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| I Girasoli (Sunflower) | |
|---|---|
 Italian release poster | |
| Directed by | Vittorio De Sica |
| Written by |
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| Produced by | |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Giuseppe Rotunno |
| Edited by | Adriana Novelli |
| Music by | Henry Mancini |
Production companies |
|
| Distributed by | Avco Embassy |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 101 minutes |
| Countries |
|
| Languages |
|
| Box office | $2 million (US/Italy rentals)[1][2] |
Sunflower (Italian:I girasoli) is a 1970romanticwartragedy film directed byVittorio De Sica. An international co-production of Italy, France, the Soviet Union and the United States, the film was shot in the Soviet Union; some scenes were filmed nearMoscow, while others nearPoltava, a regional center inUkraine.
"A woman born for love. A man born to love her. A timeless moment in a world gone mad."
Giovanna (Sophia Loren) and Antonio (Marcello Mastroianni) marry to delay Antonio's deployment during World War II. After that buys them twelve days of happiness, they try another scheme, in which Antonio pretends to be mentally ill. Finally, Antonio is sent to theRussian Front. When the war is over, Antonio does not return and is listed asmissing in action. Despite the odds, Giovanna is convinced her true love has survived the war and is still in the Soviet Union. Determined, she journeys there to find him.
In the Soviet Union, Giovanna visits the sunflower fields, where there is supposedly one flower for each fallen Italian soldier, and where the Germans forced the Italians to dig their own mass graves. Eventually, Giovanna finds Antonio, but by now he has started a second family with a woman who saved his life, and they have one daughter. Childless, having been faithful to her husband, Giovanna returns to Italy, heartbroken, but unwilling to disrupt Antonio's new life. Some years later, Antonio returns to Giovanna, asking her to come back with him to the Soviet Union. Meanwhile, Giovanna has tried to move on with her own life, moving out of their first home together and into her own apartment. She works in a factory and is living with a man with whom she has a baby boy. Antonio visits her and tries to explain his new life, how war changes a man, how safe he felt with this new woman after years of death. Unwilling to ruin Antonio's daughter's or her own little son's life, Giovanna refuses to leave Italy. As they part, Antonio gives her a fur, which he had promised years before that he'd bring back for her. The lovers lock eyes as Antonio's train takes him away from Giovanna, and from Italy, forever.
Sunflower was released onSaint Joseph's Day, 19 March 1970, in 5 key cities in Italy. It expanded to an additional 13 cities atEaster.[2] It was the first Italian film to be dubbed and screened atRadio City Music Hall in New York City.[3]
In its first three months on release in Italy, the film earnedtheatrical rentals of $1 million.[2] Despite reachingnumber one in the United States in its seventh week of release, the film performed disappointingly in the United States earning rentals of $1,038,000.[4][5][1]
| Sunflower | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Film score by | |
| Released | 1970 |
| Recorded | 1969–1970 |
| Genre | Soundtrack |
| Length | 31:15 |
| Label | Avco Records |
| Producer | Henry Mancini |
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |  [6] |
01. Love Theme from "Sunflower" (2:26)
02. Masha's Theme (1:54)
03. Giovanna (1:54)
04. The Search (4:20)
05. Love in the Sand (Love Theme from "Sunflower") (3:00)
06. New Home in Moscow (1:20)
07. Two Girls ("Masha's Theme and Love Theme from "Sunflower") (2:07)
08. The Retreat (5:10)
09. The Invitation (2:04)
10. Masha Finds Antonio (Masha's Theme)(3:35)
11. The Parting in Milan (Love Theme From "Sunflower") (3:23)