Allonsanfàn
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''Allonsanfàn'' () is a 1974 Italian
historical drama film A historical drama (also period drama, costume drama, and period piece) is a work set in a past time period, usually used in the context of film and television. Historical drama includes historical fiction and romances, adventure films, and swas ...
written and directed by
Paolo and Vittorio Taviani Paolo Taviani (; born 8 November 1931) and Vittorio Taviani (; 20 September 1929 – 15 April 2018), collectively referred to as the Taviani brothers, were Italian film directors and screenwriters who collaborated on film productions. At the C ...
. The title of the film, which is also the name of a character, comes from the first words (french: Allons enfants, lit=Arise, children) of the
French Revolutionary The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in November 1799. Many of its ideas are consider ...
anthem ''
La Marseillaise "La Marseillaise" is the national anthem of France. The song was written in 1792 by Claude Joseph Rouget de Lisle in Strasbourg after the declaration of war by France against Austria, and was originally titled "Chant de guerre pour l'Armée du R ...
''. Set against the backdrop of the
Italian Unification The unification of Italy ( it, Unità d'Italia ), also known as the ''Risorgimento'' (, ; ), was the 19th-century political and social movement that resulted in the consolidation of different states of the Italian Peninsula into a single ...
in early 19th-century Italy, it stars
Marcello Mastroianni Marcello Vincenzo Domenico Mastroianni (28 September 1924 – 19 December 1996) was an Italian film actor, regarded as one of his country's most iconic male performers of the 20th century. He played leading roles for many of Italy's top di ...
as an aging revolutionary who becomes disillusioned after the
Restoration Restoration is the act of restoring something to its original state and may refer to: * Conservation and restoration of cultural heritage ** Audio restoration ** Film restoration ** Image restoration ** Textile restoration * Restoration ecology ...
and tries to betray his companions, who are organizing an insurrection in
Southern Italy Southern Italy ( it, Sud Italia or ) also known as ''Meridione'' or ''Mezzogiorno'' (), is a macroregion of the Italian Republic consisting of its southern half. The term ''Mezzogiorno'' today refers to regions that are associated with the peop ...
.


