''Christ Stopped at Eboli'' ( it, Cristo si è fermato a Eboli), also known as ''Eboli'' in the United States, is a 1979

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super ...

directed by

Francesco Rosi Francesco Rosi (; 15 November 1922 – 10 January 2015) was an Italian film director. His film '' The Mattei Affair'' won the Palme d'Or at the 1972 Cannes Film Festival. Rosi's films, especially those of the 1960s and 1970s, often appeared to ha ...

adapted In biology, adaptation has three related meanings. Firstly, it is the dynamic evolutionary process of natural selection that fits organisms to their environment, enhancing their evolutionary fitness. Secondly, it is a state reached by the po ...

from the book of the same name by

Carlo Levi Carlo Levi () (29 November 1902 – 4 January 1975) was an Italian painter, writer, activist, communist, and doctor. He is best known for his book '' Cristo si è fermato a Eboli'' (''Christ Stopped at Eboli''), published in 1945, a memoir of ...

. It stars Gian Maria Volonté as Levi, a political dissident under

Fascism Fascism is a far-right, authoritarian, ultra-nationalist political ideology and movement,: "extreme militaristic nationalism, contempt for electoral democracy and political and cultural liberalism, a belief in natural social hierarchy an ...

who was exiled in the Basilicata region in Southern Italy. The film was shown out of competition at the 1979 Cannes Film Festival and was the first to receive a

BAFTA Award for Best Foreign Language Film The BAFTA Award for Best Film Not in the English Language is given annually by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts and presented at the British Academy Film Awards. The award was first given at the 36th British Academy Film Awards, rec ...

in 1983. It was included in the book '' 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die''.

Plot

Carlo Levi is a painter and writer from

Turin Turin ( , Piedmontese: ; it, Torino ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in Northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital from 1861 to 1865. The ...

. He also has a degree in medicine but has never practised it. Arrested in 1935 by

Mussolini Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini (; 29 July 188328 April 1945) was an Italian politician and journalist who founded and led the National Fascist Party. He was Prime Minister of Italy from the March on Rome in 1922 until his deposition in 194 ...

's regime for anti-fascist activities, he is confined to Aliano (''Gagliano'' in the novel), a remote town in the region of

Lucania Lucania was a historical region of Southern Italy. It was the land of the Lucani, an Oscan people. It extended from the Tyrrhenian Sea to the Gulf of Taranto. It bordered with Samnium and Campania in the north, Apulia in the east, and Bruttiu ...

, the southern 'instep' of Italy, known today as Basilicata. While the landscape is beautiful, the peasantry are impoverished and mismanaged. They are superstitious and insular; many have emigrated to the United States in search of employment. Since the local doctors are not interested in treating peasants, Levi begins to minister to their health in response to their appeals, establishing a strong relationship with the community.

Principal cast

* Gian Maria Volonté as Carlo Levi *

Paolo Bonacelli Paolo Bonacelli (born 28 February 1937) is an Italian actor. He is best known for his performance as the Duke de Blangis in Pier Paolo Pasolini's final film, ''Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom'' (1975). He was in '' Midnight Express'' (1978) as t ...

as Don Luigi Magalone * Alain Cuny as Baron Nicola Rotunno *

Lea Massari Lea Massari, born Anna Maria Massetani (born 30 June 1933) is an actress and singer from Italy. Massari was born Anna Maria Massetani in Rome, but changed her name to Lea Massari when she was 22 after the death of her fiancé Leo. She studied a ...

as Luisa Levi *

Irene Papas Irene Papas or Irene Pappas ( el, Ειρήνη Παππά, Eiríni Pappá, ; born Eirini Lelekou ( el, Ειρήνη Λελέκου, Eiríni Lelékou, link=no); 3 September 1929 – 14 September 2022) was a Greek actress and singer who starred ...

as Giulia Venere * François Simon as Don Traiella *

Antonio Allocca Antonio Allocca (24 June 1937 – 31 December 2013) was an Italian character actor. Life and career Born in Portici, Naples, Allocca debuted on stage in 1956, then in 1958 he worked with Eduardo De Filippo at the Piccolo Teatro in Milan ...

as Don Cosimino

Production

The film was mostly shot in Basilicata in the villages of Craco, Guardia Perticara, Aliano and La Martella, near Matera. Other scenes were filmed in

Gravina in Puglia Gravina in Puglia (; nap, label= Barese, Gravéine ; la, Silvium; grc, Σιλούϊον, Siloúïon) is a town and ''comune'' of the Metropolitan City of Bari, Apulia, southern Italy. The word ''gravina'' comes from the Latin ''grava'' or from ...

and Santeramo in Colle, Apulia.

Reception

Critical response

''Christ Stopped at Eboli'' has an approval rating of 90% on

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...

based on 10 reviews and an average rating of 8.10/10. AllMovie rated the film 4 stars out 5.

Accolades

References

External links

* *
''Christ Stopped at Eboli: Memories of Exile''
an essay by

Alexander Stille Alexander Stille (born 1 January 1957 in New York City) is an American author and journalist. He is the son of Ugo Stille, a well-known Italian journalist and a former editor of Italy's Milan-based Corriere della Sera newspaper. Alexander Stille g ...

at the Criterion Collection 1979 films French drama films 1970s Italian-language films Italian drama films 1979 drama films Films directed by Francesco Rosi Best Foreign Language Film BAFTA Award winners Films set in 1935 Films set in 1936 Films set in Basilicata Films shot in Matera Films scored by Piero Piccioni 1970s Italian films 1970s French films {{1970s-drama-film-stub