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Editorial Review:
Amazon.com:
Both suspenseful and thoughtful, the 1973 Massacre in Rome is based on tragic events that took place in 1944 as the Nazi war machine was beginning to come to terms with its eventual failure. Richard Burton plays SS Lt. Col. Herbert Kappler, stationed in Rome at the time of a sneak attack on German troops (leaving 32 dead) by Italian partisans. Kappler, both educated and realistic, resists demands by his immediate superior (Leo McKern) and the High Command to retaliate by shooting a multitude of locals, whether or not they had anything to do with the deaths. Kappler, and other Third Reich officers, sees the killing of the 32 as miniscule compared to losses the Germans are enduring every day in a losing battle against the Allies. A severe punishment against Romans, Kappler reasons, would be both petty and shortsighted, heightening Italian anger over the German presence.
But Hitler himself insists, leaving Kappler with the impractical and unpleasant task of finding 320 Italians to kill in cold blood. Meanwhile, a Catholic priest and art restorer (Marcello Mastroianni), whom Kappler both admires and distrusts, is shielding the partisans and exacerbating the conflict Kappler feels between his duty and his civilized self. Produced by Carlo Ponti (The Passenger) and directed by George P. Cosmatos (Tombstone), Massacre In Rome is both an action movie and a drama of great moral complexity, exploring such tricky issues as the Vatican's cooperation with German looting of Italian art and antiquities. A rich score by Ennio Morricone and a second disc full of special features, including old interviews with Cosmatos and Mastroianni, make this a memorable experience. --Tom Keogh
Customer Reviews
Average Rating: 
Rating:  - Foreign WW2 Drama
Having seen many WW2 films, I thought there would be no novel experiences left in watching yet another film on that subject. However, I was pleasantly surprized upon watching this film.
The setting is German occupied Rome toward the end of the war. The story line evolves around the conflict between resistance forces and the occupation forces. What is unique in this film is the brilliant way suspense is developed, keeping all of us glued to our seats during its showing. The fine acting by ... Read More
Rating:  - The bureaucracy of evil
Massacre in Rome (aka Rappresaglia) is a surprisingly sober look at the bureaucracy of evil. Focussing on the murder of 335 Italian civilians as reprisal for the killing of 33 SS men, it shows how the moral questions were submerged under the purely practical problems of logistics - where do you find them at such short notice? What if there aren't enough prisoners in jail or Jews in custody to make up the numbers? Where do you carry it out? Where do you dispose of the bodies? Who pulls the trigger? ... Read More
Rating: - Massacre in Rome
The film "Massacre in Rome" is a film that conveys the orchestration of the retaliation plan in regard to the assault of the Italian national partisans against the SS brigade stationed in Rome during the WWII era.
We closely watch the orchestration of that massacre through the intrusive look behind all the closed doors at the SS headquarters, the Police Department of Rome and the Roman Catholic Church.
The director provides us a documentary view as if there was a camera within ... Read More
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