Italy, 1956. Only a decade removed from the horrors of fascism and WWII, the Italians had moved on with their lives and recovered to be a cornerstone of Western Europe. Behind this facade, the age-old problems of communication still plagued society - and these problems were not discussed. A case of what you don't know can't hurt you. But filmmakers such as Pietro Germi ripped into this illusion with 'neo-realism' movies such as THE RAILRAOD MAN - a no holds barred look at the true life of an Italian family in the 1950's.

Andrea Marcocci is a typical Italian father - he has a doting wife Sara, a beautiful daughter Guila, a hardy son Marcello, and a younger boy Sandrino. Andrea works as an engineer on the railway's passenger line; a good job that keeps his family fed and a glass or two of wine in his hands. But all is not as it seems. It's Christmas, and Sandrino meets his father at the train station to bring him home for the holiday. Andrea decides to stop at the bar for "a drink with the boys" - he sends Sandrino onward to tell Sara he'll be home soon. At the apartment, Sara is upset because Guila is waiting - and she's quite pregnant. As her husband Renato and Marcello discuss business, Sara sends Sandrino back to the bar to hurry Andrea along. But his Papa is having a roaring good time singing with the trainmen, so Sandrino stays at the bar and waits...and waits. When they finally get back home the apartment is deserted. Andrea passes out (he's quite the drinker), so Sandrino reads Sara's note and goes to Renato & Guila's flat. When Sandrino gets to his sister's place, the place is a flurry of activity. Renato rushes Sandrino into a back bedroom. He remembers when Guila revealed she was pregnant - Andrea flew into a rage and forced her to marry Renato, a man she doesn't love. Now, it turns out Guila has lost her baby. Sandrino ponders how death will affect life...

Life moves on. Andrea continues working hard at his job, but his drinking starts to increase because he feels guilty about not being there to comfort his daughter when Guila miscarried. On his run, a suicidal man leaps onto the tracks - there's nothing Andrea can do to stop the train in time. Driving back to the yard, a distracted Andrea runs a red light and almost collides with another train. Can his day get any worse? Meanwhile, Guila has frozen Renato out of her life. Sara tries to convince her to at least talk to him, but her daughter refuses Mama's request. Marcello continues to loaf around the house; he has no ambition to actually getting a job. And Sandrino is doing badly at school, much to Sara's dismay. Andrea must face the Railroad's inquest into the suicide incident. He goes through a battery of tests - the doctors tell him to stop drinking, but Andrea scoffs at their advice. The union is reluctant to support Andrea's position, and so, the inquest demotes him. 30 years a railroad man, and now Andrea world crumbles around him; his work, his family, his life. Can he find the strength to pick himself up persevere? Sorry, Act One is over....

As with most societies, there are certain conventions that are said to be 'out of sight, out of mind'. In postwar Italy, still feeling the effects of Mussolini and the Fascists, this caveat was very real. Pietro Germi unleashed THE RAILRAOD MAN and was roundly criticized for his depiction of the working class. If anything, Germi's film was too honest, too real, and hit far too close to home for many Italians - the story of THE RAILRAOD MAN refuses to compromise its depiction of life in the city. Every facet of the script is true to the characters and their lives - the audience can't help but see themselves reflected in the ups and downs of Andrea and his family. The actors bring a sincerity to their respective roles that few films can match; Germi himself excels in the tragic hero role of Andrea. Edoardo Nevola is an amazingly gifted child actor - as the 'narrator' of THE RAILRAOD MAN, he conveys maturity far beyond his years. Production-wise, the film is an overall excellent creation. The DVD is struck from an original negative, so the quality is as good as you can get. Germi uses only a few locales, but all are used to maximum effect; his editing keeps the scenes moving even when there isn't much dialogue. As with really good B&W directors, Germi also uses his lighting well to enhance the emotional state of the characters. Audio is mono and clear. THE RAILRAOD MAN is only available subtitled, so we can skip the criticism of the dubbing (ha ha). Overall, you'd be hard pressed to find a better example of Italian "neo-realism" than Pietro Germi's THE RAILRAOD MAN.

NoShame Films has released THE RAILRAOD MAN in all its uncut glory on DVD with a host of extras as a 2-disc set. There is an original trailer and a poster/still gallery on Disc 1 along with the main picture. Disc two offers a rare look at the film's production with Germi conducting screen tests. Some of these scenes were not in the finished film, so that's a bonus as well. The second DVD also has a lengthy documentary about Germi's life and work, with extensive interviews by fellow directors, producers, actors, et al., and many scenes from THE RAILRAOD MAN. As with the film, this interesting look at a most interesting man is subtitled only. Brush up on your Italian, kids.

THE RAILROAD MAN is a sometimes brutal, sometimes beautiful, but always honest drama of the Italian working class. Germi's direction, script and acting refuse to compromise his desire to show the truth of society -and the solution is the simplest truth of all. Just talk to each other. If we communicate, there is no problem we cannot solve together - as true today as it was 50 years ago. When will we listen to THE RAILROAD MAN?