1848

Made for the Milanese committee for the 1848 centenary celebrations, this short film was made by Risi together with such important Milanese cultural personalities as Giorgio Strehler and the writer Mario Bonfanti. The film opens with the dress rehearsal of a ballet at the Scala in the presence of a few Austrian soldiers. A deserted Milan is awoken by a child shouting: "Burn the city". This was the beginning of the "Milanese five days", an insurrection from March 18 to March 22 1848 to liberate the Lombard-Veneto Kingdom from Austrian domination. With minimal means and a great dramatic inventiveness, Risi reconstructs the popular revolt which involved everyone: intellectuals, women, seminarians, children, and peasants (including a dazzling Lucia Bose' making her first film appearance). The bitter fight terminates with the image of a man running on top of Milan cathedral and, from its highest point, waving the Italian flag. (Venice International Film Festival)