Some of us were surprised to learn that only two of Roberto Rosselini's feature length films were "commercially successful"  -- Rome Open City (Roma Citta Apera) (1945) and Il Generale Della Rovere (1959).  We also were surprised (and happy) to learn that Rossellini spent most of his time in bed, and often worked in bed.  At times, visitors who came to his home to discuss business and/or film projects were brought into his bedroom where he sat perched in his bed.  We learned this from the interviews of his daughters Isabella Rosselini and Ingrid Rosselini, which interviews are available on the Criterion Collection DVD of the restored version of Il Generale Della Rovere.  

Il Generale Della Rovere stars actor, film director and Rosselini's friend Vittorio de Sica.  De Sica plays Emanuele Bardone, a con man deep in gambling debt who is forced by a Nazi colonel to impersonate resistance leader Generale Della Rovere for the purpose of infiltrating a prison of political prisoners in Milan during occupation.  The Bardone character is already a skilled actor-impersonator, well-practiced in a scheme of convincing the family members of those detained by the Nazis that he can win the release of their loved ones if they hand over significant sums of cash to be given by him as intermediary to certain Gestapo officers.  He then pockets the cash, gambles the cash, and eventually may hand over some cash to a Gestapo officer, who may or may not (usually not) arrange for the release of the family member.  

Inside prison, at the direction of the Nazi colonel, Bardone transforms himself into Generale Della Rovere, a revered leader of the resistance.  In this acting job, he manages to convince himself that he is worthy, becomes empathetic for his fellow prisoners and allows himself and his fellow prisoners to be commanded by the presence of Generale della Rovere. He is tortured as Generale Della Rovere, then declines to reveal the identify of a fellow prisoner who is a resistance leader.  He then walks amongst his new comrades to be executed.  Bardone is redeemed.  

Sergio Amidei wrote the screenplay for Il Generale Della Rovere, which was based on the novel by Indro Montanelli, which was based on a true story about Giovanni Bertoni.  (Amidei also wrote the screenplay for Rome Open City.)  Real archive footage of Milan during the war, particularly footage of bodies being pulled from bombed out buildings, is incorporated into Il Generale Della Rovere.  

By the way, in 2003, a 1,000 pound unexploded bomb was found during an excavation of a building in Milan, forcing the evacuation of 55,000 people.  It was dropped by the Allies during WWII.  The unexploded bomb was reported to be "in perfect condition."  BBC story HERE.

Meeting at the National Counterterrorism Center in McLean, VA on October 6, 2009:

 At the G-20 Summit in Pittsburgh, PA on September 25, 2009:

 In the Situation Room at the White House on September 29, 2009:

Again, in the Situation Room, on October 7, 2009:

On Air Force One, on August 11, 2009:

(Photos by White House photographer Pete Souza. Official U.S. Government Works) 

A must-read on the family history of Michelle Obama is featured in the New York Times.  Read In First Lady's Roots, A Complex Path From Slavery.  Indeed, it is so very remarkable and valuable for this country to have her family in the White House.  And besides that, Michelle Obama gives good hugs.  From White House photographers:

Michelle with women at the White House Correspondence Office (April 2009):

With children at Cinco de Mayo event in 2009:

At White House in August 2009:

With Vicki Kennedy in September 2009:

With a supporter:

With Sonia Sotomayor in August 2009:

This Summer of 2009, U.S. President Barack Obama visited foreign leaders, attended summits, and toured museums and places of disaster.   White House photographers accompanied him. 

Here President Obama, his wife Michelle Obama and their daughter Malia take in art at the Centre Pompidou, in Paris France on June 6, 2009:

President Obama and Malia Obama view the Paris skyline from Centre Pompidou:

Here, Obama ducks under a door while touring the Great Sphinx of Giza and Pyramid of Khafre on June 4, 2009.  He joked that the hieroglyphic at the bottom right looked like him:

In L'Aquila, Italy during his G8 summit visit in early July, Obama toured the site of earthquake damage:

In Ghana in July, Obama and his family visited the Cape Coast Castle, a prison used to hold slaves prior to the tortuous journey to the 'New World':

Obama was often the main attraction.  Here, in Italy, Polizia and cooks take his picture:

And here at a hotel in Accra, Ghana, people view Obama through a window: