It happened at Castel Sant'Angelo. Probably, in this film, the Roman Castle of St. Angel is given a record amount of screen time, compared to other creations of Italian cinema. And for that, director Luigi Magna is my personal thanks. And history itself did not give an opportunity to ignore Castel Sant'Angelo, where the papal residence and prison were located.
So, 1825, Lord. Rome is dominated by the reaction of Pope Leo XII. At his direction, a curfew was imposed in the Eternal City, and Cardinal Rivarola waged a ruthless fight against any manifestation of disobedience. Prisons are filled with opponents of the return of the “old order”. At the same time, an unknown citizen under the pseudonym Pasquino spreads his epigrams denouncing power, and intrigues are weaved in secret societies.
The main characters of the film are Carbonari Dr. Montanari (Robert Ossein) and young Angelo Targhini (Reno Verle). But the main engines of history are Cardinal Rivarola (Ugo Tognazzi), the shoemaker Cornaccia (Nino Manfredi) and a simple monk from the Castle of St. Angel (Alberto Sordi). The heroine of Claudia Cardinale is a Jewish woman who lives as a shoemaker, but is in love with all the Carbonari at once.
The plot is simple: a shoemaker working in the Castle warns the conspirators about the denunciation of Prince Filippo Spada. Having chosen the murderers by lot, Montanari and Targhini execute the sentence, but before death the prince manages to identify them. A court led by Cardinal Rivarola sentences the Carbonari to death. The monk tries to get repentance from the arrested in order to save at least their souls.
The script is based on the true story of two Carbonari. Nino Manfredi perfectly played the role of an illiterate shoemaker, who, in fact, only hides under the mask of a simpleton. Alberto Sordi is brilliant as an idealist monk. His character seems funny, but in fact, he is the most tragic figure of the whole film. Hugo Tognazzi is very trustworthy in the image of a treacherous villain. Claudia Cardinale brings sweetness and light.
And yet, the film itself is too long and falls apart into separate, albeit brilliant episodes. And, most importantly, the images of the Carbonari look too faded and flat against the background of seemingly secondary characters.
7 out of 10