Plot

During the
Restoration Restoration is the act of restoring something to its original state and may refer to: * Conservation and restoration of cultural heritage ** Audio restoration ** Film restoration ** Image restoration ** Textile restoration * Restoration ecology ...
in 1816, middle-aged aristocrat Fulvio Imbriani, a
Jacobin , logo = JacobinVignette03.jpg , logo_size = 180px , logo_caption = Seal of the Jacobin Club (1792–1794) , motto = "Live free or die"(french: Vivre libre ou mourir) , successor = Pa ...
who served in the
Italian campaigns of the French Revolutionary Wars The Italian campaigns of the French Revolutionary Wars (1792–1802) were a series of conflicts fought principally in Northern Italy between the French Revolutionary Army and a Coalition of Austria, Russia, Piedmont-Sardinia, and a number o ...
, is released from prison after authorities spread the rumor that he sold out the Master of his secret society of revolutionaries —the Sublime Brothers— in exchange for freedom. Promptly abducted by the latter, Fulvio is put on trial until they find out that their missing Master committed suicide days earlier, disheartened by the seemingly-final defeat of revolutionary ideals. The Brothers disband, with Fulvio returning in disguise to his family
villa A villa is a type of house that was originally an ancient Roman upper class country house. Since its origins in the Roman villa, the idea and function of a villa have evolved considerably. After the fall of the Roman Republic, villas became s ...
for the first time in decades. After witnessing his relatives mourn his ostensible death, however, he reveals himself and is welcomed back. Soon, he's joined by his lover and fellow revolutionary Charlotte, learning that she raised enough money abroad to fund an expedition to liberate the
Kingdom of the Two Sicilies The Kingdom of the Two Sicilies ( it, Regno delle Due Sicilie) was a kingdom in Southern Italy from 1816 to 1860. The kingdom was the largest sovereign state by population and size in Italy before Italian unification, comprising Sicily and a ...
, currently weakened by
cholera Cholera is an infection of the small intestine by some strains of the bacterium ''Vibrio cholerae''. Symptoms may range from none, to mild, to severe. The classic symptom is large amounts of watery diarrhea that lasts a few days. Vomiting and ...
. Fulvio, though, has grown weary of their seemingly endless and unfruitful political struggle, re-evaluating the eases of aristocratic life. He unsuccessfully offers Charlotte to go to America with their child Massimiliano, who until then had been raised by peasants to keep him safe. Fulvio's sister finds out that the reunited Brothers will come to the villa to organize the expedition and reports them to the authorities. When Fulvio learns that Austrian soldiers are about to ambush his companions, he sees the opportunity to get out of his commitment and doesn't warn them: most Brothers are killed in the ensuing skirmish, while Fulvio flees with a fatally wounded Charlotte. The surviving Brothers —oblivious to his betrayal— track him down at her funeral, followed by the Master's young son, Allonsanfàn. Learning that the expedition is still going, Fulvio offers to buy himself the needed guns with Charlotte's money, with which he actually plans to escape to America along with a newly reunited Massimiliano, but first he has to get rid of Brothers Lionello and her partner Francesca. He goes boating with the former in
Lake Orta Lake Orta (Italian: ''Lago d’Orta'') is a lake in northern Italy, west of Lake Maggiore. It has been so named since the 16th century, but was previously called Lago di San Giulio, after Saint Julius (4th century), the patron saint of the regi ...
, where he claims smugglers will deliver the guns: Fulvio pretends to have been scammed and unsuccessfully tries to manipulate the
suicidal Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Mental disorders (including depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, personality disorders, anxiety disorders), physical disorders (such as chronic fatigue syndrome), and subs ...
Lionello into killing himself to avoid facing failure, but he dies anyway when the boat capsizes during the argument. Fulvio seduces Francesca to avoid being denounced to the Brothers and, after placing Massimiliano in a boarding school and using the money to pay years of rent in the case of his death, self-injures to simulate a robbery. Fulvio and Francesca arrive in
Genoa Genoa ( ; it, Genova ; lij, Zêna ). is the capital of the Italian region of Liguria and the List of cities in Italy, sixth-largest city in Italy. In 2015, 594,733 people lived within the city's administrative limits. As of the 2011 Italian ce ...
, where the expedition should set off. Here, the Brothers are moved by the story of Southern exile Vanni, who tells them how Two Sicilies soldiers buried alive his wife due to cholera, to the point of sailing for
Sicily (man) it, Siciliana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = Ethnicity , demographics1_footnotes = , demographi ...
before the lack of guns can be revealed: while Fulvio is unconscious from an
opium Opium (or poppy tears, scientific name: ''Lachryma papaveris'') is dried latex obtained from the seed capsules of the opium poppy ''Papaver somniferum''. Approximately 12 percent of opium is made up of the analgesic alkaloid morphine, which i ...
medicine for his injury, Francesca has him boarded with the others, much to his despair. After the Brothers decide to proceed with the expedition even without guns, an increasingly frantic Fulvio finds out that Vanni is infamous in Sicily for exacting revenge on many soldiers and fellow countrymen. As soon as they land, Fulvio once again betrays his fellow revolutionaries, reporting them to a priest in the nearby village of Grottole in exchange for his life. Fearing that the hungry and cholera-stricken peasants would easily join the rebellion, the priest stirs up them against the invaders, scapegoating them for the epidemic and highlighting Vanni's involvement. Easily recognizable because of their red shirts, the unsuspecting Brothers and Vanni are all
lynched Lynching is an extrajudicial killing by a group. It is most often used to characterize informal public executions by a mob in order to punish an alleged transgressor, punish a convicted transgressor, or intimidate people. It can also be an ex ...
on the spot by the crowd. Fulvio is leaving Grottole when he meets Allonsanfàn, the sole survivor of the massacre. Unable to accept the outcome of the expedition, he raves about a
utopia A utopia ( ) typically describes an imaginary community or society that possesses highly desirable or nearly perfect qualities for its members. It was coined by Sir Thomas More for his 1516 book ''Utopia (book), Utopia'', describing a fictional ...
n brotherhood established at first sight between peasants and revolutionaries. Fulvio is dismissive, but, after hearing Grottole's bells ringing, he believes the Brothers succeeded and wears the red shirt that Allonsanfàn left behind to join them, thus being noticed and shot dead by newly arrived soldiers.


