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.

---

Plot Keywords:

greek | auschwitz | italian | train | prisoner | 

---

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.

---

Genres:

Drama | War

---

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.

---

Quotes

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

---

Connections

Featured in At the Movies: He Got Game/The Truce/Two Girls and a Guy/Sliding Doors/Deja Vu (1998)

---

Soundtracks

Polonez
Written by Michal Kleofas Oginski (as Oghinskij)

User Reviews

One Sensitive Human Being's Post-Auschwitz Experience

"The Truce" is unlike any other Holocaust film I've ever seen in at least two respects. First, it is focused on the return to their homes via the Soviet Union of a group of survivors from Auschwitz. Second, the events are distilled through the eyes of a particular victim, Primo Levi, an Italian chemist and disbelieving Jew, who recorded his experiences in an autobiographical memoir, "The Reawakening," transformed into a film by the Italian director, Francesco Rosi. Levi himself is portrayed by John Turturro, the only name likely to be recognized by an American audience. Turturro is a skilled actor and his performance is marked by emotional restraint. There are some telling scenes in the movie (and improbable coincidences relating to reappearance of characters who had previously departed the scene for destinations unknown). What holds the film together and makes it worth seeing is Levi's sensibility and occasional direct quotes: e.g., "In a world where there is Auschwitz, there is no God." This is not a great movie but it is very good.