Il giardino dei Finzi-Contini (1970)

User Rating:

7.7/10   

Director:

Vittorio De Sica

Writers:

Giorgio Bassani (novel)
Vittorio Bonicelli (writer) ...

Release Date:

16 December 1971 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | History | War

Plot:

In the late 1930s, in Ferrara, Italy, the Finzi-Contini are one of the leading families, wealthy, aristocratic...

Plot Keywords:

Love | Garden | Ferrara Italy | 1930s | Italy

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 8 wins & 3 nominations

Cast

Lino Capolicchio	...	Giorgio
Dominique Sanda	...	Micòl Finzi Contini
Fabio Testi	...	Bruno Malnate
Romolo Valli	...	Giorgio's Father
Helmut Berger	...	Alberto
Camillo Cesarei	...	Micol's Father
Inna Alexeievna	...	Micol's Grandmother (as Inna Alexeieff)
Katina Morisani	...	Micol's Mother
Barbara Pilavin	...	Giorgio's Mother (as Barbara Leonard Pilavin)
Michael Berger
Ettore Geri
Raffaele Curi	...	Ernesto
Gianpaolo Duregon
Marcella Gentile
Cinzia Bruno	...	Young Micol

Also Known As:

The Garden of the Finzi-Continis (Canada: English title) (USA)
Der Garten der Finzi Contini (West Germany)

Runtime:

94 min

Country:

Italy | West Germany

Language:

Italian

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

France:Unrated | Argentina:13 | Chile:14 | Finland:S | Sweden:Btl | USA:R | West Germany:12 (w)

Filming Locations:

Ferrara, Ferrara, Emilia-Romagna, Italy

Company:

Central Cinema Company Film (CCC)

Quotes:

Micol: You and I are not normal people. For the two of us, what counts more than the possession of things - how shall I put it - is the remembrance of things, the memory of things.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Yperoha plasmata: Tis Aristeras kai tis Proodou... (#1.18)" (2008)

A beautiful, poignant masterpiece.

The Finzi-Continis are a wealthy and privileged Italian family. It is shortly before WWII, a time when the Fascists are slowly taking away the rights and livelihoods of Jews, including the Finzi-Continis.

But none of this seems to pass the walls of their magnificent garden, where the children Micol and Alberto often invite their friends. One of their friends, Georgio, is hopelessly in love with the beautiful Micol. The way this film evokes such youthful, quixotic yearning, or a woman's growing awareness of physical beauty's power, is splendid.

The sadness I felt at the end came from knowing all along what would happen to all of them, rich and not-so-rich, and that they didn't recognize what lay in store for them until it was too late. The Garden of the Finzi-Continis was Vittorio De Sica's last hurrah, a masterpiece of neorealism, and timeless evocation of a time lost.