Cast


Production

The Taviani brothers wrote the screenplay for the film, originally titled ''Terza dimensione'' (), while listening to 19th-century Italian operas such as ''
Lucia di Lammermoor ''Lucia di Lammermoor'' () is a (tragic opera) in three acts by Italian composer Gaetano Donizetti. Salvadore Cammarano wrote the Italian-language libretto loosely based upon Sir Walter Scott's 1819 historical novel ''The Bride of Lammermoor''. ...
'' by
Gaetano Donizetti Domenico Gaetano Maria Donizetti (29 November 1797 – 8 April 1848) was an Italian composer, best known for his almost 70 operas. Along with Gioachino Rossini and Vincenzo Bellini, he was a leading composer of the '' bel canto'' opera style dur ...
and
Giuseppe Verdi Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi (; 9 or 10 October 1813 – 27 January 1901) was an Italian composer best known for his operas. He was born near Busseto to a provincial family of moderate means, receiving a musical education with the h ...
's ''
Macbeth ''Macbeth'' (, full title ''The Tragedie of Macbeth'') is a tragedy by William Shakespeare. It is thought to have been first performed in 1606. It dramatises the damaging physical and psychological effects of political ambition on those w ...
''. It has been noted that the events of the film mirror the ill-fated 1857 revolutionary expedition led by
Carlo Pisacane Carlo Pisacane, Duke of San Giovanni (22 August 1818 – 2 July 1857) was an Italian patriot and one of the first Italian socialist thinkers. He argued that violence was necessary not only to draw attention to, or generate publicity for, a c ...
, while the surname of the main character is an homage to the Italian author of the period . The first version of the screenplay ended with Fulvio choosing not to betray his companions, surviving and coming back to bury them; the change was caused by the Tavianis' disillusionment with the outcome of
May 1968 The following events occurred in May 1968: May 1, 1968 (Wednesday) *CARIFTA, the Caribbean Free Trade Association, was formally created as an agreement between Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Guyana, and Trinidad and Tobago. *RAF Strike Co ...
. The directors originally planned to shoot the film in 1965 with
Gian Maria Volonté Gian Maria Volonté (9 April 1933 – 6 December 1994) was an Italian actor, including roles in four Spaghetti Western films: Ramón Rojo in Sergio Leone's ''A Fistful of Dollars'' (1964) and El Indio in Leone's '' For a Few Dollars More'' ( ...
in the main role. Following '' St. Michael Had a Rooster'' (1972), the film ended up being produced by a
cooperative A cooperative (also known as co-operative, co-op, or coop) is "an autonomous association of persons united voluntarily to meet their common economic, social and cultural needs and aspirations through a jointly owned and democratically-control ...
financed by the State-owned company Italnoleggio Cinematografico. Mastroianni accepted the role of Fulvio since he perceived it as "the typical
antihero An antihero (sometimes spelled as anti-hero) or antiheroine is a main character in a story who may lack conventional heroic qualities and attributes, such as idealism, courage, and morality. Although antiheroes may sometimes perform actions ...
character I enjoy playing" and wanted to return to work in Italy after shooting ''
A Slightly Pregnant Man ''A Slightly Pregnant Man'' (french: L'Événement le plus important depuis que l'homme a marché sur la Lune, lit=The Most Important Event Since Man Walked on the Moon; it, Niente di grave, suo marito è incinto, lit=No Big Deal, Your Husband I ...
'' (1973) in Paris.


