Sunflower [I Girasoli] * (1970, Sophia Loren, Marcello Mastroianni, Lyudmila Saveleva) – Classic Movie Review 9999

Director Vittorio De Sica’s 1970 drama Sunflower [I Girasoli] is a soppy wartime romantic melodrama, in which a particularly gorgeous-looking Sophia Loren plays Giovanna, who spends most of her time searching for her husband Antonio (Marcello Mastroianni), who after 12 days of marriage was sent from Italy to the Russian front at the start of World War Two and reported missing in action.

Antonio (Marcello Mastroianni) is befriended by local woman Mascia (Lyudmila Saveleva [Ljudmila Saveljeva]), and they marry. Eventually Giovanna (Loren) finds them, but goes back alone to Italy, where she starts a new married life with Ettore (Germano Longo).

Loren and Mastroianni try hard in this tiresome and predictable story overflowing with sentimentality, which in no way matches director De Sica’s outstanding achievements during the neo-realist period. The talent is here, but the substance is not. Henry Mancini was Oscar nominated for Best Original Score and Loren won Best Actress (Migliore Attrice) award at the David di Donatello Awards (1970). Giuseppe Rotunno’s cinematography is eye-catching.

Also in the cast are Anna Carena, Galina Andreeva [Galina Andreyeva], Nadya Serednichenko, Glauco Onorato, Silvano Tranquilli, Marisa Traversi, Gunars Cilinskis and Carlo Ponti Jr (as Giovanna’s Baby).

Carlo Ponti Jr is Loren’s son with her producer husband Carlo Ponti, who had met Sofia Villone Scicolone at the Miss Rome competition (1952) and renamed her Sophia Loren.

Sunflower [I Girasoli] [Les Fleurs du Soleil] is directed by Vittorio De Sica, runs 103 minutes, is made by Compagnia Cinematografica Champion, Les Films Concordia, Mosfilm and Embassy Pictures, is released by Euro International Film (1970) (Italy) and Embassy Pictures (1970) (US), is written by Tonino Guerra [Antonio Guerra] (story and screenplay), Cesare Zavattini (story and screenplay) and Giorgi Mdivani [Gheorghij Mdivani] (collaboration), is shot by Giuseppe Rotunno, is produced by Joseph E Levine (executive producer), Carlo Ponti and Arthur Cohn, scored by Henry Mancini and designed by Piero Poletto.

© Derek Winnert 2020 Classic Movie Review 9999

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