Rossellini's Early Films
Rossellini received some recognition within film circles for his
early documentary experiments, and in 1938, was called to assist in
directing Luciano Serra, pilota with director Goffedo Alessandrini. With
his foot in the door, Rossellini was then called on to assist Francesco De
Robertis on Uomini sul Fondo (1940), a film about and sponsored
by the Italian Navy. However, the things that probably helped the
struggling young director the most were his intimate relationship with
Vittorio Mussolini, the dictator's son, and his exploitation of the
contacts made during his youth when he spent his days in his father’s
theater.
Rossellini’s work with De Robertis prepared him for his first
feature film, La Nave Bianca (1941) which was sponsored by the
Centro Cinematografico del Ministero della Marina . An
interesting feature of Rossellini’s films was that he seemed to film his
movies in cycles, or trilogies, which concentrated on one particular
theme. The first of these cycles was the Fascist Trilogy, three films
that Rossellini made from 1941 to 1943 under the supervision of Vittorio
Mussolini to celebrate the heros of the war and their sacrifices.
The Cinema Under Mussolini
The Fascist Trilogy (1941 - 1944)