In "Sunflower," Giovanna(Sophia Loren) still thinks her husband Antonio(Marcello Mastroianni, accept no imitations) is alive decades after being reported missing in World War II. They met shortly before he was scheduled to be shipped off to Africa.(Don't tell me, she actually bought that line!) In order to
desperately keep him safe, they marry in order to get a 12-day leave. That having gone quickly, he feigns insanity but is found out and is shipped off to the Russian front...
While "Sunflower" is not close to his best films, Vittorio De Sica still has enough skill with the medium to turn the movie into something more than a run of the mill tearjerker, aided as he is by such gifted actors. As antiwar as it is, the film is also concerned with two characters who futilely fight against history and nationalism at all costs. At 32, Antonio is not married and probably would not have married Giovanna if not for the war. And their attempt to get Antonio out of the war only makes matters far worse.
August 15, 2010
