The Great War (1959 film)

Last updated
The Great War
(La Grande Guerra)
La grande guerra.jpg
Italian film poster
Directed by Mario Monicelli
Written by Agenore Incrocci,
Mario Monicelli,
Furio Scarpelli,
Luciano Vincenzoni
Produced by Dino De Laurentiis
Starring Alberto Sordi
Vittorio Gassman
Folco Lulli
Bernard Blier
Romolo Valli
Silvana Mangano
Cinematography Giuseppe Rotunno
Leonida Barboni
Roberto Gerardi
Giuseppe Serrandi
Edited byAdriana Novelli
Music by Nino Rota
Release date
  • September 1959 (1959-09)(premiere at VFF)
Running time
135 minutes
CountriesItaly
France
LanguageItalian

The Great War (Italian : La grande guerra) is a 1959 Italian comedy-drama war film directed by Mario Monicelli. It tells the story of an odd couple of army buddies in World War I; the movie, while played on a comedic register, does not hide from the viewer the horrors and grimness of trench warfare. Starring Alberto Sordi and Vittorio Gassman and produced by Dino De Laurentiis, the film won the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival. Its crew also included Danilo Donati (costumes) and Mario Garbuglia (set designer).

Contents

It was an Academy Award nominee as Best Foreign Film. [1] In 2008, the film was included on the Italian Ministry of Cultural Heritage's 100 Italian films to be saved, a list of 100 films that "have changed the collective memory of the country between 1942 and 1978." [2] It won huge success outside Italy, especially in France.

Plot

1916. The Roman Oreste Jacovacci (Alberto Sordi) and Giovanni Busacca (Vittorio Gassman) meet in a military district during the call to arms. The former deceives the other with a false promise to help him avoid conscription in exchange for money. The two meet again on a train to the front: after Giovanni's initial anger, they end up sympathizing and becoming friends. Although completely different in character, they are united by the lack of any ideal and the desire to avoid any danger in order to emerge unscathed from the war. After going through numerous vicissitudes during training, fighting and rare leave, they witness the Italian defeat at Caporetto. The following day, they are commanded as relay runners, a very dangerous task, which is entrusted to them because they are considered to be the "least efficient" of the troop.

One evening, after carrying out their mission, they lie down in the stable of an outpost not far from the front line, but a sudden advance of the Austrians leaves them to enemy territory. Surprised to wear coats of the Austro-Hungarian army in an attempt to escape, they are captured, accused of espionage and threatened with shooting. Overwhelmed by fear, they admit that they have crucial information on the Italian counterattack on Piave river, and in order to save themselves, they decide to pass it on to the enemy. The arrogance of the Austrian officer and a joke of contempt for the Italians, however, offends them personally and restores strength to their dignity, leading them to keep the secret until the execution. Giovanni insults the Austrian officer, while Oreste shouts he is not aware of the information and is shot shortly after his friend.

The battle ends shortly after, with the victory of the Italian army and the reconquest of the position fallen into the hands of the Austrians. The film ends with Oreste and Giovanni's captain who, ignoring their sacrifice, comments about their escape.

Cast

Analysis

The film is an ironic account of life in the trenches on the Italian front of World War I and the vicissitudes of a group of comrades fighting there in 1916. It is narrated in a simultaneously neorealist and romantic idiom, combining typical features of Italian comedy with attention to historical detail. One review wrote that it "realises a fusion, in some ways unsurpassed, through criticism dressed as comedy and the perspective of historical criticism capable of dealing with the past with the same lucidity and with the same anti-conformity as that shown by cinema following the eveolution of contemporary Italian society. [3] Another review stated "Italian comedy was getting to grips with grand cinema and this had to pass through a direct contact with social reality and great labour in psychologically defining character. [4]

The remarkable crowd scenes are accompanied by acute characterizations of many characters, human and fearful anti-heroes, resigned to their fate in solidarity with each other, united by their enforced participation in a disaster which in the end overwhelms them. Monicelli and his scriptwriters Age & Scarpelli and Luciano Vincenzoni reached the pinnacle of their careers with this film, combining artistic skill with unparalleled fluidity of storytelling, comedy and dramatic tone, and paving the way for a new style of war film. In the citation for an honorary degree from the University of Udine on 30 May 2005, Monicelli was rewarded "for his extraordinary contribution to [public] knowledge of Italian history through his films, particularly 'The Great War'. A master of cinematography and the course of history, but also ... a kind of master ... who taught us things we will remember for a lifetime." [5]

The short final sequence shows the two main characters redeem themselves by making a small but courageous gesture of sacrifice, one as a "swaggering hero" and the other as a "heroic coward", the latter being Sordi's role, for which he won the Nastro d'Argento for Best Actor. One reviewer wrote:

