Many Wars Ago (1970)

On the Italian/Austrian front during World War I, a disastrous Italian attack upon the Austrian positions leads to a mutiny among the decimated Italian troops.

Director:

Francesco Rosi

Writers:

Tonino Guerra (screenplay) (as Antonio Guerra), Raffaele La Capria (screenplay)

Stars:

Mark Frechette, Alain Cuny, Gian Maria Volontè

1 win.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Mark Frechette	...	sottotenente Sassu
Alain Cuny	...	generale Leone
Gian Maria Volontè	...	tenente Ottolenghi
Giampiero Albertini	...	capitano Abbati
Pier Paolo Capponi	...	tenente Santini
Franco Graziosi	...	maggiore Ruggero Malchiodi
Mario Feliciani	...	Colonello medici
Alberto Mastino	...	soldato Marrasi
Brunetto Del Vita	...	colonello Stringari
Nino Vingelli	...	Soldato presunto autoferito
Zdravko Smojver
Antonio Pavan	...	Lt. Pavan
Emilio Bonucci
Franco Acampora	...	(as Francesco Acampora)
Luigi Pignatelli	...	Avellini

Storyline

In Northern Italy, WWI has turned into a bloody stalemate. Bogged down in their trenches on a barren highland, the men of an Italian infantry division have been given one objective: retake a commanding height from the enemy. Unfortunately, the tactical ingenuity of general Leone, the unpopular division commander, consists of supplementing frontal attacks against machine-guns with medieval fighting schemes. His dispirited troops must be prodded with ever harsher measures into storming the Austrian positions. As casualties mount, indignation spreads amongst the rank and file. Disturbed by the decisions of his superiors, lieutenant Sassu is progressively led to question the purpose of the war and to reconsider where his real duties lie.

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Plot Keywords:

coercion | dead soldier | stupidity | frontline | trench warfare | 

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Taglines:

they fought by the rule book ... and died by the thousands !

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Genres:

Drama | War

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

Italy Yugoslavia

Language:

Italian

Release Date:

17 September 1970 (Italy)

Also Known As:

Many Wars Ago

Filming Locations:

Centralni Filmski Studio Kosutnjak, Belgrade, Serbia

Company Credits

Production Co:

Prima Cinematografica, Jadran Film

Technical Specs

Runtime:

101 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Did You Know?

Connections

Referenced in Unico - Francesco Rosi racconta Gian Maria Volonté (2014)

User Reviews

One of the best war movies ever

I am a bit of a war movie buff. I am also interested in military history, and W.W.I is one of my specialties, since I even got my PhD with a dissertation on W.W.I narratives. I also discussed Emilio Lussu's novel (Un anno sull'altipiano) Rosi's film is based on. Well, sometime when they make a film out of a novel you love, you may get disappointed. I wasn't. In many points Rosi wasn't faithful to the novel, but hey, that's what screenplays must be. The film is gorgeous nonetheless. What makes me rather sad is the horrible fact that there is no DVD version of this authentic masterpiece of world cinema, one of the most intelligent and impressive war films ever. This is a shame for Italy. Low-level Italian B-movies of the 70s have been made into DVDs, but this film hasn't. It's a real shame.