Cristo si è fermato a Eboli (1979)

In the fascist Italy of 1935, a painter trained as a doctor is exiled to a remote region near Eboli. Over time, he learns to appreciate the beauty and wisdom of the peasants, and to ... See full summary »

Director:

Francesco Rosi

Writers:

Francesco Rosi (story), Tonino Guerra (story)

Stars:

Gian Maria Volontè, Paolo Bonacelli, Alain Cuny

Won 1 BAFTA Film Award. Another 6 wins & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Gian Maria Volontè	...	Carlo Levi
Paolo Bonacelli	...	Don Luigi Magalone
Alain Cuny	...	Barone Nicola Rotunno
Lea Massari	...	Luisa Levi
Irene Papas	...	Giulia Venere
François Simon	...	Don Traiella
Luigi Infantino
Accursio Di Leo	...	Joiner
Francesco Callari
Enzo Vitale	...	Dottore Milillo (as Vincenzo Vitale)
Antonio Allocca	...	Don Cosimino
Vincenzo Licata	...	L'italo-americano
Muzzi Loffredo
Lidia Bavusi
Francesco Capotorto

Storyline

In the fascist Italy of 1935, a painter trained as a doctor is exiled to a remote region near Eboli. Over time, he learns to appreciate the beauty and wisdom of the peasants, and to overcome his isolation.

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Plot Keywords:

interwar period | kingdom of italy | fascist italy | campania | lucania italy | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Details

Country:

Italy France

Language:

Italian

Release Date:

23 February 1979 (Italy)

Also Known As:

Christ Stopped at Eboli

Filming Locations:

Gravina di Puglia, Bari, Apulia, Italy

Company Credits

Production Co:

Rai 2,Vides Cinematografica,Action Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

150 min 224 min (TV) 213 min (video) 120 min (cut)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technospes)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Included among the "1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die", edited by Steven Schneider.

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Goofs

On the bus, the way Carlo holds the dog changes.

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Quotes

Luisa Levi: You'd need a woman here.
Carlo Levi: Yes, I would. But it's not easy.
Luisa Levi: Come on, don't exaggerate. Don't tell me that here even finding a cleaning lady is impossible.
Carlo Levi: Here a woman wouldn't go in the house of a single man. Just spending time together implies sleeping together.
Luisa Levi: You can't be serious.
Carlo Levi: Oh, yes I am.

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Alternate Versions

There are many versions ranging from 120 minutes to 224 minutes. The longest version available in the U.S. is 145 minutes and is available from Facets Video.

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Connections

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

User Reviews

Flawed, especially when compared to its peers.

This dutiful, detailed three-and-a-half TV epic describes the exile of dissident intellectual Carlo Levi in a remote village of fascist Italy, blighted by poverty, disease, immirgration and governmental contempt. The film is part-character study, part-socio-historico-political analysis, part careful representation of a people and its place. It is seriously flawed (the people are sentimentalised, the politics are simplistic, the pleasant presentation (music, major actors, cinematography etc.) works against the horrifiic subject matter); but there are nice ironies too, such as the Christlike Levi capable of the fascism he deplores.

The film can be seen in two contexts, as a neo-realist riposte to the prominent anti-realist 70s films about Fascism ('The Spider's Strategem', 'The Conformist', 'Amarcord'), and as a prestigious historical epic on a national theme frequent in the 70s and 80s ('The Travelling Players', 'Heimat'). In both cases it falls short.