General Della Rovere
1959 · Movie · 132 min · ★ 7.5 · 95% critics
In Nazi-occupied Italy, a small-time swindler is caught and pressured into posing as a dead resistance general inside a prison. As he tries to win the trust of other inmates and gather information, the role begins to challenge his instincts for survival.
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Details
- Original title
- Il generale Della Rovere
- Years
- 1959
- Release date
- 1959-10-07
- Language
- Italian
- Runtime
- 132 min
- Critic score
- 95/100
- TMDB rating
- 7.5/10 (148 votes)
About
You may like this if you enjoy wartime moral dramas about identity, conscience, and pressure, especially if Rome, Open City or Paisan worked for you; Not for you if you want fast pacing or constant suspense.
Pros: gripping central premise; strong lead performance; morally engaging drama | Cons: slow first half; talky at times; uneven pacing
Themes
- nazi
- general
- italy
- resistance
- brothel
- bravery
- con man
- crook
- swindler
- partisan
- gestapo
- veteran
Awards & recognition
- Golden Lion · 1959
- Academy Award — Best Writing, Original Screenplay · 1962 · nominated
Cast & crew
Vittorio De Sica
as Bardone AKA 'Grimaldi'
Hannes Messemer
as S.S. Colonel Mueller
Vittorio Caprioli
as Aristide Banchelli
- NA
Nando Angelini
as Paolo
- HF
Herbert Fischer
as Sergeant Walter Hageman
- MG
Mary Greco
as Vera (the madam)
- BM
Bernardo Menicacci
as Prison guard
Lucia Modugno
as Partisan girl
Luciano Pigozzi
as Prisoner
- KP
Kurt Polter
as German officer
Directed by Roberto Rossellini