Many Wars Ago
(1970)
★ 7.3 IMDb · 143 votes
Year: 1970
Runtime: 101 мин
Country: Italy, Yugoslavia
Director: Francesco Rosi
Cast: Mark Frechette, Alain Cuny, Gian Maria Volonté, Giampiero Albertini, Pier Paolo Capponi, Franco Graziosi, Mario Feliciani, Alberto Mastino, Brunetto Del Vita, Nino Vingelli
Plot
Time after time, soldiers of the Italian Army are forced to leave their mountain trenches in attempts to storm an enemy fortress, always with the same disastrous results. As casualties mount, indignation spreads among the rank and file. Disturbed by his superiors' decisions, Lieutenant Sassu is led to question the purpose of war and reconsider where his real duties lie.
In Northern Italy, WWI has turned into a bloody stalemate. Bogged down in their trenches on a barren highland, the men of an Italian infantry division have been given one objective: retake a commanding height from the enemy. Unfortunately, the tactical ingenuity of General Leone, the unpopular division commander, consists of supplementing frontal attacks against machine guns with medieval fighting schemes. His dispirited troops must be prodded with ever-harsher measures into storming the Austrian positions. As casualties mount, indignation spreads among the rank and file. Disturbed by his superiors' decisions, Lieutenant Sassu is progressively led to question the purpose of war and reconsider where his real duties lie.