The Garden of the Finzi-Continis
Brief Synopsis
Cast & Crew
Vittorio De Sica
Inna Alexeieff
Raffaele Curi
Katina Viglietti
Lino Capolicchio
Dominique Sanda
Film Details
Technical Specs
Synopsis
The story of an aristocratic Jewish family in Ferrara, Italy, in the years 1938-1943, and a way of life now lost forever. The enormous gardens of the Finzi-Contini estate surround the family both literally and metaphorically, and seemingly insulate them from the virulent spread of anti-Semitism in Mussolini's Fascist regime. As Jews are progressively banned from schools, libraries and public places, the Finzi-Continis open their gates to the friends of their children, Micol and Alberto. Giorgio, a frequent visitor, is a middle-class Jewish student who has been hopelessly in love with Micol since childhood. But Micol rejects him and in casual defiance of the "racial laws," begins a physical relationship with Malnate, a brash young Communist, and the only non-Jew in her circle. The group of friends spend languid afternoons playing tennis and romantic games, but beyond the walls of the estate, the Fascists hold menacing parades, and begin rounding up Jews for deportation.
Director
Vittorio De Sica
Cast
Inna Alexeieff
Raffaele Curi
Katina Viglietti
Lino Capolicchio
Dominique Sanda
Romolo Valli
Helmut Berger
Camillo Angelini-rota
Fabio Testi
Crew
Giancarlo Bartolini Salimbeni
Giorgio Bassani
Vittorio Bonicelli
Arthur Cohn
Franco D'andria
Manuel De Sica
Ennio Guarnieri
Ennio Guarnieri
Gianni Hecht Lucari
Adriana Novelli
Ugo Pirro
Fausto Saraceni
Cesare Zavattini
Film Details
Technical Specs
Award Wins
Best Foreign Language Film
Award Nominations
Best Writing, Screenplay
Quotes
In life, in order to understand, to really understand the world, you must die at least once. So it's better to die young, when there's still time left to recover and live again.- Giorgio's Father
You and I are not normal people. For the two of us, what counts more than the possession of things - how shall I put it - is the remembrance of things, the memory of things.- Micol
Children are always prisoners of grownups.- Micol Finzi-Contini
Trivia
Miscellaneous Notes
Released in United States August 24, 1990
Released in United States March 1987
Released in United States on Video March 1988
Re-released in United States November 13, 1996
Re-released in United States November 8, 1996
Re-released in United States on Video September 16, 1997
Shown at Lincoln Center, New York City in the series "A Roman Holiday" August 24, 1990.
Formerly distributed by Karl/Lorimar Home Video (video-USA).
Project was formerly ditributed in the USA by Almi Cinema 5.
Released in United States March 1987 (Shown at AFI/Los Angeles International Film Festival (Arthur Cohn Tribute) March 11-26, 1987.)
Released in United States on Video March 1988
Released in United States August 24, 1990 (Shown at Lincoln Center, New York City in the series "A Roman Holiday" August 24, 1990.)
Re-released in United States on Video September 16, 1997 (restored version)
Re-released in United States November 8, 1996 (New York City)
Re-released in United States November 13, 1996 (Los Angeles)
