Rubble and Ruins in Italian Cinema: From Rossellini to Fellini

Christian Caliandro's article on Artribune examines the symbolic use of rubble and ruins in Italian cinema, focusing on Roberto Rossellini's War Trilogy, Ettore Scola's "Dramma della gelosia," Federico Fellini's "Prova d'orchestra," and Alan Parker's "The Wall." In Rossellini's "Germania Anno Zero" (1948), Berlin is not just punctuated by destruction but is destruction itself, with post-apocalyptic streets reflecting moral desolation. Scola's 1970 film opens at a Festa dell'Unità, where a pile of debris introduces the theme of waste, culminating in a famous beach scene decrying Rome's garbage. Fellini's 1979 "Prova d'orchestra" ends with a steel ball demolishing a rehearsal hall, symbolizing chaos and the need to start anew. Parker's 1982 "The Wall" features a wall that imprisons the protagonist before exploding, with Roger Waters' lyrics underscoring irony and bitterness. The article was published in Artribune Magazine #41.