Director: Luchino Visconti
Screenplay: Suso Cecchi D’Amico, Pasquale Festa Campanile, Massimo Franciosa, Enrico Medioli, Luchino Visconti
Starring: Alain Delon, Renato Salvatori, Annie Girardot, Claudia Cardinale
Country: Italy
Year: 1960
“The Red Count” was the moniker for Italian film director Luchino Visconti who was from an aristocratic family but held communist anti-fascist views. He’s known as one of the progenitors of Italian neorealism, a movement following the Second World War which favoured gritty realistic depictions of Italy rather than the glitz and glamour of highly produced studio films.
After spear heading the movement, with films such as Ossessione (1943), La Terra Trema (1948), and Bellissima (1951), Visconti directed Rocco and His Brothers (1960). On paper, the film sounds about as neo-realist as it gets, as it’s a hard-hitting epic-tale about an impoverished family moving from the destitute south of Italy to Milan, in the north of Italy.
The director brought in top talent from across Europe and imbued the film with a heightened sense of melodrama, however, while still retaining the gritty realism of on-location shoot. By fusing neo-realism with elements of romanticism, Visconti creates a visceral drama.
It’s a powerful story which follows the Parondi family over about five years with most of focus on a love triangle between two brothers and a prostitute who lives in the same building. The brothers, Rocco and Simone, are both boxers. The film charts their diverging paths as Rocco becomes ever more virtuous, and Simone becomes more and more sinister. The story of prostitute Nadia caught between them is utterly tragic.
The three main stars include Alain Delon as Rocco, Renato Salvatori as Simone and Annie Girardot as Nadia. Future European megastar Claudia Cardinale also appears in an early minor role as another of the brother’s partners.
French actor Delon, who became a huge sex symbol in the 1950s, and was a Visconti veteran, gives a powerhouse performance in the lead role, exuding the perceptive and saintly Rocco with a holy Jesus-like aura. While the character is a daydreamer, he is perceptive and delivers powerful monologues in moments of clarity.
Salvatori portrays Simone’s fall from grace superbly as we see him subtly becoming more and more wicked, cruel and selfish. Girardot delivers a fierce raw and brutal performance. A very shocking disturbing event occurs in the film, and Girardot exudes the scene with a real sense of authenticity.
Picture and Sound
The BFI has released a restoration of the film in a 4K Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible) format by Milestone Films.
The wide-screen image is striking with high contrasts in the black and white image. This serves to create a cinematic wrapping effect and enhances close-ups of when the characters are delivering powerful lines – you can see every bead of sweat and tear drop in clear as crystal clarity. The film is lit like a film-noir and there are many expressionist style shots which enhance the mood of this brutal tragic movie.
The score contains sultry orchestral jazz type of music, enhancing the melancholic nature of the drama that unfolds. It feels multi-layered and crisp as each instrument ripples through the speakers.
Film:
Special Features
- Restored 4K (2160p) UHD Blu-ray presentation in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible)
- Newly commissioned audio commentary by film critic and writer Adrian Martin
- The Flavour of Scandal: An Interview with Caterina d’Amico (2017, 40 mins): the daughter of screenwriter Suso Cecchi d’Amico, discusses the genesis and production of Rocco and His Brothers
- Interviews with cast and crew of Rocco and His Brothers (2017, 34 mins): a compendium of archive interviews including Claudia Cardinale, Mario Garbuglia, Annie Girardot, Guiseppe Rotunno, Piero Tosi, and Suso Cecchi d’Amico
- Alain Delon – Luchino Visconti: The Encounter (41 mins): through analyses and interwoven narratives by Laurence Schifano (Visconti’s biographer) and Olivier Rajchman (Delon’s biographer), Jérôme Wybon revisits Rocco and His Brothers and the film’s place within both actors’ careers
- Les coulisses du tournage (2003, 21 mins): a documentary looking at the production history of Rocco and His Brothers
- Treasures from the BFI National Archive (1925-1964, 78 mins): a selection of newsreels and public information films exploring some of the strands touched upon in Rocco and His Brothers
- **FIRST PRESSING ONLY** New writing on the film by Guy Adams, an essay on Nino Rota’s score by Charlie Brigden and writing on the films from the BFI National Archive by Sarah Wood
The disc comes loaded with special features. I found the standout to be the audio commentary by critic Adrian Martin who speaks for three hours with in-depth analysis of the movie and background history. His delivery is very clear and engaging. The interviews are in depth and illuminating across the board. My favourite of the features was behind the scenes 21-minute documentary. However, I would have liked a video essay on the themes of the movie, and more focus on what happens to the Nadia character. The BFI National Archive footage is just incredible and great quality.
Disc/package:
The BFI releases Rocco and His Brothers in 4K on 22nd June, 2026.