Luchino Visconti: Rocco and His Brothers

Director - Luchino Visconti
Writer - Luchino Visconto, Suso Cecchi d'Amico, Vasco Pratolini

Cast Character

Alain Delon - Rocco Parondi
Renato Salvatori - Simone Parondi
Annie Girardot - Nadia
Katina Paxinou - Rosaria Parondi
Alessandra Panaro - Ciro's Fiancee
Spiros Focas - Vicenzo Parondi
Max Cartier - Ciro Parondi
Rocco Vidolazzi - Luca Parondi

The film Rocco and His Brothers begins with the arrival of the Parondi family arriving in Milan. They are thrilled and mesmerized at the windows and lights of the big city after leaving a small one in the south. Rosaria shows the conductor the photos of her oldest son Vicenzo who lives in Milan. We are introduced to Vicenzo during a banquet. Ginetta is his girlfriend. The family meets up with him and Rosaria is angry when she sees Vicenzo isn't wearing black for his father's death. The other family is a bit displeased with Rosaria's unannounced visit. She is also argumentative and a bit of a killjoy. The other family continues to argue with her and threaten her to leave. Rosaria leaves angry that they are celebrating when her husband and Rocco's father has recently died.

Vicenzo now has to deal and take care of his uninvited family. Their first night in the new house they are met with snow which they are thrilled to see. He meets up with Ginetta who is angry that he doesn't visit her anymore. The two families are having problems so they have to meet elsewhere. He meets Nadia who has been kicked out of her home and introduces her to his mother. The brothers tell the girl they are looking for jobs. She sees newspaper clippings of Vicenzo who is a boxer. The girl is provocative and in one second the family instantaneously guesses what her profession is. He houses her because her father kicked her out and once she leaves Rosaria yells at Vicenzo for bringing in a woman who could be a prostitute.

The brother takes up construction jobs in the city while Vicenzi practices boxing. Rocco and Simone stay and practice boxing as well. Simone gets offered a chance to train at Cerri's gym despite his late age. Simone gets his first fight and everyone in the audience calls him names. Simone shows promise and wins his first fight. The crowd riots outside over the loss of the favorite boxer while Ginetta is taken home by her brother and away from Vicenzo.

Nadia enters Simone's life as he is the winner of the fight and says he has passion for his profession like she does. He tells her he enjoys it. She says she left her home town so she could be in a place where she could sleep alone. She says she played hide and seek hiding her identity in fear of others. Luca visits his brother Ciro and gives him a boxing poster. He tells him Simone gave it to him. Rocco finds a job at the dry cleaners and finds it hard to manage the many orders. Luckily his coworkers like him.

Simone becomes overconfident with his new success and starts taking advantage of Rocco. Rocco delivers a message to the gym manager telling him that Simone will be gone for the next two days. The boxing manager talks to Rocco about Simone saying he needs more practice despite his talent. The manager tells Rocco to stay with Simone to keep him away from certain people at the training center. He tells Rocco morals make a good athlete possibly hinting at his relationship with Nadia. He says he should avoid alcohol, women and cigarettes. Simone promises to take Nadia to the Bellagio Hotel before the year is over. It is expensive and she is testing how much she can squeeze from Rocco.

Simone goes back to the dry cleaner to return a shirt he borrowed without asking which angers the woman there. She argues with him and they kiss. Simone and Rocco talk and Rocco tells him that the jewelry from the boss at the dry cleaner went missing. Everyone there suspects Rocco stole it when Simone was responsible. He pretends to be unaware. Nadia picks up Rocco in her car and tells him she knows Vicenzo. She shows him a decoration and tells him Simone said he bought it, but she tells him he stole it. She feels Rocco's body and tells him he is warm. She says she won't see Simone anymore and says to tell him not to look for her. When Rocco goes home he tells his brothers he saw the boss and not Nadia. He keeps their encounter a secret to see how things will develop. He tells Simone that Nadia left him.

Rocco decides to join the army after getting a pink slip at his job. Rosaria writes to Rocco telling him Vicenzo and Ginetta have married due to his accident. Ciro left his job to work at Alfa Romeo. He meets Nadia in the street by chance and says she will treat him to a coffee. She tells him she went to jail and he is surprised but tells her he knew someone who went as well. He tells her he wants stability in his life - a house, a car and food. She tells him her life hasn't been ideal but he counters that if she believes it will be better it will come. He is an idealist happy with the bare necessities as long as it's honest. Rocco returns home to see his excited mother. He tells her he is disappointed to not see Ciro. Rosaria tells Rocco she doesn't want to see Gianetta because there are still problems between both families. Thankfully she says Vicenzo visits her a lot.

