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:

Russian Front | Soldier | Flashback | Sunflower Field | Stadium

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 1 win & 1 nomination

Cast

Sophia Loren	...	Giovanna
Marcello Mastroianni	...	Antonio
Lyudmila Saveleva	...	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 de Mauro	....	production secretary (as Francesco Di Mauro)
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:

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

Filming Locations:

Bereguardo, Pavia, Lombardia, Italy

Company:

AVCO Embassy Pictures

Trivia:

According to the 'Bloomsbury Foreign Film Guide', this was the first Italian film to be filmed mostly in Russia.

Goofs:

Plot holes: Mascia tells Giovanna that when she found Antonio, he was hurt so badly that he had forgotten everything, including his own name. If that's true, then how did Mascia know his name was Antonio?

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Panel Quiz Attack 25: Episode dated 3 April 2005" (2005)

a delicate poem

meeting between two great actors and an impressive director. images from Italy and picture of Russia in the air of Cold War.a basic story about a couple, a war and a choice. a travel and the form of truth. beautiful music and force of unspoken words. that is all. or only gentle performance of Ludmila Savelieva. a great film. not for cast or dramatic slices, for the force of emotions or for the sunflower as vegetable testimonies about a tragedy. but only for its virtue to be a seed. a seed of questions and answers. an exercise of empathy. a sad love story in which love is more than feeling. a poem but just a very special poem. mixture of pure joy, shadows of war, a miracle and a search, it is homage to a sacrifice generation and reflection of deep need of sense in a chaotic world. nothing pink, nothing cold. only picture of a man, a young Russian woman who speaks Italian, a charming Sophia Loren and same Mastroianni. but the essence is possession of public.