Filming

Principal photography Principal photography is the phase of producing a film or television show in which the bulk of shooting takes place, as distinct from the phases of pre-production and post-production. Personnel Besides the main film personnel, such as actor ...
took place between October and December 1973. Among the locations were
Matera Matera (, ; Materano: ) is a city in the region of Basilicata, in Southern Italy. As the capital of the province of Matera, its original settlement lies in two canyons carved by the Gravina River. This area, the Sassi di Matera, is a comple ...
,
Basilicata it, Lucano (man) it, Lucana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = ...
, and the
Altopiano delle Murge The Altopiano delle Murge (Italian for "Murge plateau") is a karst topographic plateau of rectangular shape in southern Italy. Most of it lies within Apulia and corresponds with the sub-region known as Murgia or Le Murge. The plateau lies mainly ...
in
Apulia it, Pugliese , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , demographic ...
, at
Pulo di Altamura Pulo di Altamura is a doline located on the Murge plateau ( Apulia, Italy). It is the largest doline in that region and it is located about north-west of the city of Altamura. It shares the local toponym ''pulo'' with other large dolines of the ...
and Castel del Monte. Scenes set at the Imbriani's family villa were shot at Villa Amalia in
Erba, Lombardy Erba (previously Erba-Incino, as it was formed by the union of these two places, together with some smaller districts) is a ''comune'' (municipality) of some 16,000 inhabitants in the Province of Como The Province of Como ( it, Provincia di Como ...
. Both the opening scene and the violin scene between Fulvio and his son were shot in
Brescia Brescia (, locally ; lmo, link=no, label= Lombard, Brèsa ; lat, Brixia; vec, Bressa) is a city and ''comune'' in the region of Lombardy, Northern Italy. It is situated at the foot of the Alps, a few kilometers from the lakes Garda and Iseo. ...
, at the
Broletto In Middle Age Communes in Italy, a broletto was the place where the whole population met for democratic assemblies, and where the elected men lived and administered justice. ''Broletto'' is an ancient Italian word, from medieval Latin "broilum, bro ...
and
Teatro Grande The Teatro Grande is the main performance venue for the city of Brescia, Italy. The venue hosts performances of operas, musicals, plays, concerts, ballet, modern dance Modern dance is a broad genre of western concert or theatrical dance whic ...
. The scene where the Sublime Brothers kidnap Fulvio was shot in
Bergamo Bergamo (; lmo, Bèrghem ; from the proto- Germanic elements *''berg +*heim'', the "mountain home") is a city in the alpine Lombardy region of northern Italy, approximately northeast of Milan, and about from Switzerland, the alpine lakes Como ...
, between Piazza Vecchia and Palazzo della Ragione. Singer and songwriter
Lucio Dalla Lucio Dalla (; 4 March 1943 – 1 March 2012) was an Italian singer-songwriter, musician and actor. He also played clarinet and keyboards. Dalla was the composer of " Caruso" (1986), a song dedicated to Italian opera tenor Enrico Caruso, and ...
was set to play Tito and some scenes were shot with him in the role, but was hospitalized during filming and had to be replaced by
Bruno Cirino Bruno Cirino (25 October 1936 – 17 April 1981) was an Italian actor and stage director. Life and career Born Bruno Cirino Pomicino in Naples, Cirino abandoned his studies in law to enroll the Silvio d’Amico Academy of Dramatic Arts in Rome ...
.


