A Triple Alliance for a Catholic Neorealism. Roberto Rossellini according to Félix Morlion, Giulio Andreotti and Gian Luigi Rondi

In second Post War Italy, the most relevant cultural phenomen is neorealistic cinema, politically near to the left and thus contrasted by catholic environments. But when father Félix A. Morlion witnesses to Paisà and neo-realism triumph, during the 1947 Festival Mondial du Film et des Beaux Arts in Brussels, he understands that the “new Italian cinematic school” cannot be longer ignored by catholics, and that Rossellini is too important to leave him to comunists. So, defying ecclesiastical hierarchies (especially relentless against neorealism starting form 1948), he applies himself to promote a cultural policy turned to subtract neorealism praise to the monopoly of marxist criticism. Rossellini was the one who had made neorealism famous in the world. He was also the one who had officlally started it in 1945, with Roma città aperta. Moreover, he was not a communist; rather, he was hold by many as near to Christian Democratic Party. And starting from 1949 he would make movies starring Ingrid Bergman, a famous film star appreciated all over the world, who represented an opportunity, not only for Rossellini: actually, she represented a guarantee of visibility and popularity at general public, larger than the one already obtained by Roma città aperta and Paisà. Therefore, Morlion aims at doing Rossellini the “pioneer of catholic neorealism”, correcting the other one which did not seem christian enough. And, to do so, he allies himself with Giulio Andreotti and with Gian Luigi Rondi in the making and promoting catholic neorealistic films, notably directed by Rossellini. According to the Dominican intentions, this should have been a sort of “triple alliance”, in which he would write (he kept for himself the role of “religious councilor”, actually a sort of ghost screenwriter), Andreotti would “produce” (since he would help with contacts and financing) and Rondi would review, using his influence and his widespread presence as a film critic in many film journals and newspapers.