Simone starts to have problems at the gym with his coach about his performance. It is suffering because he doesn't take it seriously. Cerri is angry he took on country people and sees them as lazy and not serious. He sees Simone and Rocco boxing and Simone has new life breathed into him. Cerri watches Rocco fight and likes what he sees. Rocco begins dating Nadia seriously as time progresses.

At the fight Simone is not in good shape. He threatens to throw in the towel and the coach tells him to not be a coward. He begs to end the fight and they forfeit. Cerri tells Rocco he must take over Simone's spot as Simone fooled everyone concerning his potential. As they heal Simone one of the men reveal to Simone that Rocco has been seeing Nadia. She has quit her old profession and is now going to stenography school. Simone's friends tell him they saw Nadia with Rocco by the river. They run there and Simone sees the two kissing. They argue and Simone asks why does Rocco have to see someone he used to be with. Rocco tells him that he Simone hasn't seen her in two years. Simone calls for his friends to come over and demands an apology from Rocco. He asks why and Simone slaps him. Simone grabs Nadia while his friends hold Rocco back and Simone rapes her in front of Rocco. He can't do anything to stop him. She leaves and Simone beats him shortly. He threatens to continue fighting him at home. They fight and he leaves Rocco bloody on the street.

Rocco goes to Vicenzo's house. He tells him nothing happened and asks if he can stay there. When he meets Nadia again she says she feels defiled and truer to her old profession after the cruelty Simone dealt her. Rocco says only she can help him. Nadia says Rocco will regret his decision. She goes to Simone and goes through the motions to appease Rocco. She reveals this to Simone who is shocked from the previous night to understand. Nadia tells Simone he will never go back to him. He kisses her but she is lifeless.

Now Rocco is Cerri's new prizefighter. He teaches him tricks how to fake out the opposing boxer. Rocco wins. He tells Ciro he won because of all the hatred building up inside of him. Ciro meets with his girlfriend and the father takes a liking to him. His mother now lives with Simone's girlfriend. She says she regrets bringing her sons to the city in hopes they would be rich but instead following in their father's footsteps. She is most angry that her son Simone is dating a prostitute now. Ciro fears that young Luca will become like Simone. Rocco tells Ciro Simone didn't change he is demoralized because his self-esteem is shattered.

Later a man tells Luca outside the Principe Teatro to tell Simone he will be waiting for him in the bar. He meets him and asks why he isn't boxing. He tells him he needs money. The man talks to him in the dark with his face unseen. It shows this man is channeling Simone and telling him what he really wants to hear - the voice from inside. He tells Simone he is finished as a boxer and as a man he is a wreck. The man calls him disgusting. They fight and he beats Simone.

At Rosaria's house they have an arrest warrant for Simone. Rocco goes with the police to see why they are after Simone. Rosaria asks his girlfriend why they are looking for him. She calls him a delinquent. Rosaria says she has no right insulting others considering her profession and that she is to be embarrassed to look out the window with her around. She tells her she has ruined Rocco and once she leaves he will return to his virtuous ways.

Later we see a man who says Simone owes him 400,000 lire. Rocco says he will get the money. He says to ask Cerri to be a guaranter of the money. He can pay for Simone's legal troubles as Cerri promised him a 10 year contract. Simone can no longer handle his defeat as he doesn't box anymore. He can't even watch others fight because that could be him up there. On top of that his brother Rocco has the big fight that day.

Simone finds Nadia after a tip off at a bar. He tells her they can start a new life together. She says that's impossible so he grabs her. She flees afraid and tells him he is disgusting and that she is going to jail. She walks away only to have him pull out a knife tailing her. She welcomes him and he stabs her killing her. He cleans his hands in the dirty river unable to wash his sin away. Later we see Rocco wins the fight. They celebrate with a huge feast after Rocco's victory. The whole neighborhood comes into their home dining and wining. Vicenzo makes a toast. Rocco pledges one day he will go back to the country. Rocco says, "Remember, Luca, that our country is the land of the olive trees. Of moonshine and rainbows."

Simone comes to the house unable to look at his mother. He say she needs to talk to Rocco alone. Simone tells Rocco he killed Nadia is self defense. He confesses to killing her. Rocco cries uncontrollably. Rosaria says it's jealousy that drove him to this. Ciro says to report him. Rocco doesn't want to report him but Ciro leaves to do just that. The next day Luca tells Ciro he reported Simone. Ciro still idealistic feels he could have reached Simone to save him.