Augustine of Hippo (1972)

This biography tells the life story of Augustine, the Bishop of Hippo, a North African region during the last years of the Roman Empire. The film details Augustine's struggle to maintain ... See full summary »

Director:

Roberto Rossellini

Writers:

Carlo Cremona, Marcella Mariani

Stars:

Dary Berkani, Virgilio Gazzolo, Cesare Barbetti

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Dary Berkani	...	Agostino
Virgilio Gazzolo	...	Alipio
Cesare Barbetti	...	Volusiano
Bruno Cattaneo	...	Massimo
Leonardo Fioravanti	...	Milesio
Dannunzio Papini	...	Giudice romano
Giuseppe Mannajuolo	...	Severo (as Bepi Mannajuolo)
Livio Galassi	...	Possidio
Fabio Garriba	...	Marcellino
Giuseppe Alotta	...	Siriano
Pietro Fumelli	...	Megalio
Giovanni Sabbatini	...	Valerio
Valentino Macchi	...	Sisto
Ciro Ippolito	...	Terenzio
Filippo De Gara	...	Crispino (as Filippo Degara)

Storyline

This biography tells the life story of Augustine, the Bishop of Hippo, a North African region during the last years of the Roman Empire. The film details Augustine's struggle to maintain religious decorum in a civilization on the verge of plunging into the Dark Ages.

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Plot Keywords:

4th century | 

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Genres:

Biography | History

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Details

Country:

Italy

Language:

Italian

Release Date:

25 October 1972 (Italy)

Also Known As:

Augustine of Hippo

Filming Locations:

Pompeii, Naples, Campania, Italy

Company Credits

Production Co:

Orizzonte 2000, RAI Radiotelevisione Italiana

Technical Specs

Runtime:

121 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

User Reviews

Enjoyable exposition

This is generally enjoyable. It does a reasonably good job of situating the drama in 5th century Roman Africa, even though the external sets are obviously contemporary (to Rossellini) Roman remains. The interiors are well done and convincing. The drama is dramatic when it needs to be, though there are some lengthy theological discussions, and one does get a sense of the power of St. Augustine's preaching, of the theological disputes of the time and of the tasks of a bishop. The scenes from his life, though limited till his later life, are well chosen to illustrate his character and accomplishments. I'm not sure that I found the principal character terribly convincing or that characterisation came through strongly, but this two dimensional element fitted the didactic style of the film and the art of the time.