Sunflower (1970) I girasoli (original title)

Director:

Vittorio De Sica

Writers:

Tonino Guerra (story) and
Cesare Zavattini (story) ...
(more)

Release Date:

24 September 1970 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

Filmed in Russia from the Kremlin to the Ukraine.

Plot:

An Italian woman conducts a desperate search for her husband, a soldier considered missing in action in Russia - like fifty thousand others during WWII.

Plot Keywords:

Soldier | Russian Front | Flashback | Earring | World War Two

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 1 win & 1 nomination

Cast

Sophia Loren	...	Giovanna
Marcello Mastroianni	...	Antonio
Lyudmila Savelyeva	...	Mascia (as Ljudmila Saveljeva)
Galina Andreyeva	...	Valentina, Soviet official (as Galina Andreeva)
Anna Carena	...	Madre Antonio
Nadya Serednichenko	...	Contadina russa (as Nadja Cerednicenko)
Germano Longo	...	Ettore
Glauco Onorato	...	Il reduce
Silvano Tranquilli	...	L'operaio italiano
Marisa Traversi	...	Donna stazione
Gunars Cilinskis	...	Funzionario russo (as Gunnar Zilinskij)
Giorgio Basso
Gianni Bortolotti
Umberto Di Grazia
Giuliano Girardi
Dino Peretti
Pippo Starnazza	...	Man of Enquiry Office
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Oleg Fyodorov	...	Young Russian worker (uncredited)
Carlo Ponti Jr.	...	Giovanna's Baby (uncredited)

Directed by
Vittorio De Sica

Writing credits
Tonino Guerra		(story and screenplay) (as Antonio Guerra) and
Cesare Zavattini		(story and screenplay)
Giorgi Mdivani		(in collaboration with) (as Gheorghij Mdivani)

Produced by
Arthur Cohn	....	producer
Joseph E. Levine	....	executive producer
Carlo Ponti	....	producer

Original Music by
Henry Mancini

Cinematography by
Giuseppe Rotunno		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Adriana Novelli

Production Design by
Piero Poletto

Set Decoration by
Giantito Burchiellaro

Costume Design by
Enrico Sabbatini

Makeup Department
Giuseppe Annunziata	....	makeup artist: Miss Loren
Maria-Luisa Fraticelli	....	hair stylist: Mr. Mastroianni (as M. Luisa Fraticelli)
Ada Palombi	....	hair stylist: Misss Loren
Mario Van Riel	....	makeup artist: Mr. Mastroianni

Production Management
Bruno Altissimi	....	production supervisor
Gianni Cecchin	....	production manager
Ettore Manni	....	production supervisor
Stefano Pegoraro	....	production supervisor
Jone Tuzi	....	general organizer

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Luigia Allesandra	....	assistant director
Paolo Serbandini	....	assistant director
Andrey Konchalovskiy	....	second unit director (uncredited)

Art Department
David Vinitsky	....	set designer: URSS (as David Vinitskij)

Sound Department
Renato Cadueri	....	sound mixer
Alvaro Orsini	....	sound
Carlo Palmieri	....	sound

Camera and Electrical Department
Rodolfo Bramucci	....	gaffer
Massimo Di Venanzo	....	assistant camera
Giancarlo Ferrando	....	camera operator
Giuliano Grasselli	....	assistant camera
Giuseppe Maccari	....	camera operator
Mazzini Salvatore	....	head grip (as Mazzini Salvatori)
Piero Servo	....	first assistant camera

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Berta Betti	....	dress maker
Giuseppina Delli Carpini	....	dress maker
Adriana Masseroni	....	dress maker (as Anda Masseroni)
Nadia Vitali	....	costume assistant

Editorial Department
Marisa Letti	....	assistant editor
Carla Zamponi	....	assistant editor

Music Department
Henry Mancini	....	conductor

Other crew
M. Teresa Bartolelli	....	production secretary
Francesco Di Mauro	....	production secretary
Franca Invernizzi	....	script girl (as Franca Santi)
Enzo Nigro	....	production secretary
Vincenzo Raimondi	....	accountant
Aldo Santarelli	....	production secretary

Production Companies

• AVCO Embassy Pictures (presents) (as Joseph E. Levine e La AVCO Embassy Pictures)
• Compagnia Cinematografica Champion (co-production: Roma) (as C. C. Champion S.p.A.)
• Les Films Concordia (co-production: Paris)

Distributors

• Euro International Film (EIA) (1970) (Italy) (theatrical) (as Euro International Films)
• Surf Video (2008) (Italy) (DVD) (HD New Master) (PAL)
• AVCO Embassy Pictures (1970) (USA) (theatrical) (dubbed)
• Buena (1970) (Japan) (theatrical) (English dubbed version) (subtitled)
• Nippon Herald Eiga (1974) (1982) (Japan) (theatrical) (subtitled)
• Unplugged (2011) (Japan) (theatrical)
• SPO (2009) (Japan) (DVD) (HD New Master)
• Tohokushinsha Home Video (1999) (Japan) (DVD) (digitally remastered)

Other Companies

• Mosfilm  in collaboration with: Le riprese in URSS sono state realizzate (as MOSFILM di Mosca)
• Mayer  costumes: Sig.ra Loren (as Sartoria MAYER)
• Ditta L. Cantini  costumes (as Sartolia L. CANTINI)
• Annamode  costumes (as Sartolia ANNA MODE)
• Ditta Pompei  shoes
• Ditta Rocchetti  wigs
• Cinecittà  post-production facilities (as CINECITTA' - Roma)
• International Recordings  sound post-production (as International Recording)
• Cine Audio Effects  sound effects and foley design (uncredited)

Also Known As:

"I girasoli" - Italy (original title)

Runtime:

107 min | Portugal:98 min (cut version)

Country:

Italy | France

Language:

Italian | English | Russian

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Peru:PT | Argentina:Atp | Finland:S | USA:G

Filming Locations:

Bereguardo, Pavia, Lombardia, Italy

Company:

AVCO Embassy Pictures

Trivia:

The child of Giovanna (Sophia Loren) in this film was actually Loren's from her partnership with producer Carlo Ponti.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in American Sexual Revolution (1971)

cold war pro soviet fantasy

As another reviewer pointed out this bit of cold war propaganda (pro Soviet) was absurdly impossible. An axis soldier would have been shot period or arrested as a spy and killed slowly in a prison camp.

So you have to dismiss the story as absurd as it stands and place it in Iran or Finland or some place where it could have happened. Or just suspend your disbelief.

Once you do that you can enjoy this bit of really well done maudlin romance. Loren had to be at the height of her classy beauty in this film (before she was aged for the story).

I loved the part where she spots an Italian man---the only handsome well dressed stylish man in any of the Russian scenes. Of course Loren herself is like a super nova star compared to the kerchiefed thick legged Russian women. Italian audiences must have loved this film.

I give it a 7 as it is very enjoyable once you deal with the absurd story and the maudlin nature of the movie. As another reviewer states what is so wrong with first class maudlin??