Sandra (1965)

Sandra returns to her childhood village to take care of family business, but her childhood memories and secrets soon overcome her.

Director:

Luchino Visconti

Writers:

Suso Cecchi D'Amico (story and screenplay), Enrico Medioli (story and screenplay)

Stars:

Claudia Cardinale, Jean Sorel, Michael Craig

3 wins & 2 nominations.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Claudia Cardinale	...	Sandra / wife
Jean Sorel	...	Gianni / husband
Michael Craig	...	Andrew / Sandra's brother
Renzo Ricci	...	Antonio Gilardini
Fred Williams	...	Pietro Formari
Amalia Troiani	...	Fosca / la domestica
Marie Bell	...	Corinna Gilardini / madre di Sandra e Gianni
Vittorio Manfrino
Giovanni Rovini
Renato Moretti
Paola Piscini
Isacco Politi

Storyline

Sandra comes back to Volterra, in Tuscany, the little town where she spent her childhood. She is with her American husband, Andrew. She wishes to pay homage to her father who died in Auschwitz where she was still a little child. In Volterra, Andrew meets for the first time Gianni, Sandra's brother. He soon realizes that Sandra and Gianni have a secret since their childhood.

---

Plot Keywords:

scientist | concentration camp | auschwitz | deportation | stepfather | 

---

Taglines:

SANDA has a husband - SANDRA has a brother - SANDRA loves one of them much too much. (original USA poster)

---

Genres:

Drama | Mystery | War

---

Did You Know?

Trivia

Italian censorship visa # 45271 delivered on 15-6-1965.

---

Quotes

Corinna Gilardini, madre di Sandra e Gianni: Two monsters, monsters, my children. Yes, my children. He was always hiding there behind the door. What am I to say? Are my children monsters? My enemies?

---

Connections

Referenced in David Holzman's Diary (1967)

---

Soundtracks

E se domani
Written by Carlo Alberto Rossi and Giorgio Calabrese

User Reviews

Strange, made no sense, but for some reason, I liked it

This movie made very little sense to me. First of all, the subtitles (I'm not a fluent Italian) were written in white text over a frequently white background. The actors were very good, especially Claudia Cardinale as Sandra. The storyline itself, however, was a bit odd.

First of all, Sandra and Gianni had some strange preoccupation with being nearly naked. That didn't bother me, though. What bothered me was the fact that the storyline started at one point and never progressed. At the end of the movie, I knew little more than I did at the beginning. For example, what exactly happened with Sandra's parents and Giraldini and Pietro? Nothing was explained.

However, the movie was strangely captivating. I wanted to get up screaming 'WHAT'S GOING ON???' (and at some point, I probably did) but I never fund myself trying to escape the room. I kept wanting to know what was going on... I never did.

Although this comment may seem confusing, I would still recommend this movie. It's good for anyone who wants to know what Italian cinema is all about. Nearly all old Italian movies I've seen are the same.

They don't end. They just stop. 'Sandra' follows this standard.

Details

Country:

Italy France

Language:

Italian Hebrew French English

Release Date:

16 January 1966 (USA)

Also Known As:

Sandra of a Thousand Delights

Filming Locations:

Palazzo Inghirami, Piazza Martiri della libertà 1-3, Volterra, Pisa, Tuscany, Italy

Company Credits

Production Co:

Vides Cinematografica

Technical Specs

Runtime:

105 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1