Il giardino dei Finzi Contini (1970)

User Rating:

7.7/10   

Director:

Vittorio De Sica

Writers:

Giorgio Bassani (novel)
Vittorio Bonicelli (writer) ...
(more)

Release Date:

16 December 1971 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | History | War

Plot:

In the late 1930s, in Ferrara, Italy, the Finzi-Contini are one of the leading families, wealthy, aristocratic...

Plot Keywords:

Love | 1930s | Italy | Ferrara Italy | Garden

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 8 wins & 3 nominations

Cast

Lino Capolicchio	...	Giorgio
Dominique Sanda	...	Micòl Finzi Contini
Fabio Testi	...	Bruno Malnate
Romolo Valli	...	Giorgio's Father
Helmut Berger	...	Alberto
Camillo Cesarei	...	Micol's Father
Inna Alexeievna	...	Micol's Grandmother (as Inna Alexeieff)
Katina Morisani	...	Micol's Mother
Barbara Pilavin	...	Giorgio's Mother (as Barbara Leonard Pilavin)
Michael Berger
Ettore Geri
Raffaele Curi	...	Ernesto
Gianpaolo Duregon
Marcella Gentile
Cinzia Bruno	...	Young Micol
Alessandro D'Alatri	...	Young Giorgio
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Camillo Angelini-Rota	...	Prof. Ermanno Finzi-Contini
Enzo Nigro	...	Agente OVRA
Eugene Pomeroy
Joshua Sinclair		(as Gianni Loffredo)
Katina Viglietti	...	Olga Finzi-Contini
Martin Bormann	...	Himself (behind Hitler on balcony) (uncredited) (archive footage) (unconfirmed)
Rudolf Hess	...	Himself (Hitler Is Germany speech) (archive footage) (uncredited)
Adolf Hitler	...	Himself (acknowledges Hess) (archive footage) (uncredited)
Benito Mussolini	...	Himself (watches parade) (archive footage) (uncredited)
Julius Streicher	...	Himself (sits beside Hitler, partially visible) (archive footage) (uncredited)

Directed by
Vittorio De Sica

Writing credits
Giorgio Bassani		(novel)
Vittorio Bonicelli		(writer) &
Ugo Pirro		(writer)
Franco Brusati		uncredited &
Vittorio De Sica		uncredited &
Alain Katz		uncredited &
Tullio Pinelli		uncredited &
Cesare Zavattini		uncredited &
Valerio Zurlini		uncredited

Produced by
Artur Brauner	....	producer (as CCC FIlmkunst - Berlino)
Arthur Cohn	....	producer: Documento Film
Gianni Hecht Lucari	....	producer
Fausto Saraceni	....	executive producer

Original Music by
Manuel De Sica

Cinematography by
Ennio Guarnieri		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Adriana Novelli

Casting by
Jose Villaverde

Production Design by
Giancarlo Bartolini Salimbeni

Set Decoration by
Roberto Granieri

Costume Design by
Giancarlo Bartolini Salimbeni

Makeup Department
Anna Cristofani	....	hair stylist
Giulio Natalucci	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Romano Dandi	....	production manager
Enzo Nigro	....	production supervisor

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Giorgio Treves	....	assistant director

Art Department
Franco D'Andria	....	set dresser

Sound Department
Franco Bassi	....	sound mixer
Max Galinsky	....	sound
Massimo Loffredi	....	sound

Special Effects by
Enrico Catalucci	....	special effects: S. P. E. S. (as E. Catalucci)

Camera and Electrical Department
Giancarlo Ferrando	....	camera operator
Michele Picciaredda	....	assistant camera
Giorgio Urbinelli	....	assistant camera

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Antonio Randaccio	....	costumer

Editorial Department
Eli Haviv	....	editor: english version
Marisa Letti	....	assistant editor
Carla Zamponi	....	assistant editor

Music Department
Carlo Savina	....	conductor

Other crew
Luisa Alessandri	....	assistant to director
Noelle Gillmor	....	subtitler: English
Franca Invernizzi	....	production secretary (as Franca Santi)
Mario Milani	....	script editor
Claudio Saraceni	....	production accountant
Roberto Del Giudice	....	voice dubbing: Helmut Berger (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Documento Film
• CCC-Filmkunst (as CCC Filmkunst - Berlino)

Distributors

• Titanus Distribuzione (1970) (Italy) (theatrical)
• Medusa Home Entertainment (2003) (Italy) (DVD)
• Cinema 5 Distributing (1971) (USA) (theatrical) (subtitled)
• Planfilm (1971) (France) (theatrical)
• Sony Pictures Classics (1996) (USA) (theatrical) (re-release)
• Columbia TriStar Home Video (2001) (USA) (DVD)
• Lorimar Home Video (1988) (USA) (VHS)
• Warner Home Vidéo (2008) (France) (DVD)

Special Effects

• Sviluppo Pellicole e Stampa (SPES)

Other Companies

• Giulio Einaudi  book publisher
• Lucherini/Rossetti/Spinola/Scalera  publicity agency (as Rossetti Lucherini Spinola)
• Roma's Press Photo  still photography
• Fono Roma  dubbing
• C.V.D.  dubbing
• S.A.F.A.S.  costumes
• RCA  music edition
• Cine Audio Effects  sound effects and foley design

Also Known As:

The Garden of the Finzi-Continis (Canada: English title) (USA)
Der Garten der Finzi Contini (West Germany)

Runtime:

94 min

Country:

Italy | West Germany

Language:

Italian

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

France:Unrated | Australia:M | Argentina:13 | Chile:14 | Finland:S | Sweden:Btl | USA:R | West Germany:12 (w)

Filming Locations:

Ferrara, Ferrara, Emilia-Romagna, Italy

Company:

Documento Film

Quotes:

Micol Finzi-Contini: Children are always prisoners of grownups.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Yperoha plasmata: Tis Aristeras kai tis Proodou... (#1.18)" (2008)

Soundtrack:

Vivere

the music during the final credits

I just watched the DVD and had not seen the movie in many years. I found it every bit as moving as I had remembered from my first viewing. This included the Prayer For the Dead (El Moleh Rachamim) magnificently sung as the final credits rolled. I am not Jewish so I had to do some "googling" to learn that El Moleh...is indeed a prayer for the dead. What moved me so apart from the singer's mournfully beautiful voice were the names Aushwitz, Maidenek, Treblinka et. al. interpolated into the text. It reminded me of the penultimate paragraph in Andre Schwartz-Bart's extraordinary novel of the Holacaust, The Last Of The Just where the names of the death camps are artfully placed among the repeated words "And praised Be The Lord". Thank you for the opportunity to share my thoughts.