3.5. Rewatch. In retrospect, the more interesting question seems to be the extent of continuity (especially in terms of the portrayal of "heroic" characters) between this and Rossellini's earlier fascist propaganda films. The whitewashing of Italy's involvement in WW2 (and of Badoglio no less) also stands out, though the choice of a Communist as one of the martyred saints is also intriguing.
看哭好几次... //That's all any of us are: amateurs. We don't live long enough to be anything else. // What do you want meaning for? Life is a desire, not a meaning. Desire is the theme of all life // There's greatness in everyone. But as a crowd, they're like a monster without a head that never knows which way it's going to turn. It can be prodded in any direction. // Think of the power that's in the universe, moving the earth, growing the trees. That's the same power within you if you only have courage and the will to use it