IMDb > The Great War (1959)

The Great War (1959) More at IMDbPro »La grande guerra (original title)

Overview

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7.8/10   1,588 votes »
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Down 9% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Mario Monicelli
Writers:
Agenore Incrocci (writer)
Mario Monicelli (writer)
(more)
Contact:
View company contact information for The Great War on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
28 October 1959 (Italy) See more »
Genre:
Comedy | Drama | War See more »
Tagline:
The Great War is hell at its hottest...men at their mightiest...the screen at its greatest!
Plot:
Italy, 1916. Oreste Jacovacci and Giovanni Busacca are called, as all the Italian youths, to serve the army in the WWI... See more » | Add synopsis »
Plot Keywords:
See more »
Awards:
Nominated for Oscar. Another 5 wins & 8 nominations See more »
NewsDesk:
(51 articles)
Watch Steven Spielberg's Stunning War Horse Trailer
 (From Cinema Blend. 29 June 2011, 12:09 AM, PDT)
An Uneasy Peace: The Disappearing War Film
 (From SoundOnSight. 21 May 2011, 11:57 PM, PDT)
Minority View: The Organizer by Mario Monicelli
 (From DearCinema.com. 7 April 2011, 7:15 AM, PDT)
User Reviews:
An Italian comic masterpiece See more (10 total) »

Cast

  (in credits order) (complete, awaiting verification)

Alberto Sordi ... Oreste Jacovacci

Vittorio Gassman ... Giovanni Busacca

Silvana Mangano ... Costantina
Folco Lulli ... Bordin
Bernard Blier ... Capitano Castelli
Romolo Valli ... Tenente Gallina
Vittorio Sanipoli ... Maggiore Venturi
Nicola Arigliano ... Giardino
Geronimo Meynier ... Il portaordini
Mario Valdemarin ... Sottotenente Lorenzi
Elsa Vazzoler ... Moglie di Boradin
Tiberio Murgia ... Rosario Nicotra
Livio Lorenzon ... Sergente Barriferri
Ferruccio Amendola ... De Concini
Carlo D'Angelo ... Capitano Ferri
Achille Compagnoni ... Il cappellano
Luigi Fainelli ... Giacomazzi
Marcello Giorda ... Generale
Tiberio Mitri ... Mandich
Gérard Herter ... Capitano austriaco
Guido Celano ... Italian major
Mario Feliciani
Mario Mazza
Mario Colli
Gianni Baghino
Mario Frera
Gian Luigi Polidoro
Leandro Punturi ... Il bambino
Edda Ferronao
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Directed by
Mario Monicelli 
 
Writing credits
(in alphabetical order)
Agenore Incrocci  writer
Mario Monicelli  writer
Carlo Salsa  consultant writer
Furio Scarpelli  writer
Luciano Vincenzoni  story and screenplay

Produced by
Dino De Laurentiis .... producer
 
Original Music by
Nino Rota 
 
Cinematography by
Roberto Gerardi 
Giuseppe Rotunno 
Leonida Barboni (uncredited)
Giuseppe Serrandi (uncredited)
 
Film Editing by
Adriana Novelli 
 
Production Design by
Mario Garbuglia 
 
Costume Design by
Danilo Donati 
Piero Gherardi (Silvana Mangano's costumes)
 
Makeup Department
Rino Carboni .... makeup artist
Romolo de Martino .... makeup artist
 
Production Management
Giorgio Adriani .... production leader
Alfredo De Laurentiis .... production leader
Luigi De Laurentiis .... general organization
Giorgio Morra .... production supervisor
 
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Giovanni Fago .... assistant director
Maurizio Lucci .... assistant director
Mario Maffei .... director help
 
Art Department
Aldo Puccini .... construction manager
 
Sound Department
Roy Mangano .... sound
Bruno Moreal .... sound
 
Special Effects by
Urbisaglia Gatti .... special effects
 
Camera and Electrical Department
Silvano Ippoliti .... camera operator
Goffredo Bellisario .... camera operator (uncredited)
 
Music Department
Franco Ferrara .... musical director
 
Other crew
Nino Del Fabbro .... voice dubbing: Bernard Blier
Silvana Mangini Colizzi .... continuity (as Mangini Silvana)
Ferruccio Amendola .... voice dubbing: Tiberio Murgia (uncredited)
 

Production CompaniesDistributors
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Additional Details

Also Known As:
"La grande guerra" - Italy (original title)
See more »
Parents Guide:
Add content advisory for parents
Runtime:
137 min
Country:
Italy | France
Language:
Italian | German
Color:
Black and White
Aspect Ratio:
2.35 : 1 See more »
Sound Mix:
Mono
Certification:
Finland:K-16 | Italy:VM18 | Spain:18 | West Germany:16 (f) | Argentina:16 | Iceland:L | USA:Not Rated
Filming Locations:
Dobbiaco, Bolzano, Trentino - Alto Adige, ItalySee more »
Company:
Dino de Laurentiis CinematograficaSee more »

Did You Know?

Movie Connections:
Referenced in Splendor (1989)See more »

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User Reviews

   (Review this title)
14 out of 17 people found the following review useful.
An Italian comic masterpiece, 14 October 2005
Author: Max_cinefilo89 from Italy

I've only seen it twice, and it's already one of my favorite Italian movies of all time.Directed by legendary Mario Monicelli, this excellent comedy is set during WWI, when the Italians had to defend the river Piave from the Austrians.Two of the Italian soldiers happen to be really lazy cowards:Giovanni Busacca(Vittorio Gassman) from Milan and Oreste Jacovacci(Alberto Sordi) from Rome.They would rather spend their time at home with the mates and the ladies instead of fighting for their country.The only fights they have are with each other, both insulting the other one with their particular accents and dialects (you probably have to be Italian yourself to really appreciate most of the gags). The most interesting thing is perhaps how the two actors handle their roles: Sordi is very calm, controlled and "normal", while Gassman just can't stop being nervous, shouting and gesticulating all the time.

Just like La Vita è Bella, this movie's purpose is to blame the horrors of war as well as making you laugh as much as you can.

For those who like Italian cinema, La Grande Guerra is a must-see.

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