The Great War (1959 film)
Encyclopedia
The Great War is a 1959 Italian 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).
It was an Academy Award nominee as Best Foreign Film. In 1999 the critics of Ciak
magazine chose it as one of the 100 most important films in history. It won huge success outside Italy, especially in France.
They are accused of espionage and condemned to be shot by firing squad. Overcome with fear, they let slip that they are in possession of information crucial to the success of the battle and that they have decided to change sides to save their lives. The Austrian officials' arrogance and a contemptuous joke against the Italians ("...courage?! Liver they say... That those in the know only eat liver with onions, and we'll soon eat that!") give the pair new strength and dignity sufficient to keep the information secret right up until their execution - Giovanni Busacca says to the Austrian official "...e allora...senti un po', visto che parli così... mi te disi proprio un bel gnènt!! Hai capito?!? Facia de merda!!!"". The battle then ends in an Italian victory, without anyone knowing of the pair's sacrifice.
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. 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.
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".
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:
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". Until then Italian soldiers had always been portrayed as courageous and willing men sacrificing themselves for their country. 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.
. 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:
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
.
Mario Monicelli
Mario Monicelli was an Italian director and screenwriter and one of the masters of the Commedia all'Italiana , three times nominated for Oscar.-Biography:...
. It tells the story of an odd couple of army buddies in World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
; the movie, while played on a comedic register, does not hide from the viewer the horrors and grimness of trench warfare. Starring Alberto Sordi
Alberto Sordi
Alberto Sordi, also known as Albertone, Cavaliere di Gran Croce OMRI was an Italian actor. He was also a film director and the dubbing voice of Oliver Hardy in the Italian version of the Laurel & Hardy films....
and Vittorio Gassman
Vittorio Gassman
Vittorio Gassman Knight Grand Cross OMRI , popularly known as Il Mattatore, was an Italian theatre and film actor and director...
and produced by Dino De Laurentiis
Dino De Laurentiis
Agostino "Dino" De Laurentiis was an Italian film producer.-Early life:He was born at Torre Annunziata in the province of Naples, and grew up selling spaghetti produced by his father...
, the film won the Golden Lion
Golden Lion
Il Leone d’Oro is the highest prize given to a film at the Venice Film Festival. The prize was introduced in 1949 by the organizing committee and is now regarded as one of the film industry's most distinguished prizes...
at the Venice Film Festival
Venice Film Festival
The Venice International Film Festival is the oldest international film festival in the world. Founded by Count Giuseppe Volpi in 1932 as the "Esposizione Internazionale d'Arte Cinematografica", the festival has since taken place every year in late August or early September on the island of the...
. Its crew also included Danilo Donati
Danilo Donati
Danilo Donati was an Italian costume designer and production designer. He won the Academy Award for Costume Design twice: the first time for his work in Romeo and Juliet , the second time for his work in Fellini's Casanova...
(costumes) and Mario Garbuglia
Mario Garbuglia
Mario Garbuglia was an Italian set designer. He won the David di Donatello, the Nastro d'Argento and a BAFTA.- Life :...
(set designer).
It was an Academy Award nominee as Best Foreign Film. In 1999 the critics of Ciak
Ciak (Italian magazine)
Ciak is a popular Italian language film magazine which has been published in Italy since 1985 by Arnoldo Mondadori Editore. It is the most popular film magazine in Italy.- External links :*...
magazine chose it as one of the 100 most important films in history. It won huge success outside Italy, especially in France.
Plot
Oreste Jacovacci from Rome and Giovanni Busacca from Milan meet each other during the call to arms at the start of World War I. Although completely different in character, they are united in their lack of idealism and their desire to avoid any danger and get out of the war unscathed. They and a varied group of civilians and fellow soldiers (including the prostitute Costantina, played by Silvana Mangano) go through many ups and downs during their training, battles and rare moments of leave. They are considered "inefficient" due to their limited military valour and so are made message-runners to the staff, a very dangerous job. Having succeeded in their mission, a sudden change in which side hold which trench leaves them in enemy territory, where they are captured by the Austrians wearing Austrian uniforms they had found in a barn.They are accused of espionage and condemned to be shot by firing squad. Overcome with fear, they let slip that they are in possession of information crucial to the success of the battle and that they have decided to change sides to save their lives. The Austrian officials' arrogance and a contemptuous joke against the Italians ("...courage?! Liver they say... That those in the know only eat liver with onions, and we'll soon eat that!") give the pair new strength and dignity sufficient to keep the information secret right up until their execution - Giovanni Busacca says to the Austrian official "...e allora...senti un po', visto che parli così... mi te disi proprio un bel gnènt!! Hai capito?!? Facia de merda!!!"". The battle then ends in an Italian victory, without anyone knowing of the pair's sacrifice.
