Sunflower (1970 film)
| I Girasoli | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Vittorio De Sica |
| Written by | Tonino Guerra Giorgi Mdivani Cesare Zavattini |
| Produced by | Franco Committeri |
| Starring | Marcello Mastroianni Sophia Loren Lyudmila Savelyeva |
| Cinematography | Giuseppe Rotunno |
| Edited by | Adriana Novelli |
| Music by | Henry Mancini |
Release dates |  March 14, 1970 September 24, 1970 |
Running time | 101 Min |
| Country | Italy |
| Languages | Italian and Russian |
Sunflower (Italian: I Girasoli) is a 1970 Italian drama film directed by Vittorio De Sica. It was the first occidental film to be filmed in the USSR.
Plot
In Italy, during World War II, Giovanna (Sophia Loren) and Antonio (Marcello Mastroianni) meet, and soon become lovers. Seeking to preserve their love in the midst and uncertainty of war, they marry and hope for the end of war. However, as war intensifies and draws closer, Antonio is obligated to join the army and is sent to the Russian front. He does not come back after the war ends, and Giovanna decides to go and find her husband.
Finally when she does, she sees that he is married to a Russian woman and is fathering her child. Shattered, she returns and vows never to see him again, even though Antonio comes all the way to Italy from Russia to see her. However, fate has it such that Antonio gets stuck and they meet. Antonio tries to explain to her how closeness to death has totally changed him and his point of view. He gives her the fur scarf that he promises to get her while leaving for war. In showing immense maturity and understanding, Giovanna and Antonio part again at the train station when Antonio returns to Russia and Giovanna is left alone to fight against her destiny.
Cast
- Sophia Loren - Giovanna
- Marcello Mastroianni - Antonio
- Lyudmila Savelyeva - Mascia
- Galina Andreyeva - Valentina, Soviet official
- Anna Carena - Antonio's Mother
- Germano Longo - Ettore
- Nadya Serednichenko - Woman in sunflower fields
- Glauco Onorato - Returning soldier
- Silvano Tranquilli - Italian worker in Russia
- Marisa Traversi - Prostitute
- Gunars Cilinskis - Russian Ministry Official
- Carlo Ponti Jr. - Giovanna's Baby
- Pippo Starnazza - Italian official
- Dino Peretti
- Giorgio Basso
Awards
- David di Donatello: Best Actress (Sophia Loren)
- Academy Award nominated for Best Music, Original Score
External links
- I Girasoli at IMDb
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