Historical sketch of Garibaldi and the unification of Italy by Pasquale Scuitieri Franco Nero as an impressive officer.
Claudia Cardinale as a soothsayer.
The stars are back in Squitieri's movie. But they do not solve anything special. Small appearances in bright types. For their rich filmography, nothing more than a grain of sand.
As for the film itself, this is the story of 1861, the year of the unification of Italy. The focus is on the clash of power with bandits, rebels. This is where all the intrigue is built.
Squitieri, I suppose, conceived a fascinating historical action movie - a sketch. There must be a tragic love line, cynical moments, and, most importantly, a historical basis. It was probably going to be something like the Captain's Daughter.
What happened in practice?
Modest merits film, more like a synthetic television product. The project, devoid of bright acting major roles (mentioned Nero and Cardinal only flashed in the episodes). Shootouts and linear dialogue. A pompous finale with words about a people who are tired of tolerating and the “sweet word freedom”.
Preparing this review and reviewing some scenes, it is difficult to highlight the failed moments. They're gone. Everything was done at a good average level - the talent of the director was undoubtedly present. But overall, the picture doesn't shoot. Loud words and patriotic elevation are faced with a rather boring, albeit eventful, canvas.
Thus, as in the case of another Squitieri film about the “Iron Prefect” Cesar Mori, the viewer receives only a flat, devoid of volume, sketch mentioning historical realities. I was not impressed by this approach. It was necessary to make the picture more fascinating, plot twists sharper and attract more colorful actors.
2 out of 10