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The Man with a Cross
The Man with a Cross
Directed by	Roberto Rossellini
Written by	Asvero Gravelli; Alberto Consiglio; Giovanni D'Alicandro; Roberto Rossellini;
Starring	Alberto Tavazzi; Roswita Schmidt; Attilio Dottesio; Doris Hild;
Cinematography	Guglielmo Lombardi
Edited by	Eraldo Da Roma
Music by	Renzo Rossellini
Production; company	Continentalcine
Distributed by	ENIC
Release date	3 February 1943;
Running time	72 minutes
Country	Italy
Language	Italian

The Man with a Cross (Italian: L'uomo dalla croce) is a 1943 Italian war film directed by Roberto Rossellini and starring Alberto Tavazzi, Roswita Schmidt and Attilio Dottesio. It was the final part of Rossellini's "Fascist trilogy" following The White Ship (1941) and A Pilot Returns (1942). It is loosely inspired by Reginaldo Giuliani, an Italian military chaplain who had been killed on active service.^[1]

The film was made at Cinecittà with location shooting in the countryside around Ladispoli standing in for the Eastern Front. Although the film incorporates elements of neorealism such as the use of amateur actors in some parts, stylistically it is closer to a more conventional war film.^[2] Rossellini cast his friend, the art director Alberto Tavazzi in the title role, while his girlfriend Roswita Schmidt played the female lead.^[3]

Synopsis

The film is set in the summer of 1942 in Ukraine where Italian troops are fighting those of the Soviet Union. A military chaplain volunteers to stay behind with a badly wounded Italian soldier, even though this means certain capture.

Cast

Alberto Tavazzi as Il cappellano militare
Roswita Schmidt as Irina, la miliziana
Attilio Dottesio as Il carrista ferito
Doris Hild as Una contadina russa
Zoia Weneda as Un'altra contadina russa
Antonio Marietti as Serghej, il commissario del popolo
Piero Pastore as Beyrov
Aldo Capacci as Lo studente soldato
Franco Castellani as Un soldato russo ferito
Gualtiero Isnenghi as Il ferito antibolscevico
Antonio Suriano as Il soldato napoletano
Marcello Tanzi as Diego

References

^ Bondanella. A History of Italian Cinema. p.35
^ Bondanella. A History of Italian Cinema. p.35
^ Bondanella. The Films of Roberto Rossellini. p.37

Bibliography

Bondanella, Peter. A History of Italian Cinema. Continuum, 2009.
Bondanella, Peter. The Films of Roberto Rossellini. Cambridge University Press, 1993.