A captain, a well-known flying ace, is developing his own device which will make a notable contribution to the prestige of his country's air force. One evening he occasionally meets a girl who strikes him with her mysterious behavior. In fact, he witnesses some completely inexplicable events that disturb him and take away the necessary serenity of mind to attend to his work, from which he feels detached. An explosion in the laboratory brings to the attention of an entire espionage network that was working to prevent the realization of the project.
Acting
Rossano Brazzi's smoldering, distracted intensity.
Cinematography
Shadowy expressionist lighting on a shoestring budget.
Production
Fascist-era propaganda tension, accidentally subverted.
Director
Andrea Forzano
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Shot in 1943 Salò Republic under German occupation, this was Italian cinema's awkward attempt to merge patriotic duty with Hollywood noir—Mussolini's censors wanted propaganda, but Forzano delivered something far more slippery.
Vivi Gioi plays dual roles that may actually be the same person—a casting choice so chaotic the original audience reportedly argued about it in theaters.
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