General Della Rovere

Released Nov 21, 1960

2h 19m

Drama

List

90%

Tomatometer

10 Reviews

86%

Audience Score

250+ Ratings

Grimaldi (Vittorio De Sica), a small-time criminal, impersonates an Italian military officer for personal gain, but his charade ends when he is arrested by the Nazis. His captors strike a deal with him: He must pretend to be General della Rovere, a recently assassinated resistance leader, so that he can get information that the Gestapo can use to its advantage. While Grimaldi initially goes along with the scheme, he gradually has a change of heart and embraces a more selfless perspective.

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Keith Uhlich

Time Out

[T]his Golden Lion-winning feature-one of [Roberto] Rossellini's few popular successes-is more than a mere curiosity.

Rated: 4/6

Jul 25, 2020

Full Review

Mark Bourne

Film.com

Although the film's second half tends to drift toward the stagy and sermonic, Bardone's transformation from a petty chameleon-charlatan to the moral hero and man of conscience is moving and potent, in no small way thanks to De Sica's carefully modulated p

May 20, 2009

Full Review

Fernando F. Croce

Slant Magazine

A fascinating crossroads in Rossellini's career.

Rated: 3.5/4

Mar 30, 2009

Full Review

Penelope Gilliatt

Observer (UK)

[General Della Rovere] is beautifully organised. The double-crosses change shape like a cat's-cradle, and pull out finally with one swift tug. The failure in the film is simply that it is very dully acted and made.

Mar 6, 2024

Full Review

Nicholas Bell

IONCINEMA.com

At the center of General Della Rovere is an arresting performance from director Vittorio De Sica in a rare dramatic portrayal in front of the camera.

Rated: 3.5/5

Nov 12, 2020

Full Review

Eve Tushnet

Patheos

[Giovanna Ralli's] actressy in a way that really works for this story of the mask sinking into the skin.

Feb 8, 2019

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lanfranco c

How a little cheater becomes an hero

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

Full Review

Audience Member

A great and stirring tale of heroism, sacrifice and patriotism.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/11/19

Full Review

paul d

A powerful and dramatic story about one poor man that relates volumes about individual psychology, political repression, and war.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

Audience Member

As usual with Italian 1950s-60s films, this isn't a barrel of laughs, but it is very powerful and intelligent. De Sica brilliantly plays a likeable chancer who becomes embroiled in the seriousness of his surroundings when 'asked' by the Germans to impersonate the accidentally-executed General della Rovere He soon lives out the part so well, he becomes as much of a General as the General was. At 2hrs 12m, this isn't a short film, and I felt it sagged a little in the middle after a great start, but the ending made up for it. An easy 8/10.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/25/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Vittorio De Sica gives one of his best performances in Roberto Rossellini's WWI film.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

02/27/23

Full Review

Audience Member

El general de la Rovere [1959]

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

01/30/23

Full Review

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Roberto Rossellini

Director

Vittorio De Sica

Victorio Emanuele Bardone

Hannes Messemer

S.S. Colonel Mueller

Sandra Milo

Valeria

Vittorio Caprioli

Aristide Bianchelli

Guiseppe Rossetti

Pietro Valeri

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Synopsis

Grimaldi (Vittorio De Sica), a small-time criminal, impersonates an Italian military officer for personal gain, but his charade ends when he is arrested by the Nazis. His captors strike a deal with him: He must pretend to be General della Rovere, a recently assassinated resistance leader, so that he can get information that the Gestapo can use to its advantage. While Grimaldi initially goes along with the scheme, he gradually has a change of heart and embraces a more selfless perspective.

Director: Roberto Rossellini
Producer: Morris Ergas
Distributor: Continental Distributing Inc.
Genre: Drama
Original Language: Italian
Release Date (Theaters): Nov 21, 1960, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Mar 11, 2017
Runtime: 2h 19m