Nando Angelini

In this gothic tale, the reading of a will unleashes chaos at a dark and gloomy castle, where mad doctors, escaped lepers, and murderers run amok.

Roberto Rossellini’s Golden Lion winner at Venice 1959 is a moving wartime masterpiece. Vittorio De Sica plays a small-time conman imprisoned by the Nazis and coerced into impersonating a resistance hero. As he gains the trust of fellow prisoners, deception gives way to conviction. Based on real events, it’s a stirring reflection on identity, courage, and redemption under fascist rule.