The Last 4 Days (1974)

In 1945, the dictator of fascist Italy and Hitler's close ally Benito Mussolini faces defeat. In a desperate attempt to avoid capture, he tries to flee the country with his lover Claretta Petacci, but Italian partisans are on their tail.

Director:

Carlo Lizzani

Writers:

Fabio Pittorru (idea and historical research), Fabio Pittorru (screenplay)

Stars:

Rod Steiger, Franco Nero, Lisa Gastoni

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Rod Steiger	...	Benito Mussolini
Franco Nero	...	Walter Audisio 'Valerio'
Lisa Gastoni	...	Claretta Petacci
Lino Capolicchio	...	Pierluigi Bellini delle Stelle 'Pedro'
Giuseppe Addobbati	...	Raffaele Cadorna
Andrea Aureli	...	Francesco Maria Barracu
Bruno Corazzari	...	Lt. Fritz Birzer
Rodolfo Dal Pra	...	Rodolfo Graziani (as Rodolfo Dal Pra')
Francesco Di Federico
Manfred Freyberger	...	Otto Kisnat
Marco Guglielmi	...	Idreno Utimperghe
Umberto Raho	...	Guido Leto
Giacomo Rossi Stuart	...	Jack Donati
Massimo Sarchielli	...	Alessandro Pavolini
Bill Vanders	...	Hans Fallmeyer (as Bill Wanders)

Storyline

In 1945, the dictator of fascist Italy and Hitler's close ally Benito Mussolini faces defeat. In a desperate attempt to avoid capture, he tries to flee the country with his lover Claretta Petacci, but Italian partisans are on their tail.

---

Plot Keywords:

year 1945 | italian partisan | italian fascism | skinhead | revenge | 

---

Taglines:

The true story of the greatest manhunt of the century!

---

Genres:

Biography | Drama | History | War

---

Certificate:

PG

Did You Know?

Trivia

Rod Steiger would portray Benito Mussolini again, this time in the 1980 film Lion of the Desert.

---

Connections

Referenced in Claudette Colbert - Discovering: Rod Steiger (2017)

User Reviews

How are the mighty fallen.......

Ten years earlier Carlo Lizzani directed 'Processo di Verona' which depicted the trial and execution of Count Ciano, son-in-law of Benito Mussolini. In that film Mussolini is only spoken of and appears briefly in newsreels. He is very much in evidence here in the person of Rod Steiger. In what is for him a subdued performance he captures brilliantly the air of resignation of a man stripped of his power who has a growing realisation that he will not be saved by the Allies and that his days are numbered. This is a far cry from the strutting, bombastic Mussolini that Steiger was to portray later in 'Lion of the Desert'. There is also an outstanding performance by Lisa Gastoni as his mistress Claretta Petacci who wishes to die with him and whose wish is certainly granted! Scene stealer Henry Fonda appears as Cardinal Schuster which serves to remind us of the connection between the Catholic Church and Fascism, although by all accounts Schuster distanced himself from Mussolini's extreme policies. Lizzani's film lacks the edge and momentum of his earlier one but still has some excellent scenes, is visually impressive and serves as a powerful historical document.

Details

Country:

Italy

Language:

Italian

Release Date:

October 1977 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Last 4 Days

Filming Locations:

Cinecittà Studios, Cinecittà, Rome, Lazio, Italy

Company Credits

Production Co:

Aquila Cinematografica

Technical Specs

Runtime:

109 min (video)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White (partly) Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1