 5 January 1976) was an Italian film actor. He appeared in 59 films between 1931 and 1973. Selected filmography * '' The Doctor in Spite of Himself'' (1931) * '' The Amnesiac'' (1936) - L'all ...

, father of Adriana *

Alberto Farnese Alberto Farnese (3 June 1926 – 2 June 1996) was an Italian actor. He appeared in more than 80 films and television shows from 1951 to 1989. He starred in the film '' Whom God Forgives'', which won the Silver Bear Extraordinary Prize of the ...

, Augusto *

Hélène Vallier Hélène Vallier (2 February 1932 – 1 August 1988) was a French film, stage and television actress.Marill p.294 She was born Militza de Poliakoff-Baïdaroff in Paris to an exiled White Russian family, and was the sister of actresses Odile Vers ...

, typist *

Bianca Beltrami Bianca is a feminine given name. It means "white" and is an Italian cognate of Blanche. It is known in the Anglosphere as a character in William Shakespeare's ''The Taming of the Shrew''. It came to greater notice in the 1970s, due to public fi ...

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 the story of an abduct ...

Teresa Ellati Teresa (also Theresa, Therese; ) 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 reap", or from θέ ...

* Maria Pia Trepaoli * Fulvia Trozzi * Donatella Trombadori * Nando Di Claudio *

Fausto Guerzoni Fausto Guerzoni (1904–1967) was an Italian actor.Freire-Medeiros p.193 A character actor, he appeared in Italian films in supporting roles from the mid-1930s. Selected filmography * '' I'll Give a Million'' (1935) - (uncredited) * ''Ballerine ...

Michele Riccardini Michele Mario Alberto Riccardini (2 October 1910 – 24 July 1978) was an Italian film actor. He appeared in around fifty films during his career as well as several television episodes. In 1943 he played the role of Don Remigio in Luchino Viscont ...

* 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 Henry may refer to: People and fictional characters * Henry (given name), including lists of people and fictional characters * Henry (surname) * Henry, a stage name of François-Louis Henry (1786–1855), French baritone Arts and entertainment ...

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)

Reception

New York Times film critic

Bosley Crowther Francis Bosley Crowther Jr. (July 13, 1905 – March 7, 1981) was an American journalist, writer, and film critic for ''The New York Times'' for 27 years. His work helped shape the careers of many actors, directors and screenwriters, though some ...

called ''Rome 11:00'' a "vivid, raw-boned movie" and "a film of absorbing interest and persistent emotional power." He also praised Carla Del Poggio for her sensitive portrayal of the anguish felt by her character, Luciana Renzoni, after precipitating the tragedy.

Awards

Nastro d'Argento The (plural: ''Nastri d'Argento''; English: Silver Ribbon) is an Italian film award, held since 1946 by the ''Sindacato Nazionale Giornalisti Cinematografici Italiani'' (Italian National Union of Film Journalists). Awards are given annually in ...

for Best Music ( Mario Nascimbene)

Legacy

In 1956, filmmaker

Elio Petri Eraclio Petri (29 January 1929 – 10 November 1982), commonly known as Elio Petri, was an Italian film and theatre director, screenwriter and film critic. The Museum of Modern Art described him as "one of the preeminent political and social ...

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