Best Italian WW2 Movies
Here is a list of films that convey the Italian WW2 experience. There are others that I have chose to omit as I do not recommend them or have not seen them. Note the list is sorted by IMDB rating.
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- DirectorRoberto BenigniStarsRoberto BenigniNicoletta BraschiGiorgio CantariniWhen an open-minded Jewish waiter and his son become victims of the Holocaust, he uses a perfect mixture of will, humor and imagination to protect his son from the dangers around their camp.UNFORGETTABLE! Amazing chemistry by Benigiini and the boy! No doubt the best ITL WW2 film!
- DirectorMoustapha AkkadStarsAnthony QuinnOliver ReedRod SteigerIn 1929, Italian Fascist dictator Benito Mussolini appoints General Rodolfo Graziani as colonial governor to Italian Libya with orders to stamp-out all resistance from Libyan nationalists led by rebel guerrilla leader Omar Mukhtar.Ambitious film about Italians in Libya at start of WW2. Interesting and gets points for a unique perspective. Way too long (2:53) and at 8.4 very overrated.
- DirectorVittorio De SicaStarsLamberto MaggioraniEnzo StaiolaLianella CarellIn post-war Italy, a working-class man's bicycle is stolen, endangering his efforts to find work. He and his son set out to find it.The masterpiece we all saw in film class. Defines post war Italy and the horror of war.
- DirectorRoberto RosselliniStarsAnna MagnaniAldo FabriziMarcello PaglieroDuring the Nazi occupation of Rome in 1944, the Resistance leader, Giorgio Manfredi, is chased by the Nazis as he seeks refuge and a way to escape.Roesellini film ... part of his war trilogy ... about Italian resistance during German occupation of Rome ... remains great after all these years. Great historical perspective and you love Dom Pietro. More so Anna Magnani owns this film with her classic Italian beauty.
- DirectorEttore ScolaStarsSophia LorenMarcello MastroianniJohn VernonTwo neighbors, a persecuted journalist and a resigned housewife, meet during Hitler's visit to Italy in May 1938.Fascinating story about suppression of individualism under fascism. Great histocon as we see Rome falling under the spell of Duce. Sophia Loren and Marcello Mastroianni have remarkable chemistry! And very progressive for 1977!
- DirectorVittorio De SicaStarsSophia LorenJean-Paul BelmondoRaf ValloneIn WWII Italy, a widow and her lonely daughter seek distance between themselves and the horrors of war.Film about the horrors of war on the home front ... especially on women. Great histocon as film illustrates Italy's hardships during war ... yet film fails as it glosses over the story of Moroccan rapist. Sophia Loren kills in this role ... winning Oscar for Best Actress.
- DirectorGillo PontecorvoStarsSusan StrasbergLaurent TerzieffEmmanuelle RivaA young Jewish girl leads an escape attempt from a concentration camp.Great histocon as we learn about Kapos of German concentration camps. Film has a solid plot yet has way to much Film Noir (not a fan) and in turn feels very 1960.
- DirectorRoberto RosselliniStarsCarmela SazioGar MooreWilliam TubbsAmerican military personnel interact warily with a variety of Italian locals over a year and a half in the push north during the Italian Campaign of WWII as German forces make their retreat.Another Roesellini war trilogy film. This time vignettes about the period where allies are taking over Italy and Germany is in retreat. Very good histocon but very over-dramatic in a Italian kinda way!
- DirectorStanley KramerStarsAnthony QuinnAnna MagnaniVirna LisiDuring WWII in Italy, a wine-producing village hides a million bottles from the GermansAn enjoyable watch … great cast and location work … provides insight into Italian WW2 experience … yet no real historical context.
- DirectorGiuseppe TornatoreStarsMonica BellucciGiuseppe SulfaroLuciano FedericoAmidst the war climate, a teenage boy discovering himself becomes love-stricken by Malèna, a sensual woman living in a small, narrow-minded Italian town.7.5
- DirectorGabriele SalvatoresStarsDiego AbatantuonoClaudio BigagliGiuseppe CedernaIn WW2, an Italian Army unit of misfits occupies an isolated non-strategic Greek island for the duration of the war.7.4
- DirectorVittorio De SicaStarsSophia LorenMarcello MastroianniLyudmila SavelevaAn Italian woman conducts a desperate search for her husband, a soldier considered missing in action in Russia during WWII.EPIC FILM! Excellent period piece ... Italians fighting in Russia during WW2. A great love story with a Great Mancini score … and Sophia Loren is at her peak!
