Overshadowed by BICYCLE THIEVES (1948),THE ROOF is De Sica's another neo-realistic project thrives in his earnest concerns over the hardship of working-class plebeians in Italy in the wake of the end of WWII.

Luisa (Pallotta) and Natale (Listuzzi) are newlyweds, but they have no place of their own, squeeze inside a two-room apartment co-shared with Natale's ageing parents, his sister's family, eight people in total. Natale is an apprentice bricklayer, and with the housing projects are booming vigorously after the war, he is pretty optimistic about their future. But the kitchen-sink reality doesn't give them a break, after squabbling with his brother-in-law Cesare (Renzelli),they decide to move out, a makeshift plan separates them apart, Natale stays in the construction site where he works and Luisa camps with her housemaid friend on the sly, without the consent of the house owner.

Don't let their tribulation wears you out, the film sturdily resists from being despondent or melancholy, two non-professional leads, Pallotta and Listuzzi (a footballer in real life) generate an engaging atmosphere of uplifting perseverance, they are never deterred by the harsh situations, a mutual understanding seems rather precious under such context, and makes their love so down- to-earth, pure and tender to watch.

Finally, they take advantage of a loophole in the law, to built a one-room brick house overnight, once the roof is done, the house will not be redeemed as illegal property, but if not, policemen can tear it down on the spot. So, with the help of Natale's co-workers, their undertaking gets off on the wrong foot thanks to a snitch, the first attempt is botched by the sudden arrival of policemen, but, Natale doesn't cave in, later that night, they find another place near the railways to build their house, it is a race against time, even a pregnant Luisa must do whatever she could to help, including recruit Cesare, a professional bricklayer, for help. Then the next morning, when two policemen approaches, the roof is barely finished, De Sica slyly leaves the roof open to channel a much-needed and anticipated climax in the final bargain - the chief policeman turns a blind eye to the unfinished roof and acquiesces the dwelling, a feel-good ending leaves everyone happy, wide- eyed spectators included.

THE ROOF reflects a softened sentimentality in Zavattini's otherwise, well-constructed script, also bookends the neorealism phase of De Sica's directorial orbit, nevertheless, it radiates warmth, optimism and confidence without detaching itself from the slice of life, a truly rewarding piece for your time.

Having seen the amazing three masterpieces - Ladri Di Biciclette, Miracolo a Milano and Umberto D. - which De Sica made in a row, I was a bit worried that his formula could be worn out, that by '56 neorealism would be dead. I was worried that I'd grown apathetic to his tragic fates and epic portraits of the working class.. but I was WRONG! The characters in this movie are simply too real -- and most likely, they are real, since often De Sica didn't use pro actors, and none of the actors have a prior acting history according to IMDb). Growing tired of his formula would be the same as growing tired of people, stories and destinies all together. It doesn't take long for these poor Italians to win sympathy and capture emotions, and in those 8 years from Ladri di Biciclette and to Il Tetto, De Sica may not have changed his focus from the tragic lives in the lowest classes of Italian post-war history, but he's certainly gone from being just a bit over-the-top on how bad everything can get (which isn't necessarily bad) to an even more modest story. A story that could sound dull if retold with only words, but told in the hands of the genius De Sica, it becomes another gem. If you like anything else that he's made, you'll like this one, too. It's honest, it's historical, it's political, it's human, it's beautiful and more than any of his other movies, Il Tetto does shine a light for the poor.

For whatever reason, I was unable to post to the message board for this movie.

I love Di Sica and so when I saw this movie available on Facets video, I bought it, along with 'It Happened in the Park' by Di Sica. Facets.org rents out movies if you join and also sells movies. They are sort of an art house type film organization out of Chicago.

I saw 'The Bicycle Thief' many years ago and thought it was a very moving film. Yes, the lead actor was probably not charming and perhaps unlikeable but it was a great film nonetheless. 'Umberto D' is as good a film, although very little happens and it can seem to move too slowly.

'The Roof' is really for Di Sica fans.