Synopsis
In a magnetic performance, Vittorio De Sica is Emanuele Bardone, an opportunistic rascal in wartime Genoa, conning his fellow Italians and exploiting their tragedies by promising to help find their missing loved ones in exchange for money. But when the Nazis force him to impersonate a dead partisan general in prison to extract information from fellow inmates, Bardone finds himself wrestling with his conscience for the first time. Roberto Rossellini’s gripping drama, a rare box-office breakthrough for the legendary neorealist, is further evidence of the compassionate artistry of one of cinema’s most important voices.
Cast
| Emanuele Bardone | Vittorio De Sica |
| Olga | Sandra Milo |
| Col. Mueller | Hannes Messemer |
| Carla Fassio | Anne Vernon |
| Valeria | Giovanna Ralli |
| Aristide Banchelli | Vittorio Caprioli |
| Madam Vera | Mary Greco |
| Sgt. Maj. Hageman | Herbert Fischer |
| “Fabrizio” | Giuseppe Rossetti |
| Partisans | Lucia Modugno |
| Nando Angelini |
Credits
| Director | Roberto Rossellini |
| Story and screenplay | Sergio Amidei, Diego Fabbri and Indro Montanelli |
| Based on a story by | Indro Montanelli |
| Cinematography | Carlo Carlini |
| Editing | Cesare Cavagna |
| Production and costume design by | Piero Zuffi |
Disc Features
- New, restored high-definition digital transfer
- New video interviews with Isabella, Renzo, and Ingrid Rossellini, as well as film scholar Adriano Aprà
- The Choice, a new visual essay by Tag Gallagher, author of The Adventures of Roberto Rossellini
- Original theatrical trailer
- New and improved English subtitle translation
- PLUS: A booklet featuring a new essay by film critic James Monaco and an excerpt from a 2000 interview with Indro Montanelli, the author of the story that inspired the film
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