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The Great War

Play trailer Poster for The Great War R Released Aug 30, 1961 1h 58m Comedy Drama War Play Trailer Watchlist
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40% Tomatometer 5 Reviews 94% Popcornmeter 250+ Ratings
Two reluctant soldiers (Vittorio Gassman, Alberto Sordi) in World War II Italy are mistaken for heroes after their unit is wiped out in battle.

Critics Reviews

View All (5) Critics Reviews
Bosley Crowther New York Times There is no development in it, aside from this string of episodes, which are rotated so monotonously between merry and maudlin that the rhythm tends to get on one's nerves. May 9, 2005 Full Review Pat Graham Chicago Reader [Mario Monicelli] tried his hand at epic comedy in this big-budget dissection of Italian military heroism; the results aren’t exactly satisfying. Jan 1, 2000 Full Review Vernon Young Film Quarterly Monicelli’s tempered wit makes him a formidable contender for a prominent directorial place in the sun, since La Grande Guerra is a funny film haunted by a sickening sense of waste; it’s also an adroit piece of move-making. Jan 17, 2024 Full Review Dwight MacDonald Esquire Magazine A melange of incompatible cliches, a museum of the war film, mixing up realism, farce, pathos, horror, and satire, all of them rendered in the broadest way. Jul 12, 2019 Full Review Emanuel Levy EmanuelLevy.Com Rated: 4/5 Jun 12, 2005 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View All (11) audience reviews
Audience Member A look at the Italian army in WWI. We follow Vittorio Gassman and Alberto Sordi from the point of being drafted onward to their actual experience of trench warfare and combat in the streets, small villages, farmhouses, and fields. As in most other war films, death is swift and omnipresent. Still, there is camaraderie among the troops and Gassman and Sordi are the chief slackers/jokers, always trying to stay out of harm's way. So, the tone is often light and even comic, which makes the moments of pathos that much more intense (and there are many, often at the end of a scene). War films seem to invite an episodic structure and that is also true here; our heroes encounter a variety of typical situations (on leave in a small village, sent to requisition supplies, volunteered for hazardous duty, trapped behind enemy lines, etc.). The sets and action are impressively naturalistic with solid direction by Mario Monicelli (who also did the excellent heist comedy, Big Deal on Madonna Street, 1958). Naturally, as the film closes, we are left to ponder "to what end?" Nominated for the Best Foreign Film Oscar. Worth a look. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/04/23 Full Review lanfranco c The story of two soldiers so coward to become heroes. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 03/30/23 Full Review Audience Member Yet another great film from Monicelli. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/22/23 Full Review Audience Member Sabiendo que el director había fallecido hacía sólo un mes y lloviendo a mares como estaba el sábado,me propuse ver por primera vez esta que es ahora una joya de mi filmoteca.Actores en estado de gracia,como Vittorio Gassman,luchando sólo por escapar de ir a defender la patria..muy guapo además..un estafador Alberto Sordi con su gracia peculiar y una Silvana Mangano tan bella como fiera..de niña quería parecerme a ella y el mal genio no me falta,no..me ha impresionado gratamente el despliegue de extras y medios para retratar una guerra durísima en esas trincheras de espanto.Creo que es una de esas 100 peliculas que hay que ver antes de morir..yo con à (C)sta ya cumplí. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 02/01/23 Full Review Audience Member Italians that never distinguished themselves in war, have made probably the best anti-war films. Much too down to earth and sophisticated to believe in war or take it seriously. The opposite can be seen in American WWII films Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 02/18/23 Full Review Audience Member Maybe th best neorealistic film about the Italian WWI... A tragic film driven by an ironic view Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/15/23 Full Review Read all reviews
The Great War

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Cast & Crew

Movie Info

Synopsis Two reluctant soldiers (Vittorio Gassman, Alberto Sordi) in World War II Italy are mistaken for heroes after their unit is wiped out in battle.
Director
Mario Monicelli
Producer
Dino De Laurentiis
Screenwriter
Luciano Vincenzoni, Mario Monicelli, Agenore Incrocci, Furio Scarpelli
Distributor
Lopert Pictures Corp.
Rating
R (War Violence)
Genre
Comedy, Drama, War
Original Language
Italian
Release Date (Theaters)
Aug 30, 1961, Original
Release Date (DVD)
Aug 17, 2004
Runtime
1h 58m