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Sunflower (1970 film)

Sunflower (Italian: I girasoli) is a 1970 romantic war tragedy film directed by Vittorio De Sica. An international co-production of Italy, France, the Soviet Union and the United States, the film was shot in the Soviet Union; some scenes were filmed near Moscow, while others near Poltava, a regional center in Ukraine.

I Girasoli (Sunflower)
Italian release poster
Directed byVittorio De Sica
Written by
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyGiuseppe Rotunno
Edited byAdriana Novelli
Music byHenry Mancini
Production
companies
  • Compagnia Cinematografica Champion (as C. C. Champion S.p.A.)
  • Les Films Concordia
  • Mosfilm
Distributed byAvco Embassy
Release dates
  • March 13, 1970 (1970-03-13) (Premiere)
  • March 19, 1970 (1970-03-19)
Running time
101 minutes
Countries
  • Italy
  • France
  • Soviet Union
  • United States
Languages
  • Italian
  • Russian
Box office$2 million (US/Italy rentals)[1][2]

Plot

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"A woman born for love. A man born to love her. A timeless moment in a world gone mad."

Giovanna (Sophia Loren) and Antonio (Marcello Mastroianni) marry to delay Antonio's deployment during World War II. After that buys them twelve days of happiness, they try another scheme, in which Antonio pretends to be a crazy man. Finally, Antonio is sent to the Russian Front. When the war is over, Antonio does not return and is listed as missing in action. Despite the odds, Giovanna is convinced her true love has survived the war and is still in the Soviet Union. Determined, she journeys to the Soviet Union to find him.

In the Soviet Union, Giovanna visits the sunflower fields, where there is supposedly one flower for each fallen Italian soldier, and where the Germans forced the Italians to dig their own mass graves. Eventually, Giovanna finds Antonio, but by now he has started a second family with a woman who saved his life, and they have one daughter. Childless, having been faithful to her husband, Giovanna returns to Italy, heartbroken, but unwilling to disrupt her love's new life. Some years later, Antonio returns to Giovanna, asking her to come back with him to the Soviet Union. Meanwhile, Giovanna has tried to move on with her own life, moving out of their first home together and into her own apartment. She works in a factory and is living with a man, with whom she has a baby boy. Antonio visits her and tries to explain his new life, how war changes a man, how safe he felt with his new woman after years of death. Unwilling to ruin Antonio's daughter's or her own new son's life, Giovanna refuses to leave Italy. As they part, Antonio gives her a fur, which he had promised years before that he'd bring back for her. The lovers lock eyes as Antonio's train takes him away from Giovanna, and from Italy, forever.

Cast

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Release

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Sunflower was released on Saint Joseph's Day, 19 March 1970, in 5 key cities in Italy. It expanded to an additional 13 cities at Easter.[2] It was the first Italian film to be dubbed and screened at Radio City Music Hall in New York City.[3]

Reception

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In its first three months on release in Italy, the film earned theatrical rentals of $1 million.[2] Despite reaching number one in the United States in its seventh week of release, the film performed disappointingly in the United States earning rentals of $1,038,000.[4][5][1]

Soundtrack

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Sunflower
 
Film score by
Henry Mancini
Released1970
Recorded1969–1970
GenreSoundtrack
Length31:15
LabelAvco Records
ProducerHenry Mancini
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic     [6]

Track listing

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SIDE A

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01. Love Theme from "Sunflower" (2:26)
02. Masha's Theme (1:54)
03. Giovanna (1:54)
04. The Search (4:20)
05. Love in the Sand (Love Theme from "Sunflower") (3:00)
06. New Home in Moscow (1:20)

SIDE B

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07. Two Girls ("Masha's Theme and Love Theme from "Sunflower") (2:07)
08. The Retreat (5:10)
09. The Invitation (2:04)
10. Masha Finds Antonio (Masha's Theme) (3:35)
11. The Parting in Milan (Love Theme From "Sunflower") (3:23)

Awards

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b Donahue, Suzanne Mary (1987). American film distribution : the changing marketplace. UMI Research Press. p. 298. Please note figures are for rentals in US and Canada
  2. ^ a b c "Avco Embassy's Graziosi Blueprints Plan To Perk Majors O'seas Distrib". Variety. 10 June 1970. p. 32.
  3. ^ "New York Sound Track". Variety. 23 September 1970. p. 4.
  4. ^ "50 Top-Grossing Films". Variety. November 18, 1970. p. 11. Retrieved April 19, 2024 – via Internet Archive.
  5. ^ "'Z', 'Stitch' Paced O'seas Pix In U.S. Release, 1970". Variety. May 12, 1971. p. 34. Retrieved April 19, 2024 – via Internet Archive.
  6. ^ Sunflower at AllMusic. Retrieved 2020-01-13.
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