Soundtrack

The score was composed by
Ennio Morricone Ennio Morricone (; 10 November 19286 July 2020) was an Italian composer, orchestrator, conductor, and trumpeter who wrote music in a wide range of styles. With more than 400 scores for cinema and television, as well as more than 100 classica ...
and directed by
Bruno Nicolai Bruno Nicolai (20 May 1926 – 16 August 1991) was an Italian film music composer, orchestra director and musical editor most active in the 1960s through the 1980s. While studying piano and composition at the Santa Cecilia Conservatory in Rome, ...
, with chorus by
Alessandro Alessandroni Alessandro Alessandroni (18 March 1925 – 26 March 2017) was an Italian musician and composer. He played multiple instruments, including the guitar, mandolin, mandolincello, sitar, accordion and piano, and composed more than 40 film scores and ...
's and solo violin by Giorgio Mönch. Tavianis' previous composer
Giovanni Fusco Giovanni Fusco (10 October 1906, Sant'Agata dei Goti, Benevento – 31 May 1968, Rome) was an Italian composer, pianist and conductor, who has written numerous film scores since 1936, including those of Alain Resnais's ''Hiroshima mon amour'' (1 ...
introduced Morricone to the directors, who originally didn't want to use any original music for the film. A
soundtrack album A soundtrack album is any album that incorporates music directly recorded from the soundtrack of a particular feature film or television show. The first such album to be commercially released was Walt Disney's ''Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs'' ...
was released in Italy by
RCA Italiana RCA Italiana was an Italian record company founded in 1949 and active until 1987, the date on which, together with the parent company RCA Records, it was bought by BMG Entertainment. History Founded in Rome in 1949 under the Vatican's protecti ...
. "Rabbia e tarantella", the main theme of the film, was used during the closing credits of
Quentin Tarantino Quentin Jerome Tarantino (; born March 27, 1963) is an American film director, writer, producer, and actor. His films are characterized by stylized violence, extended dialogue, profanity, Black comedy, dark humor, Nonlinear narrative, non-lin ...
's ''
Inglourious Basterds ''Inglourious Basterds'' is a 2009 war film written and directed by Quentin Tarantino, starring Brad Pitt, Christoph Waltz, Michael Fassbender, Eli Roth, Diane Kruger, Daniel Brühl, Til Schweiger and Mélanie Laurent. The film tells an alter ...
'' (2009).


Release

''Allonsanfàn'' premiered at the Cinema Arcadia in
Milan Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city h ...
on 5 September 1974, before being theatrically released the following day by Italnoleggio Cinematografico. It was subsequently screened at various international film festivals, including the
Directors' Fortnight The Directors' Fortnight (french: Quinzaine des Réalisateurs) is an independent selection of the Cannes Film Festival. It was started in 1969 by the French Directors Guild after the events of May 1968 resulted in cancellation of the Cannes festiv ...
of the
1975 Cannes Film Festival The 28th Cannes Film Festival was held from 9 to 23 May 1975. The Palme d'Or went to the '' Chronique des Années de Braise'' by Mohammed Lakhdar-Hamina. In 1975, a new section, "Les Yeux fertiles", which was non-competitive, was introduced. This ...
, the
Moscow International Film Festival The Moscow International Film Festival (russian: Моско́вский междунаро́дный кинофестива́ль, translit. ''Moskóvskiy myezhdunaródniy kinofyestivál''; abbreviated as MIFF) is the film festival first h ...
, the
BFI London Film Festival The BFI London Film Festival is an annual film festival founded in 1957 and held in the United Kingdom, running for two weeks in October with co-operation from the British Film Institute. It screens more than 300 films, documentaries and shor ...
and the
Chicago International Film Festival The Chicago International Film Festival is an annual film festival held every fall. Founded in 1964 by Michael Kutza, it is the longest-running competitive film festival in North America. Its logo is a stark, black and white close up of the comp ...
. It was released in the United Kingdom in 1978 and in the United States by Italtoons Corporation on 1 March 1985.


Accolades


References


External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Allonsanfàn 1974 films Italian historical drama films 1970s historical drama films Films set in Lombardy Films set in Genoa Films set in Sicily Films directed by Paolo and Vittorio Taviani Films scored by Ennio Morricone Films set in 1816 Films shot in Matera Films shot in Italy Films about revolutionaries 1970s Italian-language films 1970s Italian films