The Truce (1997)

Based on Primo Levi's autobiographical "The Reawakening".

Director:

Francesco Rosi

Writers:

Tonino Guerra, Primo Levi (autobiography)

Stars:

John Turturro, Rade Serbedzija, Massimo Ghini

6 wins & 6 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
John Turturro	...	Primo Levi
Rade Serbedzija	...	The Greek
Massimo Ghini	...	Cesare
Stefano Dionisi	...	Daniele
Teco Celio	...	Col. Rovi
Roberto Citran	...	Unverdorben
Claudio Bisio	...	Ferrari
Andy Luotto	...	D'Agata
Agnieszka Wagner	...	Galina
Lorenza Indovina	...	Flora
Marina Gerasimenko	...	Maria Fyodorovna
Igor Bezgin	...	Yegorov
Aleksandr Ilin	...	The Mongol
Vyacheslav Olkhovskiy	...	Lt. Sergei
Anatoliy Vasilev	...	Dr. Gotlieb

Storyline

This is the true story of Italian Jews returning home from Auschwitz after the war. It deals with their experiences in readjusting to life and their fears about what they will find at home.

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Plot Keywords:

greek | auschwitz | italian | train | prisoner | 

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Taglines:

At the end of the war, a group of Italian prisoners get lost on their way home. Their journey back transformed everyone they met along the way.

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Genres:

Drama | War

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for some language and sexual content

Details

Country:

Italy France Germany Switzerland

Language:

English Russian German Polish Italian Latin

Release Date:

24 April 1998 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Truce

Filming Locations:

Turin, Piedmont, Italy

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$23,165, 26 April 1998

Gross USA:

$71,448

Company Credits

Production Co:

3 Emme Cinematografica, Stéphan Films, UGC Images

Technical Specs

Runtime:

125 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Final film written and directed by Francesco Rosi.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Primo Levi: Face to face with freedom. We felt lost, emptied, atrophied, unfit for our new found liberty.

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Connections

References Top Hat (1935)

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Soundtracks

Hungarian Dance
Written by Johannes Brahms

User Reviews

Good intentions, but PLEASE stick to the book

There are books and films. Two different ways of telling a story. Sometimes films are based on books. In that case one does good by not concentrating on the book and see the film as an independent work of art. Barthes already proclaimed 'the death of the writer', the discourse is not a message of the writer. But sometimes it's impossible to ignore the writers' work and his message. This is the case with one of this centuries' most important writers, Primo Levi. He didn't just write books, but was able to put in words his very own experiences in the German Lagers and this way put it in a much broader sense, he wrote history.

Many years before, Rosi had succesfully filmed 'christ stopped at Eboli', which was also based on an autobiography (Carlo Levi, not related to Primo) of the fascist period. Rosi did well not to choose Primo Levi's 'if this is a man' (se questo e un uomo), which describes the unimaginable experiences of Levi in the German Lager, he chose what could be called its' 'sequel'. 'the truce' ('la tregua') in which Levi describes his journey home from the camp in Poland to Turin, Italy, which took him an absurd nine months.The film starts when killingfactory Auschwitz-Birkenau is liberated by the Russians and the survivors are freed and put in trains, not to go home directly, but to be send to other camps. From there the journey continues, by train, by foot, meeting various characters. Levi, played by John Torturro, is a silent man who now and then expresses wise words or memorable sentences, but somehow never really makes you think. It's a man we follow, but doesn't touch us, let alone move us. This is not Turturro's fault, he gives a fairly good performance, but Rosi wants too much tell an important story, forgetting the ones who ARE the story; namely the characters. None of them is very well worked out. Take the Greek Nahum, in the book a surpising, colourful person, here just one-dimensional. Symbolism is overly present; Levi who doesn't want to throw away his campjacket, 'to remember' is credible, but the survivors are faced with german prisoners twice and it's given an unconvincing weight, as one German throws himself on his knees, when he sees Levi and his yellow star of David, far too grotesque. Another unconvincing role is given to the music, it's overly present, even a violin is stolen (where Rosi had this idea from is very unclear??) for no good reason. Music should be on the background.

I am sure Rosi had good intentions, but sometimes it's better to read and reread a book and try to reach as many people as possible in that way.

**out of ***** If this is a man (se questo e un uomo)-primo Levi The truce (La tregua) - Primo levi The saved and the drowned (I sommersi e i salvati)-Primo levi