'O re (1989)

One of the key factors in Italian unification was the overthrow in 1860 of Francesco, the King of Naples and the two Sicilies, who went into elegant but impoverished exile in Rome with his ... See full summary »

Director:

Luigi Magni

Writer:

Luigi Magni

Stars:

Giancarlo Giannini, Ornella Muti, Carlo Croccolo

5 wins & 6 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
Giancarlo Giannini	...	Francesco II di Borbone
Ornella Muti	...	Maria Sofia of Austria
Carlo Croccolo	...	Rafele
Luc Merenda	...	Don Josè Borges
Cristina Marsillach	...	Luciana
Anna Maria Ackermann	...	Regina Vedova
Corrado Pani	...	Generale Coviello
Massimo Abbate	...	Trani
Anna Kanakis	...	Brigantessa
Franco Pistoni	...	Macchi
Franco Tavassi	...	Caserta (as Francesco Tavassi)
Sergio Solli	...	Pulcinella
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Vincenzo Aronica	...	Commediante (as Enzo Aronica)
Giovanni Balzaretti	...	Commediante
Tina Bonavita	...	Lucrezia

Storyline

One of the key factors in Italian unification was the overthrow in 1860 of Francesco, the King of Naples and the two Sicilies, who went into elegant but impoverished exile in Rome with his queen Maria Sofia. This serio-comic drama follows the deposed king and his queen as they adapt to their new lives. The former king has recognized the political finality of his deposition, but his queen has taken to traveling in men's clothing all over Italy trying to foment an uprising to restore them to the throne. Not only that, but she is frantic to have a baby and heir, but the king has become celibate as a kind of homage to his beloved mother. He is spending all his time lobbying the Vatican to get her declared a saint.

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Plot Keywords:

king | italian unification | italy | 1860s | woman in man's clothes | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | History

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Did You Know?

Trivia

Brigitte Nielsen was briefly considered for the role of Maria Sofia of Austria

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Connections

Edited into Lo schermo a tre punte (1995)

User Reviews

Outstanding historical drama during the unification of Italy.

This film is excellent. It possesses great values of production, fantastic costumes, great exteriors, exquisite music and for fans of legendary actors and actresses the leading roles are played by Giancarlo Giannini (as Francesco II of Bourbon king of the Two Sicilies) and Ornella Muti (as the queen Maria Sophia of Austria). It's not mandatory being an expert of Italian history of the nineteenth century in order to understand the drama. The king has been deposed and he is despondent, immersed in the reverie of his past, surrounded in his quarters by images and statuettes that constitute the center of his superstitious veneration. The queen is beautiful and vibrant. She is working actively for the restoration of her husband and above all things, she wants to give him an heir. He is absentminded and resigned to live without the throne, he refuses to have the intercourse with his wife and the tension between the two characters scales up. ¿Will the queen commit adultery to fulfill her goal of giving an heir to the kingdom that will have to be reconquered at the cost of a bloody war of brothers versus brothers ? There is no battles showed in the film but instead we see the backstage of that combats. The psychological struggles of those who must take a course of action, their loyalties, betrayals and old grudges that frequently end up in violent death. Giancarlo Gianinni is absolutely perfect in his role, he is an absolute master of his art and Ornella Muti is, like always, loved by the camera, and she can act too! The only regret is that this movie is very rare, it's practically unknown outside of Italy. I hope that this situation changes in the near future.

Details

Country:

Italy

Language:

Italian

Release Date:

27 January 1989 (Italy)

Also Known As:

The King of Naples

Company Credits

Production Co:

Clemi Cinematografica, Titanus

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color