Cast
- Alberto SordiAlberto SordiAlberto Sordi, also known as Albertone, Cavaliere di Gran Croce OMRI was an Italian actor. He was also a film director and the dubbing voice of Oliver Hardy in the Italian version of the Laurel & Hardy films....
: Oreste Jacovacci - Vittorio GassmanVittorio GassmanVittorio Gassman Knight Grand Cross OMRI , popularly known as Il Mattatore, was an Italian theatre and film actor and director...
: Giovanni Busacca - Silvana ManganoSilvana ManganoSilvana Mangano was an Italian actress.Raised in poverty during World War II, Mangano trained as a dancer and worked as a model before winning a "Miss Rome" beauty pageant in 1946...
: Costantina - Folco LulliFolco LulliFolco Lulli was an Italian film actor. He appeared in 104 films between 1946 and 1970. He was the brother of actor Piero Lulli.-Selected filmography:* Flesh Will Surrender * Tragic Hunt...
: Bordin - Bernard BlierBernard BlierBernard Blier was a French character actor. His rotund features and premature baldness allowed him to often play cuckolded husbands in his early career. He proved to be one of France's most versatile and sought-after character actors, performing interchangeably in comedies and dramas...
: Captain Castelli - Romolo ValliRomolo ValliRomolo Valli was an Italian actor.Valli was born in Reggio Emilia. He was one of the best known Italian actors from the 1950s to his death. He worked both for the stage and the silver screen...
: Lieutenant Gallina - Vittorio Sanipoli: Major Venturi
- Nicola Arigliano: Giardino
- Geronimo MeynierGeronimo MeynierGeronimo Meynier is a retired Italian teen film actor who starred in Italian cinema of the 1950s and early 1960s. He debuted in Amici per la pelle in 1955 aged 14...
: Messenger - Mario Valdemarin: Lorenzi
- Elsa Vazzoler: Bordin's wife
- Tiberio MurgiaTiberio MurgiaTiberio Murgia was an Italian film actor. He appeared in over 100 films between 1958 and 2009.-Selected filmography:* Big Deal on Madonna Street * Audace colpo dei soliti ignoti...
: Rosario Nicotra - Livio LorenzonLivio LorenzonLivio Lorenzon was an Italian film actor of the 1950s and 1960s.He played minor roles in some memorable commedia all'Italiana movies directed by the likes of Dino Risi and Mario Monicelli....
: Sergeant Barriferri - Ferruccio AmendolaFerruccio AmendolaFerruccio Amendola was an actor and Italian voice-over actor who worked for cinema and television.-Biography:...
: De Concini - Gianni Baghino: a soldier
- Carlo D'Angelo: Captain Ferri
- Achille CompagnoniAchille CompagnoniAchille Compagnoni was an Italian mountaineer. Together with Lino Lacedelli, on 31 July 1954 he was the first man to reach the summit of K2.-Biography:...
: chaplain - Luigi Fainelli: Giacomazzi
- Marcello Giorda: the general
- Tiberio MitriTiberio MitriTiberio Mitri was an Italian boxer who fought from 1946 to 1957. During his career, Mitri was the Italian and European middleweight champion....
: Mandich - Gérard HerterGérard HerterGérard Herter was a German actor of the fifties and sixties who played many villains especially Prussian types in spaghetti westerns. He made his impressive film debut in Caltiki - il mostro immortale in 1959...
: Austrian captain - Guido CelanoGuido CelanoGuido Celano was an Italian film actor. He appeared in 120 films between 1931 and 1988.He was born in Francavilla a Mare, Italy and died in Rome, Italy.-Selected filmography:*Rotaie, directed by Mario Camerini...
: Italian major
Analysis
The film is an ironic account of life in the trenches on the Italian frontItalian Campaign (World War I)
The Italian campaign refers to a series of battles fought between the armies of Austria-Hungary and Italy, along with their allies, in northern Italy between 1915 and 1918. Italy hoped that by joining the countries of the Triple Entente against the Central Powers it would gain Cisalpine Tyrol , the...
of World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
and the vicissitudes of a group of comrades fighting there in 1916. It is narrated in a simultaneously neorealist
Italian neorealism
Italian neorealism is a style of film characterized by stories set amongst the poor and working class, filmed on location, frequently using nonprofessional actors...
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. 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.
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
Age & Scarpelli
Age & Scarpelli is the stage name used by the pair of Italian screenwriters Agenore Incrocci and Furio Scarpelli . Together, they wrote the script for about a hundred movies, mainly satirical comedies....
and Luciano Vincenzoni
Luciano Vincenzoni
Luciano Vincenzoni is an Italian screenwriter, and one of Italy's most respected writers for film known as the "script doctor". He has written for some 65 films between 1954 and 2000.Vincenzoni was born in Treviso, Veneto...
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".
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
Nastro d'Argento Best Actor
A list of the Nastro d'Argento awards for Best Actor.*1946 - Andrea Cecchi - Due lettere anonime*1947 - Amedeo Nazzari - The Bandit*1948 - Vittorio De Sica - Cuore...