In the end it will redeem them all, when cowardice will become honour and the spirit of belonging will prevails over selfishness, in a triumphal and optimistically patriotic ending which shrinks from the danger of falling into petty rhetoric, because it seals, just for once, the triumph of cowardice over courage. Perhaps this was not cowardice, but simply love for life." [6]

The reconstruction of wartime life is, from a historical point of view, one of the best contributions by Italian cinema to the study of the First World War. For the first time a representation of that war was purged of the rhetoric of Fascist and Second World War propaganda, which continued the myth of Italy fighting a successful and heroic war, meaning The Great War had problems with the censors and banned for under 18s. One reviewer wrote "Its antirhetorical character brought press reactions right from the start of filming, but its public success contributed more than anything else to the de-mythologising of patriotic and romantic historiography which had always clouded the massacre that was the First World War under the oratory of ardour and sacrifice." [3] Until then Italian soldiers had always been portrayed as courageous and willing men sacrificing themselves for their country. [7] The film also denounces the absurdity and violence of the conflict and the miserable living conditions of civilians and soldiers, but also speaks strongly about the friendships which grew up among soldiers from very different classes, cultures and regions of Italy. Forced to live side by side, the soldiers' regional rivalries and provincial nature, never thrown together before for so long, helps to partly form a national spirit that before then was nearly non-existent, in strong contrast to Italy's commanders and institutions, which are shown as the main things to blame for the war. [8]

Production

The film was born out of an idea by Luciano Vincenzoni, influenced by "Two friends", a story by Guy de Maupassant. Initially thought of as a star vehicle just for Gassman, it was the producer De Laurentiis who decided to add another character, played by Sordi. The screenplay combined characters and situations from two famous books - "A Year on the Plateau" by Emilio Lussu and "Con me e con gli alpini" by Piero Jahier. In an interview, the director himself stated:

Lussu and Jahier are considered as the film's two screenwriters. In particular I turned to Lussu, saying that he deserved to be rewarded for the borrowings from his book, but (perhaps because he was convinced Italian comedy was rubbish) he told me that he would have nothing to do with it and we could realise the film just as we liked [9]

The journalist and writer Carlo Salsa, who had actually fought in these areas in the First World War, was a script consultant, helping with the story, dialogue and background, all particularly vivid and original. The scenes were mostly shot in the province of Udine, at Gemona del Friuli, near Venzone, at Sella Sant'Agnese, in the fort at Palmanova and in the Nespoledo district of Lestizza from 25 May to mid-June 1959. Other scenes were filmed in Campania at San Pietro Infine.

Awards and nominations

Nominations

Wins

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vittorio Gassman</span> Italian actor and director (1922–2000)

Vittorio Gassman, popularly known as Il Mattatore, was an Italian actor, director, and screenwriter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alberto Sordi</span> Italian actor (1920–2003)

Alberto Sordi was an Italian actor, comedian, director, singer, and screenwriter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mario Monicelli</span> Italian film director and screenwriter

Mario Alberto Ettore Monicelli was an Italian film director and screenwriter, one of the masters of the commedia all'italiana. He was nominated six times for an Oscar, and received the Golden Lion for his career.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Francesco Rosi</span> Italian film director

Francesco Rosi was an Italian film director. His film The Mattei Affair won the Palme d'Or at the 1972 Cannes Film Festival. Rosi's films, especially those of the 1960s and 1970s, often appeared to have political messages. While the topics of his later films became less politically oriented and more angled toward literature, he continued to direct until 1997, his last film being the adaptation of Primo Levi's book, The Truce.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alessandro Gassmann</span> Italian actor

Alessandro Gassmann is an Italian actor and film director.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Enzo Petito</span> Italian actor

Enzo Petito was an Italian film and stage character actor. A theatre actor under Eduardo De Filippo in the 1950s in the Teatro San Ferdinando of Naples, with whom he was professionally closely associated, Petito also appeared in several of his films, often co-starring Eduardo or/and brother, Peppino De Filippo, brothers who are considered to be amongst the greatest Italian actors of the 20th century. Petito played minor roles in some memorable commedia all'Italiana movies directed by the likes of Dino Risi and Mario Monicelli in the late 1950s and early 1960s, often appearing alongside actors such as Nino Manfredi, Alberto Sordi, Peppino De Filippo, Anna Maria Ferrero, and Totò.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Giovanna Ralli</span> Italian actress

Giovanna Ralli,, is an Italian stage, film and television actress.

