Gold of Rome
{{short description|1961 Italian war drama film by Carlo Lizzani}}
{{Infobox film
| name = Gold of Rome
| image = Gold of Rome.jpg
| caption =
| director = Carlo Lizzani
| writer =
| starring =
| music = Giovanni Fusco
| cinematography = Erico Menczer
| editing = Franco Fraticelli
| producer =
| distributor =
| released = {{Film date|1961}}
| runtime =
| country =
| language =
| budget =
}}
L'oro di Roma (internationally released as Gold of Rome) is a 1961 Italian war - drama film directed by Carlo Lizzani.{{cite book|last=Roberto Poppi, Mario Pecorari|title=Dizionario del cinema italiano. I film|publisher=Gremese Editore, 2007|isbn=8884405033}} The film is based on actual events surrounding the Nazi's raid of Rome's Jewish ghetto in October 1943.{{cite book|last=Vito Zagarrio|title=Carlo Lizzani: un lungo viaggio nel cinema|year=2010|publisher=Marsilio, 2010|isbn=978-8831706193}}
Plot
After the Italian armistice, the Germans occupy Rome; in October 1943, the German police commander calls the president of the Jewish community before him and orders him to deliver 50 kilograms of gold within two days, otherwise he will take 200 heads of families hostage. The community is divided between those who decide to give in to the blackmail and hand over what little gold they have left and those who do not believe in the Germans' word. The Jews remaining in the ghetto are impoverished by the Italian racial laws and with enormous difficulty try to come up with the imposed amount.
The president of the community does what he can to ask for aid, distressed and uncertain that the delivery will really help save lives. A group of boys arms themselves to rebel, headed by young shoemaker David. His decision not to deliver the gold and oppose Nazi power leads him to clash with most members of the community and the precept of refusing violence. Giulia, a former classmate of David's Israelite school, at first appears to be able to escape racial segregation, thanks to her requited love for Maximus, a Catholic medical student. Determined to marry, Julia is baptized, divided in her love for her roots. In fact, when despite the successful delivery of the 50 kilos of gold, the Germans round up Jews all over Rome, taking away men, women, the sick and children, she voluntarily surrenders herself into the hands of the Germans, to follow her father and his people.
Cast
- Gérard Blain: Davide
- Anna Maria Ferrero: Giulia
- Jean Sorel: Massimo
- Andrea Checchi: Ortona
- Paola Borboni: Rosa
- Umberto Raho: Beniamino
- Filippo Scelzo: Ludovico
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
{{commons category|L'oro di Roma}}
- {{IMDb title|0055266}}
{{Carlo Lizzani}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gold Of Rome}}
Category:1960s war drama films
Category:Italian war drama films
Category:1960s Italian-language films
Category:World War II films based on actual events
Category:Films directed by Carlo Lizzani
Category:Films scored by Giovanni Fusco
Category:Italian World War II films
Category:Jews and Judaism in Rome
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