| Allonsanfàn | |
|---|---|
 Italian theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Paolo Taviani Vittorio Taviani |
| Written by | Paolo Taviani Vittorio Taviani |
| Produced by | Giuliani G. De Negri |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Giuseppe Ruzzolini |
| Edited by | Roberto Perpignani |
| Music by | Ennio Morricone |
Production company | Una Cooperativa Cinematografica |
| Distributed by | Italnoleggio Cinematografico |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 111 minutes |
| Country | Italy |
| Language | Italian |
| Box office | L.415 million[1] |
Allonsanfàn (Italian pronunciation:[alˌlɔnzaɱˈfan]) is a 1974 Italianhistorical drama film written and directed byPaolo and Vittorio Taviani. The title of the film, which is also the name of a character, comes from the first words (French:Allons enfants,lit. 'Arise, children') of theFrench Revolutionary anthemLa Marseillaise.[2][3][4]
Set against the backdrop of theItalian Unification in early 19th-century Italy, it starsMarcello Mastroianni as an aging revolutionary who becomes disillusioned after theRestoration and tries to betray his companions, who are organizing an insurrection inSouthern Italy.
During theRestoration in 1816, middle-aged aristocrat Fulvio Imbriani, aJacobin who served in theItalian campaigns of the French Revolutionary Wars, is released from prison after authorities spread the rumor that he sold out the Master of his secret society of revolutionaries —the Sublime Brothers— in exchange for freedom. Promptly abducted by the latter, Fulvio is put on trial until they find out that their missing Master committed suicide days earlier, disheartened by the seemingly-final defeat ofrevolutionary ideals. The Brothers disband, with Fulvio returning in disguise to his familyvilla for the first time in decades. After witnessing his relatives mourn his ostensible death, however, he reveals himself and is welcomed back.
Soon, he's joined by his lover and fellow revolutionary Charlotte, learning that she raised enough money abroad to fund anexpedition to liberate theKingdom of the Two Sicilies, currently weakened bycholera. Fulvio, though, has grown weary of their seemingly endless and unfruitful political struggle, re-evaluating the eases of aristocratic life. He unsuccessfully offers Charlotte to go to America with their child Massimiliano, who until then had been raised by peasants to keep him safe. Fulvio's sister finds out that the reunited Brothers will come to the villa to organize the expedition and reports them to the authorities. When Fulvio learns that Austrian soldiers are about to ambush his companions, he sees the opportunity to get out of his commitment and doesn't warn them: most Brothers are killed in the ensuing skirmish, while Fulvio flees with a fatally wounded Charlotte.
The surviving Brothers —oblivious to his betrayal— track him down at her funeral, followed by the Master's young son, Allonsanfàn. Learning that the expedition is still going, Fulvio offers to buy himself the needed guns with Charlotte's money, with which he actually plans to escape to America along with a newly reunited Massimiliano, but first he has to get rid of Brothers Lionello and her partner Francesca. He goes boating with the former inLake Orta, where he claims smugglers will deliver the guns: Fulvio pretends to have been scammed and unsuccessfully tries to manipulate thesuicidal Lionello into killing himself to avoid facing failure, but he dies anyway when the boat capsizes during the argument. Fulvio seduces Francesca to avoid being denounced to the Brothers and, after placing Massimiliano in a boarding school and using the money to pay years of rent in the case of his death, self-injures to simulate a robbery.
Fulvio and Francesca arrive inGenoa, where the expedition should set off. Here, the Brothers are moved by the story of Southern exile Vanni, who tells them howTwo Sicilies soldiers buried alive his wife due to cholera, to the point of sailing forSicily before the lack of guns can be revealed: while Fulvio is unconscious from anopium medicine for his injury, Francesca has him boarded with the others, much to his despair. After the Brothers decide to proceed with the expedition even without guns, an increasingly frantic Fulvio finds out that Vanni is infamous in Sicily for exacting revenge on many soldiers and fellow countrymen. As soon as they land, Fulvio once again betrays his fellow revolutionaries, reporting them to a priest in the nearby village of Grottole in exchange for his life. Fearing that the hungry and cholera-stricken peasants would easily join the rebellion, the priest stirs up them against the invaders, scapegoating them for the epidemic and highlighting Vanni's involvement. Easily recognizable because oftheir red shirts, the unsuspecting Brothers and Vanni are alllynched on the spot by the crowd.
Fulvio is leaving Grottole when he meets Allonsanfàn, the sole survivor of the massacre. Unable to accept the outcome of the expedition, he raves about autopian brotherhood established at first sight between peasants and revolutionaries. Fulvio is dismissive, but, after hearing Grottole's bells ringing, he believes the Brothers succeeded and wears the red shirt that Allonsanfàn left behind to join them, thus being noticed and shot dead by newly arrived soldiers.
