Rocco and his four brothers have recently moved to Milan and are looking for a new way of life until a prostitute comes between Rocco and his brother Simone.
The 1960 drama film Rocco and His Brothers (Rocco e I suoi fratelli) was directed by Luchino Visconti and starring Alain Delon, Annie Girardot, Renato Salvatori, Katina Paxinou, Roger Hanin, Paolo Stoppa, and Claudia Cardinale in one of her early performances. It is set in Milan and follows the narrative of a migrant family from the South and their breakdown in the industrial North’s society. The title is a play on Thomas Mann’s Joseph and His Brothers and the name of Rocco Scotellaro, an Italian poet who depicted the sensations of southern Italian peasants.
Visconti co-wrote the script, which is based on an event from Giovanni Testori’s novel Il Ponte della Ghisolfa.
Rocco and His Brothers, a co-production between Titanus and Les Films Marceau, saw several difficulties and problems during its pre-release phase. It garnered tepid reviews from Italian critics but had a more favourable reception worldwide, winning numerous awards, including the Special Jury Prize at the 21st Venice International Film Festival. Retrospective reviews were more complimentary, and the picture is today considered a classic of Italian cinema.