After finding the 2014 War film Fury to be rather disappointing,I decided to not set foot on the battle field for a while,but found my plans to quickly change,when I noticed that a DVD seller had tracked down a War film which I had seen be highly praised by fellow IMDbers,which led to me once again getting ready to enter a war zone.
The plot-
Italy-1943:
Listening to the radio,a small army unit led by Lt. Alberto Innocenzi finds out that Italy has decided to leave the Axis behind,and has just signed an armistice with the Allies.Before getting a chance to make sense of what has taken place,German troops invade Innocenzi's base.Getting covered with gunfire from their former Axis partner,Innocenzi and his men escape from the base.Finding themselves without any order of command,Innocenzi and his former troop each decide to try and make the long journey home,but soon discover that war has become the new home for them and the country.
View on the film:
Placing Innocenzi and his men in the cross-hairs of Italy's sudden armistice,the screenplay by co-writer/(along with..deep breath! Agenore Incrocci/ Furio Scarpelli & Marcello Fondato)director Luigi Comencini battles with the crossing of a tense War Drama with Comedy.Staying on the edge that the infamous (and never seen!) Jerry Lewis movie The Day the Clown Cried fell off,the writers take a very smart,mature approach to the comedic elements,with the very funny comedy moments coming from Innocenzi and his former troop finding themselves free from taking any orders,but not from the unfolding horror of War that they find themselves in,which are loosely based on the WWII events that took place in Italy in 1943.
As they all try to return home,the writers brilliantly increase the dramatic tension of the title at a gradual pace,with Innocenzi finding out that his real family is his soldiers,as the worn-down Innocenzi is told by family members that he must continue to back the fascist forces.
Opening with German troops overrunning an army base, Comencini and cinematographer Carlo Carlini give the action scenes a thrilling bite with excellent,vast wide shots which put the viewer right in the midst of the action,and bullets fly pass Innocenzi makes his journey home.Keeping the tension building off the battlefield,Comencini uses closely-held tracking shots to reveal the close friendship between Innocenzi and his former troop.
Stopping fellow Comedy actor Nino Manfredi from getting a role, (which led to him being the only Comedy actor in the film) Alberto Sordi gives a marvellous performance as Innocenzi,with Sordi showing Innocenzi become increasingly disconnected to the local support for the war,as Sordi makes Innocenzi hard stone face break,due to developing a moral compass for the safe return home of his men.Following Innocenzi every step of the way, Serge Reggiani gives a fantastic performance as Geniere Assunto Ceccarelli,thanks to Reggiani hitting the Comedy with a delightful light touch,which explodes as Reggiani smoothly moves Ceccarelli over being desperate about getting other people safely home from the war.
The plot-
Italy-1943:
Listening to the radio,a small army unit led by Lt. Alberto Innocenzi finds out that Italy has decided to leave the Axis behind,and has just signed an armistice with the Allies.Before getting a chance to make sense of what has taken place,German troops invade Innocenzi's base.Getting covered with gunfire from their former Axis partner,Innocenzi and his men escape from the base.Finding themselves without any order of command,Innocenzi and his former troop each decide to try and make the long journey home,but soon discover that war has become the new home for them and the country.
View on the film:
Placing Innocenzi and his men in the cross-hairs of Italy's sudden armistice,the screenplay by co-writer/(along with..deep breath! Agenore Incrocci/ Furio Scarpelli & Marcello Fondato)director Luigi Comencini battles with the crossing of a tense War Drama with Comedy.Staying on the edge that the infamous (and never seen!) Jerry Lewis movie The Day the Clown Cried fell off,the writers take a very smart,mature approach to the comedic elements,with the very funny comedy moments coming from Innocenzi and his former troop finding themselves free from taking any orders,but not from the unfolding horror of War that they find themselves in,which are loosely based on the WWII events that took place in Italy in 1943.
As they all try to return home,the writers brilliantly increase the dramatic tension of the title at a gradual pace,with Innocenzi finding out that his real family is his soldiers,as the worn-down Innocenzi is told by family members that he must continue to back the fascist forces.
Opening with German troops overrunning an army base, Comencini and cinematographer Carlo Carlini give the action scenes a thrilling bite with excellent,vast wide shots which put the viewer right in the midst of the action,and bullets fly pass Innocenzi makes his journey home.Keeping the tension building off the battlefield,Comencini uses closely-held tracking shots to reveal the close friendship between Innocenzi and his former troop.
Stopping fellow Comedy actor Nino Manfredi from getting a role, (which led to him being the only Comedy actor in the film) Alberto Sordi gives a marvellous performance as Innocenzi,with Sordi showing Innocenzi become increasingly disconnected to the local support for the war,as Sordi makes Innocenzi hard stone face break,due to developing a moral compass for the safe return home of his men.Following Innocenzi every step of the way, Serge Reggiani gives a fantastic performance as Geniere Assunto Ceccarelli,thanks to Reggiani hitting the Comedy with a delightful light touch,which explodes as Reggiani smoothly moves Ceccarelli over being desperate about getting other people safely home from the war.