The Taviani brothers wrote the screenplay for the film, originally titledTerza dimensione (lit. 'Third Dimension'), while listening to 19th-century Italian operas such asLucia di Lammermoor byGaetano Donizetti andGiuseppe Verdi'sMacbeth.[5] It has been noted that the events of the film mirror the ill-fated 1857 revolutionary expedition led byCarlo Pisacane, while the surname of the main character is an homage to the Italian author of the periodVittorio Imbriani [it].[3] The first version of the screenplay ended with Fulvio choosing not to betray his companions, surviving and coming back to bury them; the change was caused by the Tavianis' disillusionment with the outcome ofMay 1968.[6]
The directors originally planned to shoot the film in 1965 withGian Maria Volonté in the main role.[6] FollowingSt. Michael Had a Rooster (1972), the film ended up being produced by acooperative financed by the State-owned company Italnoleggio Cinematografico.[5][7] Mastroianni accepted the role of Fulvio since he perceived it as "the typicalantihero character I enjoy playing" and wanted to return to work in Italy after shootingA Slightly Pregnant Man (1973) in Paris.[4][6]
Principal photography took place between October and December 1973.[4][8][9] Among the locations wereMatera,Basilicata, and theAltopiano delle Murge inApulia, atPulo di Altamura andCastel del Monte.[10][11] Scenes set at the Imbriani's family villa were shot at Villa Amalia inErba, Lombardy.[4] Both the opening scene and the violin scene between Fulvio and his son were shot inBrescia, at theBroletto andTeatro Grande.[12] The scene where the Sublime Brothers kidnap Fulvio was shot inBergamo, between Piazza Vecchia and Palazzo della Ragione.[13]
Singer and songwriterLucio Dalla was set to play Tito and some scenes were shot with him in the role, but was hospitalized during filming and had to be replaced byBruno Cirino.[14]
The score was composed byEnnio Morricone and directed byBruno Nicolai, with chorus byAlessandro Alessandroni'sI Cantori Moderni [it] and solo violin by Giorgio Mönch.[1][15][16] Tavianis' previous composerGiovanni Fusco introduced Morricone to the directors, who originally didn't want to use any original music for the film.[5] Asoundtrack album was released in Italy byRCA Italiana.[1]
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Rabbia e tarantella" | 3:53 |
| 2. | "Ritorno a casa" | 2:56 |
| 3. | "Dirindindin" | 2:12 |
| 4. | "Frammenti di sonata" | 3:04 |
| 5. | "Tradimento" | 2:36 |
| 6. | "Te Deum laudamus" | 6:48 |
| 7. | "Allonsanfàn (Sul lago)" | 1:38 |
| 8. | "Allonsanfàn (Ballata)" | 1:40 |
| 9. | "Rabbia e tarantella (2)" | 1:06 |
| 10. | "Te Deum laudamus (2)" | 2:11 |
| 11. | "Allonsanfàn (Fantasmi)" | 2:12 |
| 12. | "Dirindindin (2)" | 0:58 |
| 13. | "Frammenti di sonata (2)" | 1:47 |
| 14. | "Ritorno a casa (2)" | 1:06 |
| 15. | "Rabbia e tarantella (3)" | 2:58 |
"Rabbia e tarantella", the main theme of the film, was used during the closing credits ofQuentin Tarantino'sInglourious Basterds (2009).[17]
Allonsanfàn premiered at theCinema Arcadia inMilan on 5 September 1974,[7] before being theatrically released the following day by Italnoleggio Cinematografico.[5] It was subsequently screened at various international film festivals, including theDirectors' Fortnight of the1975 Cannes Film Festival,[18] theMoscow International Film Festival,[19] theBFI London Film Festival and theChicago International Film Festival.[17]
It was released in the United Kingdom in 1978 and in the United States by Italtoons Corporation on 1 March 1985.[2][17]
| Award | Date of ceremony | Category | Recipient(s) | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago International Film Festival | 1975 | Gold Hugo | Allonsanfàn | Nominated | |
| Grolla d'Oro Awards | 4 July 1975 | Best Director | Paolo and Vittorio Taviani | Nominated | [20][21] |
| Best Actor | Marcello Mastroianni | Nominated | |||
| Nastro d'Argento Awards | 1975 | Best Actress | Lea Massari | Nominated | |
| Best Original Story | Paolo and Vittorio Taviani | Nominated |
