''Abandoned'' ( it, Gli sbandati) is a 1955

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

film set during the aftermath of the

Allied invasion of Italy The Allied invasion of Italy was the Allied amphibious landing on mainland Italy that took place from 3 September 1943, during the Italian campaign (World War II), Italian campaign of World War II. The operation was undertaken by General (Unit ...

in 1943 during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. The film entered the 1955

Venice Film Festival The Venice Film Festival or Venice International Film Festival ( it, Mostra Internazionale d'Arte Cinematografica della Biennale di Venezia, "International Exhibition of Cinematographic Art of the Venice Biennale") is an annual film festival he ...

, where it received a special mention. It is the directorial debut of

Francesco Maselli Francesco Maselli or Citto Maselli (born 9 December 1930, in Rome) is an Italian film director and screenwriter. He has directed 38 films since 1949. Biography Maselli graduated at the Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia, National Film School ...

. The music was composed by

Giovanni Fusco Giovanni Fusco (10 October 1906, Sant'Agata dei Goti, Benevento – 31 May 1968, Rome) was an Italian composer, pianist and conductor, who has written numerous film scores since 1936, including those of Alain Resnais's ''Hiroshima mon amour'' (1 ...

and arranged by

Ennio Morricone Ennio Morricone (; 10 November 19286 July 2020) was an Italian composer, orchestrator, conductor, and trumpeter who wrote music in a wide range of styles. With more than 400 scores for cinema and television, as well as more than 100 classica ...

. In 2008 the film was selected to enter the list of the

100 Italian films to be saved The list of the ''100 Italian films to be saved'' ( it, 100 film italiani da salvare) was created with the aim to report "100 films that have changed the collective memory of the country between 1942 and 1978". History The project was established ...

Plot

In the summer of 1943, Countess Luisa and her son Andrea left

Milan Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city h ...

to escape the Allied

bombings A bomb is an explosive weapon that uses the exothermic reaction of an explosive material to provide an extremely sudden and violent release of energy. Detonations inflict damage principally through ground- and atmosphere-transmitted mechanica ...

of the city and retired to their country villa, where they hosted two of Andrea's peers, his cousin Carlo, the son of a

Fascist Fascism is a far-right, Authoritarianism, authoritarian, ultranationalism, ultra-nationalist political Political ideology, ideology and Political movement, movement,: "extreme militaristic nationalism, contempt for electoral democracy and pol ...

official who fled to Switzerland, and the friend Ferruccio, son of an army officer engaged in war. The three young people pass the time in the dolce far niente, sunbathing along the river, only vaguely aware of the ongoing conflict, thanks to the broadcasts of Radio London. They begin to become aware of the seriousness of the situation when displaced people arrive from the city and Andrea, out of weakness and not out of solidarity, is forced to accept to host some in the villa, to the annoyance of his mother. Among the displaced there is the young worker Lucia, whom Andrea falls in love with and thanks to whom he finally comes out of his golden world to face the tragic reality that surrounds them and take responsibility. In the absence of his mother, to whom he is linked by a morbid relationship and towards whom he is in complete awe, he seems to mature and, when Italian soldiers arrive in the village, escaped from a German convoy that was taking them to the labor camps, he finds the courage to hide them in the villa, supported by Carlo and Lucia. But Ferruccio tells what is happening to the old fascist authorities of the country, who inform the Germans. Having discovered the boy's denunciation, the runaway soldiers flee by truck towards the mountains and the partisans. Lucia, Carlo and Andrea should go with them, but the arrival of the countess, accompanied by a German officer, extinguishes all the initiative of the last, who agrees to stay with her and abandon her companions to their fate. As he drives away, safe, Andrea sees the German soldiers searching the villa and then when he hears gunshots he realizes, with desperation, that Lucia has been killed.

Cast

Lucia Bosé Lucia may refer to: Arts and culture * ''Lucía'', a 1968 Cuban film by Humberto Solás * ''Lucia'' (film), a 2013 Kannada-language film * '' Lucia & The Best Boys'', a Scottish indie rock band formerly known as ''LUCIA'' * "Lucia", a Swedish c ...

- Lucia *

Isa Miranda Isa Miranda (born Ines Isabella Sampietro; 5 July 1909 – 8 July 1982) was an Italian actress with an international film career. Biography Miranda was born Ines Isabella Sampietro in Milan, the daughter of atreet car conductor in Mian. When s ...

- Contessa Luisa *

Jean-Pierre Mocky Jean-Pierre Mocky (6 July 1929 – 8 August 2019), pseudonym of Jean-Paul Adam Mokiejewski, was a French film director, actor, screenwriter and producer. Life and career Mocky was born in Nice, France to Polish immigrant parents, Jeanne Zylinska ...

- Andrea *

Goliarda Sapienza Goliarda Sapienza (10 May 1924 – 30 August 1996) was an Italian actress and writer. She is best known for her 1998 novel '' L'arte della gioia'' (The Art of Joy). Life Early life Sapienza was born on 10 May 1924 in Catania, Sicily to Maria Giu ...

- Lucia's aunt * Antonio De Teffè - Carlo * - Ferruccio *

Marco Guglielmi Marco Guglielmi (6 October 1926 – 28 December 2005) was an Italian actor, screenwriter and author. Life and career Born Augusto Guglielmi in Sanremo, he graduated from ragioneria, then he enrolled at the university in the faculty of economic ...

- Scattered soldiers' officer *

Giuliano Montaldo Giuliano Montaldo (born 22 February 1930) is an Italian film director. Biography While he was still a young student, Montaldo was recruited by the director Carlo Lizzani for the role of leading actor in the film ''Achtung! Banditi!'' (1951). ...

- Scattered soldier from Tuscany *

Ivy Nicholson Ivy Nicholson (February 22, 1933 – October 25, 2021) was an American model and actress. Early life Nicholson grew up in Cypress Hills, New York. ''World'' magazine reported that she was "born to a humble working-class family". She started wo ...

- Andrea's girlfriend *

Fernando Birri Fernando Birri (March 13, 1925 – December 27, 2017) was an Argentine film maker and theorist. He was considered by many to be the father of the new Latin American cinema. Biography Birri was born in Santa Fe, Argentina. After being involved in ...

- Scattered soldiers' lieutenant * - Scattered soldier from Veneto *

Giulio Paradisi Giulio Paradisi (born 21 March 1934) is an Italian film director, actor and screenwriter. Life and career Born in Rome, Paradisi enrolled the Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia and immediately after the graduation he made his acting debut w ...

* *

Mario Girotti Terence Hill (born Mario Girotti; 29 March 1939) is an Italian actor, film director, screenwriter and producer. He began his career as a child actor and gained international fame for starring roles in action and comedy films, many with longtim ...

* Manfred Freidbager *

Bianca Maria Ferrari Bianca is a feminine given name. It means "white" and is an Italian cognate of Blanche. Variants * Blanche: French * Bianca: Italian * Bianka (Polish, Hungarian, Slovak, German, English, French, Icelandic, Finnish, Dutch, Norwegian, Co ...

Dori Ghezzi Dori Ghezzi (born 30 March 1946) is an Italian singer who was active as a recording artist between 1966 and 1989. In the 1970s, Ghezzi worked mainly in a duo with American singer Wess, and the couple represented Italy in the 1975 Eurovision Song ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Abandoned Italian war drama films 1955 films Italian Campaign of World War II films Films directed by Francesco Maselli Films scored by Giovanni Fusco 1950s war drama films Italian black-and-white films 1950s Italian films