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The Great War (La grande guerra)

Movie · 1959 · 3 people

La grande guerra (The Great War) is a 1959 Italian-French co-production directed by Mario Monicelli. A comedy-drama war film running 137 minutes, it is a leading early example of commedia all'italiana. Dino De Laurentiis produced; Nino Rota scored. It won the Golden Lion at the 1959 Venice Film Festival, was Oscar-nominated for Best Foreign Language Film in 1960 and was a huge success abroad, especially in France.

The story takes place on the Italian front of World War I, during the fighting around the Piave river. Two mismatched army buddies, both rogues, are played by Alberto Sordi and Vittorio Gassman, with Silvana Mangano, Folco Lulli, Bernard Blier and Romolo Valli also in the cast. The tone is comic, yet the film shows the bloodshed of trench warfare, hunger behind the lines and incompetent command.

Monicelli, Luciano Vincenzoni and Agenore Incrocci wrote the script; Danilo Donati designed the costumes and Mario Garbuglia the sets. Before release it was debated in the Italian parliament over its sensitive treatment of Italy's role in the world wars, and defence minister Giulio Andreotti defended it. At home it won two David di Donatello and two Silver Ribbon awards, and in 2008 it joined the list of 100 Italian films that changed the country's collective memory.

DirectorMario Monicelli
Production companyDino De Laurentiis Cinematografica

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Alberto Sordi Alberto Sordi Film actor · died at 82 Guido Celano Guido Celano Actor · died at 83 Silvana Mangano Silvana Mangano Actor · died at 59

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Through different eyes

Cinephile Looks at script, editing and directing choices; keeps a distance from formula films.

Monicelli's The Great War is an early argument for taking commedia all'italiana seriously. It builds the dodges of two rogue soldiers on comic rhythm, yet never pushes the bloodshed of the trenches or the incompetence of the command out of frame, which makes its shifts in tone both bold and risky. The clashing energies of Alberto Sordi and Vittorio Gassman carry the script, while Nino Rota's score softens the thin line between grief and the joke. Danilo Donati's costumes and Mario Garbuglia's sets make the front feel real. Still, at 137 minutes the middle stretches can feel slack. The Golden Lion at Venice is no surprise, but this is a masterpiece that asks for patience.

History & Society Lens Asks about the period, the social background and what the work reflects.

The Great War looks at the Italian front of World War I from somewhere other than the official story of heroism. In the trenches around the Piave the foreground belongs to two rogue soldiers, and the poverty and hunger behind the lines are part of the story too. That the film was debated in the Italian parliament before release shows how raw the country's sensitivity about its role in both world wars still was, and defence minister Giulio Andreotti standing behind it is a telling detail. Its place, since 2008, among the 100 Italian films that changed the country's collective memory is good evidence of how much comedy can do when a society comes to terms with war.

Family Viewer Asks whether the whole household can watch it; cares about humour and heart.

It has a comic tone, but this is a war film. There are laughs, yet the bloodshed and destruction in the trenches are shown openly. It may be too heavy for young children. At 137 minutes it is not short either, so a break may help. With high-school-age kids it works well alongside history lessons. Adults will laugh and think at the same time.

These are not reader reviews: they are short editorial takes written from different viewer perspectives with AI assistance. Reader reviews are below.

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