''Bengasi '' is a 1942 Italian

war film War film is a film genre concerned with warfare, typically about navy, naval, air force, air, or army, land battles, with combat scenes central to the drama. It has been strongly associated with the 20th century. The fateful nature of battle s ...

directed by Augusto Genina and starring

Fosco Giachetti Fosco Giachetti (28 March 1900, in Sesto Fiorentino – 22 December 1974, in Rome) was an Italian actor. Fosco Giachetti was the protagonist of ''Lo squadrone bianco'' (1936), directed by Augusto Genina. He became the leading man in Fascist ...

Maria von Tasnady Maria von Tasnady (16 November 1911 – 16 March 2001) was a Hungarian singer, stage and film actress. She was born as Mária Tasnádi Fekete and used a variety of other professional names including Maria De Tasnady during her career. von Tasn ...

and

Amedeo Nazzari Amedeo Nazzari (10 December 1907 in Cagliari – 5 November 1979 in Rome) was an Italian actor. Nazzari was one of the leading figures of Italian classic cinema, often considered a local variant of the Australian–American star Errol Flynn. Al ...

. The film was shot at

Cinecittà Cinecittà Studios (; Italian for Cinema City Studios), is a large film studio in Rome, Italy. With an area of 400,000 square metres (99 acres), it is the largest film studio in Europe, and is considered the hub of Italian cinema. The studios we ...

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

. The film was a propaganda work, designed to support the Fascist regime of Benito Mussolini. It portrays Allied atrocities in "Bengasi Italiana",Bengasi Italiana
/ref> such as the murder of a peasant by a group of drunken Australian soldiers. It was presented at the

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 h ...

and won the Mussolini Cup as the best Italian film while

won the best actor award. It proved popular with audiences, and was re-released in 1955 with some new scenes added.

Plot

The film is set in 1941 during the

Second World War 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 opposi ...

, when the city of Benghazi in Italian-ruled

Libya Libya (; ar, ليبيا, Lībiyā), officially the State of Libya ( ar, دولة ليبيا, Dawlat Lībiyā), is a country in the Maghreb region in North Africa. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to the east, Suda ...

was occupied by British forces. Italian inhabitants of Benghazi work to resist the British and discover their military plans. One man, Filippo Colleoni, appears to be collaborating with the British but is in fact working undercover for Italian intelligence. The film ends with the city being recaptured by Italian troops and their

Nazi Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in ...

German allies.

Main cast

as Captain Enrico Berti *

Maria De Tasnady Maria von Tasnady (16 November 1911 – 16 March 2001) was a Hungarian singer, stage and film actress. She was born as Mária Tasnádi Fekete and used a variety of other professional names including Maria De Tasnady during her career. von Tasn ...

as Carla Berti *

as Filippo Colleoni *

Vivi Gioi Vivi Gioi, born Vivienne Trumpy (2 January 1917, Livorno – 12 July 1975, Fregene) was an Italian actress. Her alternative professional last name Diesca was an anagram of De Sica, the famous actor and director with whom she was in love. She i ...

as Giuliana *

Guido Notari Guido Notari (10 May 1893 - 21 January 1957) was an Italian actor and radio presenter. He appeared in more than fifty films from 1939 to 1956. Filmography References External links * 1893 births 1957 deaths Italian male film actors ...

as Italian

podestà Podestà (, English: Potestate, Podesta) was the name given to the holder of the highest civil office in the government of the cities of Central and Northern Italy during the Late Middle Ages. Sometimes, it meant the chief magistrate of a city ...

in Benghazi * Carlo Tamberlani as Giovanni Galassi * as doctor Malpini * as Maria ('Fanny') *

Fedele Gentile Fedele Gentile (1908–1993) was an Italian film actor.Kinnard & Crnkovich p.187 Selected filmography * ''The Man with the Claw'' (1931) * '' Captain Fracasse'' (1940) * ''Big Shoes'' (1940) * ''The Secret Lover'' (1941) * ''Fedora'' (1942) * ''B ...

as Antonio *Amelia Bissi as Giovanni's mother *Giorgio Costantini as General Robertson *

Guglielmo Sinaz Guglielmo Sinaz (20 November 1885 – 5 February 1947) was an Italian film actor. He appeared in more than 60 films between 1935 and 1947. He was born and died in Rome, Italy. Selected filmography * ''I Love You Only'' (1935) * '' The Grea ...

as Tropeoli *

Carlo Duse Carlo Duse (5 January 1898 – 9 September 1956) Birth name: Carlo Artemio e Vittorio Duse. With mention in margin of his date and place of death. was an Italian film actor. He appeared in more than 80 films between 1916 and 1956. He was bor ...

as Captain Marchi *Pier Giorgio Heliczer as Sandrino Berti

References

External links

*
Summary
{{Authority control 1940s war films Italian war films Films set in Libya North African campaign films Films directed by Augusto Genina Italian black-and-white films World War II propaganda films Italian World War II films Fascist propaganda Films shot at Cinecittà Studios 1940s Italian films Italian propaganda films