''The Forbidden Christ'' ( it, Il Cristo proibito) is a 1951 Italian

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super-g ...

directed by

Curzio Malaparte Curzio Malaparte (; 9 June 1898 – 19 July 1957), born Kurt Erich Suckert, was an Italian writer, filmmaker, war correspondent and diplomat. Malaparte is best known outside Italy due to his works ''Kaputt'' (1944) and ''La pelle'' (1949). The f ...

Plot

Bruno is a veteran of the Russian campaign who returned on foot to his Montepulciano. Unlike the other veterans, his happiness at returning home is clouded by the death of his brother, a partisan shot by the Germans because of the betrayal of a fellow villager. Determined to avenge his brother, he tries to get the name of the informer told, but the villagers, tired of the violence and the blood of the war, refuse to reveal it. Mastro Antonio, a modest carpenter friend of Bruno, for fear that he might be guilty of the crime of an innocent person, makes him believe that the man he is looking for is him. At that confession Bruno takes a file and throws it at his heart. Before passing away, the carpenter admits that he lied and sacrificed himself in place of the culprit. Having found the real culprit, he offers himself to Bruno's machine gun shots, but the latter, mindful of his friend's words, does not have the strength to hit the culprit, since an innocent person has already paid for him.

Cast

Raf Vallone The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...

as Bruno Baldi *

Rina Morelli Rina Morelli (6 December 1908 – 17 July 1976) was an Italian film and stage actress. She appeared in 34 films between 1939 and 1976. She was born in Naples, Italy and died in Rome, Italy. Her husband, Paolo Stoppa, was an Italian stage and ...

as Mother Baldi *

Alain Cuny René Xavier Marie Alain Cuny (12 July 1908 – 16 May 1994) was a French actor of stage and screen. He was closely linked with the works of Paul Claudel and Antonin Artaud, and for his performances for the Théâtre national populaire and Od ...

as Antonio *

Anna Maria Ferrero Anna Maria Ferrero (18 February 1935 – 21 May 2018) was an Italian actress. Early life and career Born Anna Maria Guerra, she changed her last name to Ferrero in honor of the composer :it:Willy Ferrero, Willy Ferrero. Her film debut came at t ...

as Maria *

Elena Varzi Elena Varzi (21 December 1926 – 1 September 2014) was an Italian film actress. Life and career Born in Rome, in spite of a non-professional acting background, Varzi made her film debut in a leading role, as the Sicilian Maria Antonia in Renat ...

as Nella *

Gino Cervi Luigi Cervi (3 May 1901 – 3 January 1974), better known as Gino Cervi (), was an Italian actor. He was best known for portraying Peppone in a series of comedies based on the character ''Don Camillo'' (1952-1965), and police detective Jules M ...

as The Sexton * Ernesta Rosmino as Assunta *

Philippe Lemaire Philippe Lemaire (14 March 1927 – 15 March 2004) was a French actor. He appeared in more than ninety films between 1946 and 2004. Lemaire was married three times; Nicole Pinton (1949–1951) (divorced); Juliette Gréco from 1953 to 1956, had ...

as Pinin *

Luigi Tosi Luigi Tosi ( Verona 15 July 1915 – Roma 12 March 1989) was an Italian actor. He appeared in more than seventy films from 1944 to 1965. Filmography References External links * 1915 births 1989 deaths Italian male film actors ...

as Andrea *

Gualtiero Tumiati Gualtiero Tumiati ( 8 May 1876 – 23 April 1971) was an Italian actor and stage director. Life and career Born in Ferrara, Tumiati studied at the College of the Oaks in Florence and there he attended the acting courses held by Luigi Rasi. He ...

as Bruno's Father

Awards

;Wins *

1st Berlin International Film Festival The 1st annual Berlin International Film Festival was held from 6 to 17 June 1951 at the Titiana-Palast cinema. The opening film was Alfred Hitchcock's ''Rebecca''. At this very first Berlin Festival, the Golden Bear award was introduced, and it ...

– Special Prize for an Excellent Film Achievement ;Nominations *

1951 Cannes Film Festival The 4th Cannes Film Festival was held from 3 to 20 April 1951. The previous year, no festival had been held because of financial reasons. In 1951, the festival took place in April instead of September to avoid direct competition with the Venice Fi ...

–

Palme d'Or The Palme d'Or (; en, Golden Palm) is the highest prize awarded at the Cannes Film Festival. It was introduced in 1955 by the festival's organizing committee. Previously, from 1939 to 1954, the festival's highest prize was the Grand Prix du Fe ...

References

External links

* 1951 films 1950s Italian-language films 1951 drama films Italian black-and-white films Films directed by Curzio Malaparte Italian drama films 1950s Italian films {{1950s-Italy-film-stub