Rome, Open City

Towards the end of World War II as Rome is declared an "Open City", and the occupying German forces hunt down members of the Italian resistance, a priest becomes involved with several party members and winds up paying dearly for his selflessness. Filmed during the actual occupation of Rome, from a script cowritten by Federico Fellini, Roberto Rossellini's "Rome, Open City" told a socially conscious and ultimately harrowing story, beautifully acted by a cast of non-actors. The film was one of the base films in what would come to be known as the Italian Neorealism, a style of film that would influence generations of filmmakers to come and spark interest in international cinema.