LA NOTTE DI SAN LORENZO (NIGHT OF SAN LORENZO/ NIGHT OF THE SHOOTING STARS)

Italy, 1983, 105 minutes, Colour.
Omero Antonutti, Margarita Lozano.
Directed by Vittorio and Paolo Taviani.

La Notte di San Lorenzo is a well-acclaimed film by the Taviani brothers. It won numerous awards including the Grand Jury Prize in Cannes as well as the Ecumenical award. It won most of the Italian awards of its year.

The Taviani brothers had been making films since the early 1960s. However, it was only in the 70s with Allonsanfan and Padre Padrone in 1977 that they became known internationally. They are very much anchored to the Italian land and landscapes, the life of ordinary people. Their social concerns are quite manifest in the characters that they write about and in the style of film-making. However, they made Good Morning, Babylon, in 1987, a picture of Italian migrants to the United States, especially working in Hollywood and on the sets of D-.W. Griffith’s Intolerance.

La Notte di San Lorenzo is the night of August 10, the Feast of St Laurence. Meteors and shootings stars are associated with this celebration. Italians believe that this is the night on which their dreams could come true. However, the action of the film is 1944 with the withdrawal of German troops from Tuscany. The peasants and townspeople are waiting for the coming of the Allies. Some remain in the town, hoping the church will be a safe place. Others go into the countryside. The local fascists will not admit defeat and are mining some of the buildings.

The story is told by a child, a six-year-old girl, who does not understand the implications of what she is watching and describing. The film also offers a number of vignettes, portraits of the various characters involved in fleeing the town. The star is Omero Antonutti, star of many of the Taviani brothers’ films.

It is a particular perspective on World War Two, especially the experience of Italians who had been allied with the Nazis by Mussolini but who welcomed the coming of the Allies.

1. A moving film, entertaining? The quality of its insight, message? Quality Italian film-making, for Italians, for non-Italian audiences? Its local significance. universal meaning? Its awards and their being deserved?

2. The work of the Taviani Brothers: their political background, documentary filmmaking, film theories? Their adherence to the political Left and shifting ground? The support of R.A.I. and their respectability in Italian filmmaking? Their moving from documentary to fiction stories? with documentary background and critique of society? The use of non-professional cast and the authenticity of the acting? Their background from Tuscany and its use in this film?

3. The re-creation of the 40s, the atmosphere of the end of the war, the Tuscan village, the countryside? The range of people, as individuals, group? Appearance, behaviour, talk? The orchestrated and melodramatic score and its use?

4. The title and its relationship to wish fulfilment? Cecilia telling the story in the present and her hopes for her child? Her memories of 1944 and the truth of wishes being fulfilled and the ironies of such disaster at the end of the war? Disaster and liberation, for what?

5. The framework of Cecilia telling the story, the 'My Love' finally referring to her child? The flashback technique, her varied comments throughout the film, her point of view on the events, the visualising of her participation, as a six year old child? Her telling a story, a legend, the truth? The truth of the situation rather than accurate recounting? Her story taking on a life of its own and audiences seeing what she did not know of and could not understand? The significance of the rhyme and song that she learnt? Her use of it in crises in the days of August 44? The film ending with the song and it being handed on to her child and the future?

6. The atmosphere of Tuscany, the beauty of the countryside, the antiquity of the villages? 1944 and the Italian experience of the war? The towns, the people gathering in cellars? The Germans and the occupation? The Italian attitude towards the Nazis? Their cruelty? The hopes of their departure and yet the fear of reprisals? The longing for the Americans to come? The atmosphere of the town and the cathedral, the Town Square? The Germans retreating? The decision of a group to stay, the decision of the others to leave? The theme of survival, heroism? The Tuscan group, the emergence of leadership, the stances taken? Attitudes towards enemies? Civil clashes with the fascists? The Resistance - moving, fighting, surviving? The death of the village of San Martino but not of the villagers?

7. The reality of war and the blend of hope, puzzle? The traditions in the past yet the survival in the present? The effect of the war on the villagers and their imagination and hallucinations: the lawyer playing John Brown's Body and the young boy thinking he could see the Americans coming, Mara in her death imagining the German soldiers to be American Sicilians related to her, coming to take her to America with the symbol of the Statue of Liberty, Cecilia and her hearing the old man talk about the Greeks and imagining the ancient Greeks fighting? Her story as part of this memory and imagination?

