The Good War (2002)

Based on a true story its the untold story of Italian World War II POW"S in Jan 1946. Luca Zingaretti stars as one of over 50,000 Italian Prisoners of War detained at POW camps in the U.S. ... See full summary »

Director:

Giorgio Serafini

Writer:

Giorgio Serafini

Stars:

Roy Scheider, Robert Farrior, Luca Zingaretti

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Roy Scheider	...	Colonel Gartner
Robert Farrior	...	Lt. Donovan
Luca Zingaretti	...	Luigi Manin
Vincent Riotta	...	Italian POW
Sue Cremin	...	Betty
Charles Fathy	...	Luca
Giampiero Judica	...	Fabio
Luciano Miele	...	Italo
Mario Opinato	...	Lieutenant Carlo Ticinà
Asya Chakarova	...	Ana
Christo Jivkov	...	Gartner's Son
Malin Krastev
Nikolay Mutafchiev	...	American Commander
Laura Serafini	...	Farmer's Daughter
Julian Vergov	...	Frank

Storyline

Based on a true story its the untold story of Italian World War II POW"S in Jan 1946. Luca Zingaretti stars as one of over 50,000 Italian Prisoners of War detained at POW camps in the U.S. Roy Scheider stars as Colonel Gartner, the Commander of the camp. Things take a turn for the worse when Manin is brought back from his most recent escape by a patrol force, only to realize that the camp has been evacuated while he was gone. Gartner is forced to keep Manin at the camp until another patrol force can come pick him up. However, no one ever comes. The phone lines get cut, and the two men realize they are completely isolated from the outside world. It is up to each man now to escape the camp.An untold and rarely known fact of US held Italian POW"S

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Plot Keywords:

world war two | tolerance | fascism | 1940s | 

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Genres:

Drama | History | War

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language, some violence and brief sexuality

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA Italy

Language:

English

Release Date:

30 November 2004 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Good War

Filming Locations:

Bulgaria

Box Office

Budget:

$2,200,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Ministero per i Beni e le Attività Culturali (MiBAC),Orango Film S.r.l.,Rai Cinema

Technical Specs

Runtime:

96 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color Color (Technicolor)

User Reviews

Compelling Narrative...

As an alternative in the WWII POW genre, 'The Good War' ('TGW,' 2004)' provides a unique perspective on an Axis POW camp in the US (Texas). Shot in Bulgaria and Utah, 'TGW' likely will not win the hearts/minds of lovers of the genre; however, based on a true story, it provides an engaging, if not interesting, perspective that has been somewhat overlooked. Recommended mostly for the die-hard fans of the POW genre and the curious WWII genre viewer. For similar themes consider: 'The Mckenzie Break' (1970); 'Stalag 17' (1953); 'The Incident' (1990); 'The Bridge on the River Kwai' (1957); 'The Colditz Story' (1957); 'Escape To Athena' (1979); & 'The Great Escape' (1963). Also consider: 'A Man Escaped' (1957); 'So weit die Fusse tragen' (TV 1959); 'Paradise Road' (1997); 'What Did You Do During the War Daddy' (1966); 'Prisoner of War' (1954); 'Empire of the Sun' (1987); 'Blood Oath' (or 'Prisoners of the Sun', 1990); 'King Rat' (1965); 'Hart's War' (2002); 'Ivan, Marie og verdenshistorien' (1992); 'Victory' (1981); 'Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence' (1983); 'POW' (TV, 2003); 'As Far As My Feet Will Carry Me' (2003); 'The Secret of Blood Island' (1964); 'The Great Raid' (2005); & 'Von Ryan's Express' (1965).