''The Unknown Man of San Marino'' (Italian: ''Lo Sconosciuto di San Marino'') is a 1946

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

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

Michał Waszyński Michał Waszyński (29 September 1904 – 20 February 1965) was first a film director in Poland, then in Italy, and later (as Michael Waszynski) a producer of major American films, mainly in Spain. Known for his elegance and impeccable man ...

and starring

Anna Magnani Anna Maria Magnani (; 7 March 1908 – 26 September 1973) was an Italian actress.Obituary ''Variety'', 3 October 1973, pg. 47 She was known for her explosive acting and earthy, realistic portrayals of characters. Born in Rome, she worked her ...

Vittorio De Sica Vittorio De Sica ( , ; 7 July 1901 – 13 November 1974) was an Italian film director and actor, a leading figure in the neorealist movement. Four of the films he directed won Academy Awards: ''Sciuscià'' and ''Bicycle Thieves'' (honorary) ...

and Antonio Gandusio.Sieglohr p.156 It was shot at the

Icet Studios ICET, ICE.T or variant, may refer to: People * Ice-T (born 1958), American rapper and actor * Allen Icet (born 1957), Missouri politician Other * Ice tea or Iced tea, a beverage made from tea and ice * ICE T, a variant of the German ICE high ...

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 ...

and on location around the

Republic of San Marino San Marino (, ), officially the Republic of San Marino ( it, Repubblica di San Marino; ), also known as the Most Serene Republic of San Marino ( it, Serenissima Repubblica di San Marino, links=no), is the fifth-smallest country in the world an ...

where it is set. The screenwriter

Cesare Zavattini Cesare Zavattini (20 September 1902 – 13 October 1989) was an Italian screenwriter and one of the first theorists and proponents of the Neorealist movement in Italian cinema. Biography Born in Luzzara near Reggio Emilia in northern Italy, ...

and the actors

and

were key figures in the neorealist movement which was at its height when the film was made.

Synopsis

During the closing stages of the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

, refugees pour into San Marino. One of them is a foreigner who has apparently lost his memory. Liana, a prostitute, is very sympathetic towards him. He also bonds with members of the

Polish Army The Land Forces () are the land forces of the Polish Armed Forces. They currently contain some 62,000 active personnel and form many components of the European Union and NATO deployments around the world. Poland's recorded military history stre ...

he encounters. However, during a religious procession to mark the fall of the German Gothic Line, he is jolted by the memory of an atrocity he committed while serving with German forces against a similar procession. Filled with remorse, he commits suicide by walking into a minefield.

Cast

as Liana, la prostituta *

as Leo, l'ateo *Aurel Milloss as Lo sconosciuto * Antonio Gandusio as Don Antonio, il prete *

Renata Bogdanska Irena Renata Anders (12 May 1920 – 29 November 2010), born Iryna Renata Jarosiewicz (Yarosevych), was a Ukrainian-Polish stage actress and singer. During World War II she performed with Henryk Wars' troupe and later with the ''Polska Parad ...

as Wanda *

Irma Gramatica Irma Gramatica (pseudonym of Maria Francesca Gramatica; 25 November 1870 – 24 October 1962) was an Italian stage and film actress. Gramatica appeared in ten films during her career including ''The Materassi Sisters'' (1944).Landy p.285 Her siste ...

as Agata *

Franca Belli Franca is a municipality in the state of São Paulo, Brazil. The city is located in the northeastern portion of the state, distant 401 km (249 mi) from the state capital (São Paulo), and 676 km (420 mi) from Brasilia. It covers a total area of ...

as Beatrice *

Giuseppe Porelli Giuseppe Porelli (24 November 1897 – 5 March 1982) was an Italian stage, film and television actor. Life and career Born Giuseppe Porcelli in Naples, he graduated from the Istituto Tecnico and became an employee of Ferrovie dello Stato. W ...

as Filippo, l'autista *

Fausto Guerzoni Fausto Guerzoni (1904–1967) was an Italian film actor.Freire-Medeiros p.193 A character actor, he appeared in Italian films in supporting roles from the mid-1930s. Selected filmography * ''Cavalry'' (1936) * ''The Former Mattia Pascal'' (1937) ...

as Marino *

Aristide Garbini Aristide Garbini (1890–1950) was an Italian film actor.Verdone p.83 Selected filmography * '' The Crusaders'' (1918) * ''Messalina'' (1924) * '' Miryam'' (1929) * ''Five to Nil'' (1932) * '' Ragazzo'' (1934) * '' The Old Guard'' (1934) * ''Ald ...

as il cerimoniere *

Enrico Maria Salerno Enrico Maria Salerno (September 18, 1926 – February 28, 1994) was an Italian actor, voice actor and film director. He was also the voice of Clint Eastwood in the Italian version of Sergio Leone's Dollars Trilogy films, and the voice of Ch ...

as MP Wolf

References

Bibliography

* Chiti, Roberto & Poppi, Roberto. ''Dizionario del cinema italiano: Dal 1945 al 1959''. Gremese Editore, 1991. * Sieglohr, Ulrike. ''Heroines Without Heroes: Reconstructing Female and National Identities in European Cinema, 1945-51''. Bloomsbury Publishing, 2016.

External links

* 1946 films 1940s Italian-language films Italian black-and-white films Films directed by Michał Waszyński 1946 drama films Italian drama films Films scored by Alessandro Cicognini 1940s Italian films {{1940s-drama-film-stub