La grande speranza

Fairly decent Italian anti-war film. Worth watching on a wet day with a hangover. Dubbing is poor as is cinematography but not bad for it, and seems to have some decent action, in one instance a ship is cut in half.

Well depicted odyssey about a Submarine Commandanti and his crew along with people he picked up . During WWII, handsome young Italian sub commander (Renato Baldini of Four ways out , The wayward wife) and his crew (chubby Folco Lulli , Aldo Bufi Landi as Lieutenant and Bellini as officer) torpedo Allied freighters and transport ships for the Axis then rescue the occasional survivors (such as Jose Jaspe , Earl Cameron and a woman , Lois Maxwell , famous James Bond's Moneypenny) and treat them humanely while seeking a safe place to put them ashore . However incredible they may seem the events narrated in this picture actually occurred .

This interesting as well as unconventional war movie posits an Sub captain who decides to rescue survivors from freighters that he has sunk . It contains drama , emotion , thrills, sea battles , historical events and includes stock war footage . The pic describes existence and personal experience of crew , rescued passengers , their dangers , plane attacks , Christmas celebration , praying together and many other things . And at the end takes place a sad and overlong farewell . It's an Italian production mostly produced by the great Italian producer/director Duilio Coletti . Good cast formed by European actors , as Italian Renato Baldini , American Earl Cameron as POW Johnny Brown , also Italian Folco Lulli , and Spanish Jose Jaspe who starred a lot of Spaghetti Western and British Lois Maxwell as a woman soldier who enlisted to Navy when her fiancé' died in Tobruk . Well worth seeing for magnificent acting and nice support cast . Very good musical score by the classic Nino Rota , with tunes similarly composed to the subsequent The Godfather . However , cinematography by Leonida Barboni is mediocre and washed-out , being necessary a right remastering . The flick was finely written Ennio DeConcini , a prestigious and prolific screenwriter and professionally directed by Duilio Coletti . Duilio was a good craftsman who mainly directed adventure genre such as ¨Captain Fracassa¨, ¨Il Fornaretto Di Venezia¨, The Mask of Cesare Borgia" , "Merchant of Slaves" and wartime genre , such as ¨Anzio¨ co-directed by Edward Dymitryck , ¨Divisione Folgore¨, "The Earth Cries Out" , "Hell Raiders of the Deep" , and ¨Under ten flags¨ that bears remarkable resemblance to ¨Submarine attack¨ but also a captain saves castaways whose freighters has previously sunk .

¨Submarine attack¨ was based upon events which actually occurred during a series of underwater actions in 1940-42 and carried out by Italian submarines . This film is dedicated to the men who died in 91 Italian submarines disappeared in the Mediterranean Sea and the Oceans during the last war . These events actually happened .

In "La grande speranza," director Duilio Coletti brings forth an acceptable Italian production that dives into the wartime experiences of a submarine commander and his crew during World War II. Renato Baldini leads the cast with a commendable performance as the Italian sub commander, delivering a portrayal that captures the emotional complexities of his character. The film effectively explores the challenges faced by the crew as they navigate the moral dilemmas of rescuing survivors from the very ships they have torpedoed.

The cinematography by Leonida Barboni, although occasionally not very brilliant, manages to convey the harsh realities of underwater warfare. The use of stock war footage enhances the authenticity of sea battles, contributing to the overall immersive experience.

Nino Rota's musical score, reminiscent of his later work in "The Godfather," adds a layer of depth to the narrative. The film's dedication to the men who perished in Italian submarines during the war adds a poignant touch, underscoring the gravity of the events portrayed.

The ensemble cast, featuring European actors like Folco Lulli, Aldo Bufi Landi, and Spanish actor Jose Jaspe, complements Baldini's performance. Lois Maxwell, known for her role as James Bond's Moneypenny, delivers a noteworthy portrayal as a woman soldier caught in the midst of the submarine's operations.

"La grande speranza" stands out as an unconventional war movie, delving into the human aspects of war, including the camaraderie among the crew, the challenges faced by rescued passengers, and moments of celebration and reflection. The film successfully weaves together drama, emotion, and thrills, making it a worthwhile watch for its magnificent acting and strong supporting cast.

This war film with marked anti-war tones is part of a series of movies from the recent post-war era aimed at shaping the myth of the "good Italian," portraying Italian military enterprises as an example of good wartime behavior. However, we know that Italians have been equally formidable as other contenders. This phenomenon must be framed within the recent construction of a European sentiment, which, just three years later in 1957, led to the signing of the famous Treaty of Rome, the constitutive agreement of the European Economic Community (EEC).

In conclusion, despite some technical shortcomings, "La grande speranza" remains a compelling war film that resonates with its portrayal of the sadness and humanity intertwined in the throes of conflict.

It's a little known fact that before the handsome Canadian actress Lois Maxwell found her niche as Miss Moneypenny she starred in handful of Italian films. Here she plays the only woman on a submarine full of men; but it's far from the titillation you'd expect and is actually a rather sombre, dreamy film (Nino Rota's score is probably more suited to a film for children) and a careworn Maxwell (who due to dubbing lacks her famously sarcastic voice) is certainly not your standard Hollywood blonde.

Incongruously shot in decidedly metallic Ferraniacolor, the supporting cast offers another surprise in the presence of Earl Cameron - ten years later reunited with Maxwell in 'Thunderball' - as a fellow prisoner from Texas.

This Italian movie is only incidentally about life aboard a submarine during the Second World War. It is no epic adventure like the more famous DAS BOOT or RUN SILENT, RUN DEEP. Rather it is a quiet reflective anti-war film about the dilemmas of good human beings trapped by the exigencies and ironies of war. The captain of this submarine, played with stature by Renato Baldini, is a good man, whose sense of humanity is tested to the limit. He rescues from drowning a group of mostly British sailors (including a woman, played by Lois Maxwell). He then, in very Italian fashion, invites them aboard until he can deposit them in the neutral port of Santa Maria in the Azores. The same thing happens with a group of Danish sailors. This time there is no room on board and the survivors must remain perilously on deck and perhaps die if the captain needs to submerge to attack another target. The nicest scene in the movie is the Christmas party on board complete with makeshift Christmas tree, decorations, carols, the exchange of good cheer and words of friendship between rescuers and `captives.' It all comes to a stark halt when the Danish ship is spotted and must be destroyed. The tree, the decorations get cast aside. Without sermonizing, this movie makes its point very effectively, and for that reason is worth seeing. The original title means `The Great Hope.' Its US title was `Submarine Attack.' This is a telling change, in that a `great hope' for peace doesn't sell tickets. The violence implied in the phrase `submarine attack' has more audience clout. Oh, well. The US release was dubbed, rather badly, into English and the synchronization, whenever there is any singing, is fairly dreadful. Nino Rota, who provided the music for many great Fellini films and Coppola's The Godfather movies, scored this one too.