Simón Bolívar (1969)

User Rating:

6.1/10   

Director:

Alessandro Blasetti

Writers:

José Luis Dibildos (screenplay)
José Luis Dibildos (story)

Release Date:

12 September 1969 (Italy)

Genre:

Biography | Drama | History

Plot:

During 1817-1823 the people of Venezuela fought for independence against the Spanish colonial army. General Boliviar tries to unify the rebel parties...

Plot Keywords:

Civil War | Character Name In Title

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Maximilian Schell	...	Simón Bolívar
Rosanna Schiaffino
Francisco Rabal
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Barta Barri
Elisa Cegani
Luis Dávila
Ángel del Pozo
Manuel Gil
Sancho Gracia
Tomás Henríquez
Julio Peña
Fernando Sancho
Conrado San Martín

Also Known As:

La epopeya de Bolívar (Venezuela)

Runtime:

106 min

Country:

Spain | Venezuela | Italy

Language:

Italian

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.20 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

USA:PG

Company:

Jupiter Finarco

SIMON BOLIVAR (Alessandro Blasetti, 1969) **1/2

To begin with, I had never heard of this one before its late-night screening on Italian TV not too long ago; the sole appraisal I read about it back then gave the film – revolving around the struggle under the titular general to unite the South American countries into repelling the Spanish oppressors – the thumbs down but I have to say that I liked it well enough. Incidentally, it proved distinguished director Blasetti's swansong – a return to the epic scale of his most famous productions i.e. THE IRON CROWN (1941) and FABIOLA (1948), though certainly not up to them despite effort all round. Maximilian Schell makes a fine, thoughtful lead; he is supported by the likes of Rosanna Schiaffino (as the unfulfilled wife of an enemy officer who becomes romantically involved with Bolivar) and Francisco Rabal (as a peasant leader who, at first, is unwilling to serve under the Venezuelan general but subsequently emerges the most loyal among his allies). As a matter of fact, Schell brings together about 5 different factions – all of whose individual endeavor had proved futile, while as one army they manage to make a considerable dent in the Spanish lines; that said, Bolivar's zeal (driving the exhausted soldiers on to further conquests) is misconstrued even by his own followers and ends up accused of dictatorial presumptions! Needless to say, the film's tone is heavily redolent of the revolutionary fervor which marked the latter half of the 1960s: in that respect, one can also detect links with the Spaghetti Western subgenre – particularly in view of a jauntily rousing score by the reliable Carlo Savina. The emphasis here is on impassioned speeches and period detail (the widescreen location photography is a big plus, too) rather than sweeping battle scenes yet, when it has to rely upon them, they are still reasonably well-staged.