The Garden Of The Finzi-Continis

Lyrical and melancholy, and a surprising contrast to much of De Sica's earlier work. Although the director spent a good part of the latter half of his career acting in other director's works (Roberto Rossellini's GENERAL DELLA ROVERE, for example), THE GARDEN OF THE FINZI-CONTINIS is proof he had not lost his touch.

Set in Ferrara, Italy, during WWII, this story of love and culture unfolds effortlessly, albeit a trifle slowly. The Finzi-Continis are an aristocratic Jewish-Italian family who cannot believe that the war will ever invade their hallowed garden walls. Rather than flee, they stay on in the false hope that they will not be betrayed, but they eventuall...