8. Galvani emerging as the leader of the group? In the cellar. his thinking, his goal of leading the people to the Americans? His wisdom. his mistakes? The details of the plans: eating, waiting until dark, wearing the dark coats? Moving along the roads? Waiting to hear the village destroyed at 3 a.m.? His hold over the group and their acceptance of his leadership? His own family, his relationship with Concetta and the lessening of the hostility between them? His decisions? The experiences along the way e.g. hiding in the ditch with the bombardments, the bathing in the river and the encounter with Concetta? His being strung up by the fascists and being brought down by Concetta? The encounter with the Resistance and the decision to stay and work? The brutality of the fight in the fields? The night in Sant Angelo and the reconciliation with Concetta? His decision at the end to stay and think? An ordinary man in extraordinary circumstances and leadership quality and heroism emerging? The sketch of Concetta and her dress. haughtiness. being helped to disrobe, the bathing, her rescuing Galvani, their talk on the final night? The future? The regrets of the past?

9. Corrado and the opening: the appearance from hiding, the washing, the family, Bellindia and her pregnancy, rushing to church, the marriage ceremony and its haste, the priest and his comment on the times of judgment and the need for survival? The joy and celebration at the marriage? Nicola and his escape from Germany, Bruno and the Resistance? The decisions to go with the group? Giovanni and Bellindia returning because of her pregnancy? The discussion about the name and Corrado forgetting the name Giovanni, Bellindia's lack of enthusiasm? The pathos of her death? The cathedral and the bishop and the woman who had reverenced him turning against him as they carried her body away? Giovanni and his repressing the memory, not telling the group, taking the name Giovanni as his new name and remembering his grief?

10. The woman with the birthmark and her vivacity, her feeling beautiful while ugly, her husband in India, her retaining the key to her house? Her discussions with Rosanna about love and virginity? Dilvio and his looks and lusting after her? His death and her grief?

11. Nicola and his escape, enthusiasm, going with the family, especially Rosanna, the meeting of Bruno and his joy. hopes for Rosanna marrying him, his death in the fields? Rosanna and the visualising of her memories as San Martino was destroyed?

12. Cecilia as a little girl, seeing the retreat as an adventure, at play, in wonder at everything, exhilarated about Concetta's earrings? Her sitting on the eggs and smashing the last eggs? The bewilderment for the small child? The old man and his love, telling her the story about the Greeks and their fighting, reciting the poetry? His clash in the fields and Cecilia imagining the Greeks coming to their rescue? Her encounter with the American soldiers at the cross, and her pulling faces? The humour of these childlike gestures? Their giving her the rubber as a present?

13. The sketch of Mara as the servant, exciting the young boys during the night in the cellar and being pleased with it? Her hallucination as she died and her hopes from the Americans?

14. The people working in the fields, their skill at hiding from the German planes flying over? The battle in the field with the fascists?

15. The fascists and their attack, relations in the fascist troops, the discussions about the future of the war and the departure of the Germans? The fanatic father and son and their luring people to death? The boy hiding in the tree, the father pleading for his son's life, Giovanni shooting the boy, the grief ritual of the father burying his head in the dust and shooting himself? The dying fascist calling on Mussolini's name? The film's indicating the intensity and fanaticism of the fascists?

16. The man following the bus and his desperation, his longing for the bus, not having spoken for five days, the eggs, his collapsing and dying? The ritual of the bus and the German soldier marching beside it and singing?

17. The two groups in San Martino and the decisions about staying or going? The bishop and his status and his inviting all to the cathedral? The trust in the Germans? The feast of San Ciriaco and his sermon? The Mass and everybody sharing their bread and its being consecrated for Communion? The bishop's desperate prayer? His distributing Communion and people's faith? The tragedy of the bomb and the deaths? His carrying Bellindia with the hostile woman? His sitting dazed in his vestments in the City Square? The picture of the church, its support of the people, its being duped by the Germans and being unable to help in the disaster? The priest at the marriage and his warnings about survival in the Judgment Day?

18. The group on the road, the flares, the bombs, the walking, the hiding? Finding the Camel cigarette packet? The work in the fields, the billeting in Sant Angelo?

19. Sant Angelo and the end of the war? The liberation? The young girl with the baby encouraging Galvani and Concetta?

20. A moving document and memoir of the war years? Its being handed on for the heritage of contemporary Italians? Its insight into human nature? Themes of war and peace?