It is a source of great relief that the title of this has been changed. Let's face it, the original 'Gesuzza the Garibaldian Wife' does not exactly trip off the tongue! This is not all that changed for when director Alessandro Blasetti came to re-edit his film in 1951 he very wisely expunged the original ending which featured Fascists marching ahead of Garibaldi veterans in the Mussolini Forum!
At the time a film about the Risorgimento with no star names was unlikely to have punters queueing round the block but eighty-seven years on we have a different perspective.
The conquest of Sicily is seen through the eyes of two peasants sensitively played by non-professionals which in itself makes this a forerunner of Neo-realism. There is a fair smattering of professionals such as Mario Ferrari whose professional status is evident from the moment he appears! Blasetti's depiction of the peasantry is sympathetic although historians have questioned how many were among Garibaldi's 'Thousand' that fought at the Battle of Calatafimi.
This film is now regarded by some as Blasetti's masterpiece although that is debatable. Its Russian-style rapid cutting results in a certain lack of cohesion but it has immediacy, energy and 'heart' which makes it thoroughly absorbing.
Blasetti and his cinematographer Anchise Brizzi have captured brilliantly the strong emotion, high drama, bravery and utter chaos of that exceptional year 1860.
At the time a film about the Risorgimento with no star names was unlikely to have punters queueing round the block but eighty-seven years on we have a different perspective.
The conquest of Sicily is seen through the eyes of two peasants sensitively played by non-professionals which in itself makes this a forerunner of Neo-realism. There is a fair smattering of professionals such as Mario Ferrari whose professional status is evident from the moment he appears! Blasetti's depiction of the peasantry is sympathetic although historians have questioned how many were among Garibaldi's 'Thousand' that fought at the Battle of Calatafimi.
This film is now regarded by some as Blasetti's masterpiece although that is debatable. Its Russian-style rapid cutting results in a certain lack of cohesion but it has immediacy, energy and 'heart' which makes it thoroughly absorbing.
Blasetti and his cinematographer Anchise Brizzi have captured brilliantly the strong emotion, high drama, bravery and utter chaos of that exceptional year 1860.
