''La sonrisa etrusca'' ("The Etruscan Smile") is a bestselling novel written by the Spanish economist and author

José Luis Sampedro José Luis Sampedro Sáez (Barcelona, 1 February 1917 – Madrid, 8 April 2013) was a Spanish economist and writer who advocated an economy "more humane, more caring, able to help develop the dignity of peoples". Academician of the Real Academi ...

in 1985. Originally, it was written in

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

. The story was inspired by the birth of the author's grandson.

Plot outline

A tough old farmer from

southern Italy Southern Italy (, , or , ; ; ), also known as () or (; ; ; ), is a macroregion of Italy consisting of its southern Regions of Italy, regions. The term "" today mostly refers to the regions that are associated with the people, lands or cultu ...

takes pride in his time served as a

partisan Partisan(s) or The Partisan(s) may refer to: Military * Partisan (military), paramilitary forces engaged behind the front line ** Francs-tireurs et partisans, communist-led French anti-fascist resistance against Nazi Germany during WWII ** Ital ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. Due to a serious medical condition, he must move in with his son and daughter-in-law in

Milan Milan ( , , ; ) is a city in northern Italy, regional capital of Lombardy, the largest city in Italy by urban area and the List of cities in Italy, second-most-populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of nea ...

. While disliking life in the northern city, the relations between the old man and his tender grandson evolve, transforming his life during his final days.

Adaptations

* ''The Etruscan Smile'' (2018), film directed by Oded Binnun and Mihal Brezis *: A film adaptation was released in 2018. It was produced by multiple Academy Award winner Arthur Cohn and directed by Oscar nominated filmmakers Oded Binnun and Mihal Brezis. It stars Brian Cox,

Thora Birch Thora Birch (born March 11, 1982) is an American actress. She made her feature film debut with a starring role in '' Purple People Eater'' (1988), for which she won a Young Artist Award for "Best Actress Under Nine Years of Age". Birch rose to pr ...

JJ Feild John Joseph Feild (born 1 April 1978) is a British American film, television, and theatre actor. He started his television career in 1999. He played Fred Garland in Philip Pullman's ''The Ruby in the Smoke'' and ''The Shadow in the North'' tele ...

Treat Williams Richard Treat Williams Jr. (December 1, 1951 – June 12, 2025) was an American actor, whose career on stage and in film and television spanned five decades. He received many accolades for his work, including nominations for three Golden Globe ...

Rosanna Arquette Rosanna Lisa Arquette (; born August 10, 1959) is an American actress. She was nominated for an Emmy Award for her performance in the TV film '' The Executioner's Song'' (1982) and won the BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for th ...

and

Peter Coyote Peter Coyote (born Robert Peter Cohon; October 10, 1941) is an American actor, director, screenwriter, author, and narrator of films, theater, television, and audiobooks. He worked on films, such as ''E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial'' (1982), '' C ...

. The film's score is composed by Frank Ilfman, and it is performed by the

London Metropolitan Orchestra The urban culture of London concerns the music, museums, festivals, and lifestyle within London, the capital city of the United Kingdom. The city is known for its theatre quarter, and its West End of London, West End theatre district has given ...

and orchestrated and conducted by

Matthew Slater Matthew Wilson Slater (born September 9, 1985) is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver for 16 seasons with the New England Patriots of the National Football League (NFL). A special teams player for most of his ...

.
Several changes to the novel were made for the screenplay. Written by Michael McGowan, Michal Lali Kagan and Sarah Bellwood, the adaptation has changes such as the nationalities of the main character (Scottish) and his grandson (American) as well as the location where the old man moves (

San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...

). In the UK the film was released under the title ''Rory's Way''.

References

External links

* * * 1985 novels 20th-century Spanish novels Novels set in Milan {{1980s-novel-stub