An adaptation of the novel by Morante set in Italy between 1941 and 1947, HISTORY stars Cardinale as a half-Jewish schoolteacher in Rome who struggles to survive WW II and care for her sons while keeping her identity a secret. At the beginning of the film, Cardinale is the mother of
teenager Schiavi. After Cardinale is raped by a German soldier, she gives birth to an epileptic child (Spada). As the war progresses, she and her children become the individual victims of historical trauma. Cardinale suffers from both fear of persecution and guilt over hiding her Jewish
background, Schiavi becomes involved with the Italian partisans, and the film's group of characters v...
Released:
1985
Rated:
NR
Length:
96 mins