<i>Commedia allitaliana</i> Italian film genre

Commedia all'italiana, or Italian-style comedy, is an Italian film genre born in Italy in the 1950s and developed in the 1960s and 1970s. It is widely considered to have started with Mario Monicelli's Big Deal on Madonna Street in 1958, and derives its name from the title of Pietro Germi's Divorce Italian Style (1961). According to most of the critics, La Terrazza (1980) by Ettore Scola is the last work considered part of the commedia all'italiana.

The Nastro d'Argento is a film award assigned each year, since 1946, by Sindacato Nazionale dei Giornalisti Cinematografici Italiani, the association of Italian film critics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Furio Scarpelli</span> Italian screenwriter

Furio Scarpelli, also called Scarpelli, was an Italian screenwriter, famous for his collaboration on numerous commedia all'italiana films with Agenore Incrocci, forming the duo Age & Scarpelli.

<i>Scent of a Woman</i> (1974 film) 1974 Italian film

Scent of a Woman is a 1974 Commedia all'italiana film directed by Dino Risi, based on Il buio e il miele, a story by Giovanni Arpino. Both Risi and the leading actor Vittorio Gassman won important Italian and French awards. An American remake, Scent of a Woman, was released in 1992.

<i>An Average Little Man</i> 1977 Italian film

An Average Little Man is a 1977 Italian drama film directed by Mario Monicelli. It is based on the novel of the same name written by Vincenzo Cerami. The movie mixes "Italian-Style Comedy" with psychological drama tragedy. The film was an entrant in the 1977 Cannes Film Festival. In 2008, the film was included on the Italian Ministry of Cultural Heritage’s 100 Italian films to be saved, a list of 100 films that "have changed the collective memory of the country between 1942 and 1978."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David di Donatello for Best Actor</span> Award

The David di Donatello Award for Best Actor is a film award presented annually by the Accademia del Cinema Italiano to recognize the outstanding performance in a leading role of a male actor in an Italian film released during the year preceding the ceremony. The award was first given in 1956, and became competitive in 1981.

The Nastro d'Argento is a film award assigned each year, since 1946, by Sindacato Nazionale dei Giornalisti Cinematografici Italiani, the association of Italian film critics.

Mario Garbuglia was an Italian set designer. He won the David di Donatello for Best Sets and Decorations, the Nastro d'Argento, and a BAFTA.

<i>The Sleazy Uncle</i> 1989 Italian film by Franco Brusati

Lo zio indegno is a 1989 Italian comedy film directed by Franco Brusati. Vittorio Gassman was awarded a Nastro d'Argento Best Actor for his portrayal of Uncle Luca.

Gianlorenzo Baraldi is an Italian costume designer and film producer. He won a Nastro d'Argento for Best Scenography and a David di Donatello for Best Sets and Decorations for the film Il Marchese del Grillo by Mario Monicelli in 1982.

<i>The Dinner</i> (1998 film) Film

La cena, internationally released as The Dinner, is a 1998 Italian commedia all'italiana film directed by Ettore Scola.

The Nastro d'Argento is a film award assigned each year, since 1948, by Sindacato Nazionale dei Giornalisti Cinematografici Italiani, the association of Italian film critics.

The Nastro d'Argento is a film award assigned annually, since 1946, by Sindacato Nazionale dei Giornalisti Cinematografici Italiani the association of Italian film critics.

References

  1. 1 2 "The 32nd Academy Awards (1960) Nominees and Winners". oscars.org. Retrieved 2011-10-27.
  2. ↑ "Ecco i cento film italiani da salvare Corriere della Sera". www.corriere.it. Retrieved 2021-03-11.
  3. 1 2 "La Grande Guerra". FilmFilm.it. Retrieved 3 December 2012.
  4. ↑ "La grande guerra". Cineclub. Retrieved 3 December 2012.
  5. ↑ "Monicelli laureato ad honorem dall'università di Udine". Qui. 27 May 2005. Retrieved 3 December 2012.
  6. ↑ "Alla fine il riscatto sarà tutto per loro, quando la codardia saprà diventare onore e lo spirito d'appartenenza avrà la meglio sull'egoismo, in un finale trionfalmente e ottimisticamente patriottico che però rifugge dal pericolo di scadere nella retorica spicciola, proprio perché suggella, anche solo per una volta, il trionfo della viltà sull'ardore. Forse la loro non fu codardia, ma semplicemente amore per la vita." Review by Giuseppe Faraci Archived May 4, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
  7. ↑ "La Grande Guerra". Pacioli Cinema. I.T. Luca Pacioli di Crema. Archived from the original on 14 March 2012. Retrieved 3 December 2012.
  8. ↑ Sabbatucci, Giovanni; Vittorio Vidotto (1998). Storia d'Italia. ISBN   9788842051770.
  9. ↑ "Film italiani sulla Prima Guerra Mondiale - Corti". www.ilCORTO.it. Retrieved 2012-02-19.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.