Beautifully photographed and lyrically written, this largely factual account of Mussolini’s disastrous invasion of Russia during World War II tells the story of an Italian regiment through the eyes of a farmer from Emilia, a plumber from Rome, a miner from Puglia and a colonel.
Director: Giuseppe De Santis.
Stars: Arthur Kennedy, Zhanna Prokhorenko, Raffaele Pisu, Tatyana Samojlova, Andrea Checchi, Riccardo Cucciolla, Valeri Somov, Nino Vingelli, Lev Prygunov, Grigory Mikhaylov, Peter Falk, Vincenzo Polizzi, Ivan Paramonov, Gino Pernice, Boris Kozhukhov, Sergei Lukyanov, Ervin Knausmyuller. AKA Attack and Retreat
Great, Jon! Thanks for all the fine work!!
Epic lost Eastern Front account of Italy’s doomed aspirations in the USSR….thanks a lot, Jon.
A sympathetic portrayal of Italian soldiers fighting on the Russian front. The soldiers try to preserve something like humanity despite being in thrall to their German allies. They face courageous Russian soldiers and civilians who are more their natural comrades than the Germans but ultimately their cause is lost as it should be.
A film worth watching from the director of Bitter Rice. I hope Rome 11 o’clock De Santis’ classic neo-realist film might be added to the list sometime.. A really great film..