In 1941 an Italian regiment known as the Savoy Cavalry is sent by Mussolini to Russia to assist the German invasion. After crossing an extensive area of Soviet territory the men arrive at a village that seems deserted. A patrol sent on reconnaissance comes under machine-gun fire from the top of a bell-tower.
Cinematography
Bleak Soviet landscapes shot on location—no studio fakery.
Practical Effects
Actual cavalry charges, actual suffering in Russian winter.
Director
Francesco De Robertis
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Domenico Modugno later became Italy's most beloved singer, famous for 'Volare.' This is his war movie phase.
Director De Robertis was a naval commander who made 'realist' war films with actual soldiers—think Italian cinema verité before it existed.
IT