- DirectorEnzo MonteleoneStarsPaolo BrigugliaPierfrancesco FavinoLuciano ScarpaWar seen through the eyes of Serra, a university student from Palermo who volunteers in 1942 to fight in Africa. He is assigned to the Pavia Division on the southern line in Egypt. Rommel and the Axis forces are bogged down; it's October, the British prepare an offensive. At first, boredom, heat, hunger, and thirst bedevil the Italians; then the Brits attack, and there's no luck or heroism in death. Finally, it's retreat in confusion. Serra, his sergeant Rizzo, and his lieutenant Fiori take a last walk toward home. It's said that each soldier gets three miracles; when Serra's are used up, what then?AMAZING!!! N Africa from the perspective of the failing Italians. Great histcon and unque perspective ... also has excellant music/score. I think the best desert WW2 film of all!
- DirectorFranco ZeffirelliStarsMaggie SmithJudi DenchJoan PlowrightAn orphaned Italian boy is raised amongst a circle of British and American women living in Mussolini's Italy before and during World War II.Enduring film with a great cast (Cher & Judy Denche) … amazing location work … great story from a very unique perspective (British ladies trapped in Italy). Good histocon
- DirectorMarco BellocchioStarsGiovanna MezzogiornoFilippo TimiFausto Russo AlesiThe story of Mussolini's secret lover, Ida Dalser, and their son Albino.ALMOST A MASTERPIECE! In so many ways exceptional yet film is really hurt by a very confusing script (solution watch twice). A very compelling and unknown story about Il Duce's mistress and illegitimate son. Very tragic!
- DirectorAndrea FrazziAntonio FrazziStarsIsabella RosselliniJeroen KrabbéBarbara Enrichi1943, an estate north of Firenze. The weight of the world is on the shoulders of Penny, who's about 10. An orphan, she must watch over her little sister when they go to live with her aunt and uncle. Penny's a Catholic, and worries about her uncle's soul. He's Jewish, progressive and a free thinker, a fair boss, and devoted to his family. He can be stern, so Penny also worries that she'll never please him and that he won't love her. Then, after the Allied forces land in Sicily and the Germans begin their retreat, Penny must worry about her uncle's life. She tries logic and appeals to human decency. Can a child keep the sky from falling?An authentic look at life in Tuscany at the end of Mussolini and the horrific arrival of the Nazis. Very genuine with great Histocon. Based on a famous Italian novel.
- DirectorFrancesco RosiStarsJohn TurturroRade SerbedzijaMassimo GhiniBased on Primo Levi's autobiographical "The Reawakening".OUTSTANDING!!! Totally unique story about what happens when the camps are liberated (in this case Auschwitz). This is a true story about a real Italian Jew named Primo Levi. It is filled with forgiveness and humor and adventure ... simply amazing!
- DirectorGeorge P. CosmatosStarsRichard BurtonMarcello MastroianniLeo McKernRome, March 23, 1944: 33 German soldiers are killed by a bomb. Lt. Col. Herbert Kappler is ordered to execute ten times that many Italians.Big bucks Italian blockbuster that tells the true story of the Ardeatine Massacre (335 Italians killed in retaliation for 33 Nazis). Great cast with R Burton & Marcello Mastrioni at the top. A film that really shames the Pope who did nothing to stop this atrocity. Great Histocon!
- StarsSusan SarandonAnthony HopkinsBob HoskinsA compelling drama and documentary chronicling the life and death of Il Duce (Bob Hoskins), from his days as a terrorist, to his alliance with Hitler, to the betrayal of his son-in-law, and untimely demise.A very poorly produced & scripted & directed M4TV film. Yet a most informative & revealing & surprising production. Great histocon ... decent cast and great locations. Valuable as we have so little about El Duce to watch.
- DirectorEgidio VeronesiStarsFrancesca BottiAugusto GattiPaolo LodiFour Italian friends chase their hopes and dreams at the dawn of World War II. But the tragedy and upheavals of the time bring changes that will affect all of them forever.Not so much about WW2 ... more about life in rural Italy during the war. Wonderfully beautiful and rich and authentic and genuine. Totally underrated!
- DirectorSpike LeeStarsDerek LukeMichael EalyLaz AlonsoSet in 1944 Italy, the story of four black American soldiers who get trapped in a Tuscan village during WWII.Many seem to hate this film ... I think as it addresses WW2 US racism head on ... and was produced/directed by Spike Lee. I thought it spot on. I also think it is an excellent film with great histocon (Sant'Anna di Stazzema massacre). One bad is it is a little too long (2:40) and needs a trim.
- DirectorJohn MaddenStarsNicolas CagePenélope CruzJohn HurtWhen a fisherman leaves to fight with the Greek army during World War II, his fiancée falls in love with the local Italian commander.HUGELY UNDERRATED! Sure ... a few issues (accents & N Cage) but this is a great film with superb locations & cinematography & music & actors and lots of histocon