Sunflower [Blu-ray]

Director: Vittorio de Sica Vittorio de Sica

Overview

The first Italian feature film shot in Moscow was directed by the renowned Vittorio De Sica and produced by Carlo Ponti. Sophia Loren stars as Giovanna, an Italian woman who marries Antonio (Marcello Mastroianni) 12 days before the outbreak of WWII. Antonio has no desire to fight in the conflict, and he fakes insanity to try to avoid the draft, but officials see through the charade. Antonio is sent to the Russian front, where the soldiers are plagued by freezing temperatures and short supplies of rations. He is found half-dead in the cold by a Russian peasant girl, Mascia (Lyudmila Savelyeva). She takes him in, and eventually, they marry. Giovanna waits in vain for word on the fate of her husband, who is officially declared missing in action. She goes to Russia to try to find him, searching records and cemeteries. Finally, she discovers first his new wife, then him, and reluctantly decides not to fight the situation. Returning home to Italy, she marries an older factory worker, Ettore (Germano Longo), and they have a son (who is played by the real-life son of Ponti and Loren). But Antonio still longs for Giovanna, and he returns to Italy to discuss a reconciliation with her. ~ Michael Betzold

Product Details

Release Date:	05/17/2011
UPC:	0738329074821
Original Release:	1970
Rating:	NR
Source:	Kino Lorber
Presentation:	[Wide Screen]
Language:	English
Time:	1:47:00
Sales rank:	26,825

Special Features

Trailers; Stills gallery

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Sophia Loren	Giovanna
Marcello Mastroianni	Antonio
Lyudmila Savelyeva	Mascia
Germano Longo	Ettore
Galina Andreyeva	Soviet Woman Official
Anna Carena	Antonio's Mother
Nadya Serednichenko	Woman in Sunflower Field
Glauco Onorato	Returning Veteran
Silvano Tranquilli	Russian-Italian Worker
Marisa Traversi	Prostitute
Gunar Zilinski	Russian Ministry Official
Carlo Ponti Jr.	Giovanna's Baby
Giorgio Basso	Actor
Umberto Di Grazia	Actor
Gianni Bortolotti	Actor
Giuliano Girardi	Actor
Pippo Starnazza	Man of Enquiry Office
Dino Peretti	Actor
Vittorio de Sica	Actor
Henry Mancini	Composer

Technical Credits

Tonino Guerra

Georgiy Mdivani

Cesare Zavattini

Arthur Cohn	Producer
Vittorio de Sica	Director
Joseph E. Levine	Executive Producer
Carlo Ponti	Producer
Tonino Guerra	Screenwriter
Georgiy Mdivani	Screenwriter
Cesare Zavattini	Screenwriter