The Conspirators

Written and directed by Luigi Magni, Nell'anno del Signore (The Conspirators) is a 1969 Italian-French historical drama set in early 19th-century Rome under Pope Leo XII, in the years of the Restoration. Loosely inspired by real events, it portrays secret political factions of the Carbonari plotting against papal rule, sometimes with the help of figures inside the Curia, and builds toward the public execution of two Carbonari that actually took place in Papal Rome. The film features a large ensemble of celebrated Italian performers, including Nino Manfredi, Enrico Maria Salerno, Claudia Cardinale, Robert Hossein, Ugo Tognazzi and Alberto Sordi, with shooting carried out around Rome. It became the first part of Magni's loose trilogy on the turbulent relationship between the Roman people, the aristocracy and papal power during the Risorgimento, followed by In nome del Papa Re (1977) and In nome del popolo sovrano (1990). A major box-office success in Italy, it ranks among the country's most-watched films ever, and Manfredi won the David di Donatello for Best Actor for his performance.