. One reviewer wrote:
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
Fascism
Fascism is a radical authoritarian nationalist political ideology. Fascists seek to rejuvenate their nation based on commitment to the national community as an organic entity, in which individuals are bound together in national identity by suprapersonal connections of ancestry, culture, and blood...
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". Until then Italian soldiers had always been portrayed as courageous and willing men sacrificing themselves for their country. 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.
Production
The film was born out of an idea by Luciano Vincenzoni, influenced by "Two friends", a story by Guy de MaupassantGuy de Maupassant
Henri René Albert Guy de Maupassant was a popular 19th-century French writer, considered one of the fathers of the modern short story and one of the form's finest exponents....
. 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
Emilio Lussu
Emilio Lussu was an Italian soldier, politician and a writer.-The soldier:Lussu was born in Armungia, province of Cagliari and graduated with a degree in law in 1914...
and “Con me e con gli alpini” by Piero Jahier
Piero Jahier
Piero Jahier was an Italian poet, translator and journalist.-Life:He was born in Genoa into a Protestant family. His father was a Piedmontese preacher whose work took them to Turin and Susa....
. In an interview, the director himself stated:
The journalist and writer Carlo Salsa
Carlo Salsa
Carlo Salsa was an Italian journalist, writer and screenwriter....
, 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
Province of Udine
The Province of Udine is a province in the autonomous Friuli-Venezia Giulia region of Italy, bordering Austria and Slovenia. Its capital is the city of Udine....
, at Gemona del Friuli
Gemona del Friuli
Gemona del Friuli is a comune in the Province of Udine in the Italian region Friuli-Venezia Giulia, located about 90 km northwest of Trieste and about 25 km northwest of Udine....
, near Venzone
Venzone
thumb|250px|The Communal Palace.Venzone is a comune in the Province of Udine in the Italian region Friuli-Venezia Giulia, located about 90 km northwest of Trieste and about 30 km north of Udine.-History:...
, at Sella Sant'Agnese, in the fort at Palmanova
Palmanova
Palmanova is a town and comune in northeastern Italy, close to the border with Slovenia. It is located 20 km from Udine, 28 km from Gorizia and 55 km from Trieste near the junction of the Autostrada Alpe-Adria and the Autostrada Venezia-Trieste .Palmanova is famous for its fortress...
and in the Nespoledo district of Lestizza
Lestizza
Lestizza is a comune in the Province of Udine in the Italian region Friuli-Venezia Giulia, located about 60 km northwest of Trieste and about 15 km southwest of Udine...
from 25 May to mid June 1959. Other scenes were filmed in Campania
Campania
Campania is a region in southern Italy. The region has a population of around 5.8 million people, making it the second-most-populous region of Italy; its total area of 13,590 km² makes it the most densely populated region in the country...
at San Pietro Infine
San Pietro Infine
San Pietro Infine is a comune in the Province of Caserta in the Italian region Campania, located about northwest of Naples and about northwest of Caserta...
.
Wins
- Golden LionGolden LionIl Leone d’Oro is the highest prize given to a film at the Venice Film Festival. The prize was introduced in 1949 by the organizing committee and is now regarded as one of the film industry's most distinguished prizes...
at the Venice Film FestivalVenice Film FestivalThe Venice International Film Festival is the oldest international film festival in the world. Founded by Count Giuseppe Volpi in 1932 as the "Esposizione Internazionale d'Arte Cinematografica", the festival has since taken place every year in late August or early September on the island of the...
(1959) - David di DonatelloDavid di DonatelloDavid di Donatello, named after Donatello's David, is a movie award assigned each year for cinematic performances and production by Ente David di Donatello, part of Accademia del Cinema Italiano. It is the Italian equivalent to the Academy Award. There are 24 categories as of 2006.- History :The...
for Best Producer (1960) - David di DonatelloDavid di DonatelloDavid di Donatello, named after Donatello's David, is a movie award assigned each year for cinematic performances and production by Ente David di Donatello, part of Accademia del Cinema Italiano. It is the Italian equivalent to the Academy Award. There are 24 categories as of 2006.- History :The...
for Best Actor (Gassmann and Sordi jointly) (1960) - Nastro d'ArgentoNastro d'ArgentoThe Nastro d'Argento is a movie award assigned each year, since 1946, for cinematic performances and production by Sindacato Nazionale dei Giornalisti Cinematografici Italiani, the association of Italian film critics...
Best Design (Mario Garbuglia) (1960) - Nastro d'Argento Best ActorNastro d'Argento Best ActorA list of the Nastro d'Argento awards for Best Actor.*1946 - Andrea Cecchi - Due lettere anonime*1947 - Amedeo Nazzari - The Bandit*1948 - Vittorio De Sica - Cuore...
(Sordi) (1960)
See also
- List of submissions to the 32nd Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film
- List of Italian submissions for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film