Michele Placido	Berardo Viola
Imma Piro	Maria Grazia
Antonella Murgia	Elvira
Ida Di Benedetto	Maria Rosa
Franco Javarone
Ciccio Busacca
Costantino Carrozza
Lino Coletta
Marina Confalone
Armando Bandini
Liliana Gerace
Deddi Savagnone
Enzo Monteduro
Marcello Monti
Antonio Orlando
Dino Sarti
Franco Ferri

Fontamara is a town in the Marsica forgotten by everybody and its anhabitants callled “boors” and considered unmanageabel rebellious - they are rough men that want to work and severe women that slave for the whole day. Invited to go down to Avezzano to take part to a fascist parade and, at the same time, to participate to the subdivision of the drained Fucino by the Torlonia, they are send up by the lawyer fellow citizen Don Circostanza. Him same makes fun of them with the joke of the five “lustre” instead of “fifty years” when the stream that irrigated their stony little field is diverted in favor of a fascist owner. But among the “boors” there is a descendant of brigands that a few at a time opens the eyes. He is Berardo Viola that, decided to marry Elvira only fater having earned some money and acquired a piece of land, he has the bee in his bonnet fo the big city inwhich emigrat temporarily. during a punitive expedition, some fascists violate Maria Grazia. Berardo is finally decided and departs with the under age Antonio, Giovanni and Maddalena’s child, uncles fo Elvira that will die after having effecteda pilgrimage to a Marian sancturary of the mountain. At Rome Berardo and Antionio are defrauded by a lawyer and go in prison when, nvited at the restaurant by an antifascist, are found by the police with abundle of papers clandestinely printed. Berardo dies in consequence of the tortures with which has favored the liberaiton fo the agitator. Antonio can return to the country ofly after having signed a confession with which the death of Berardo is thought to be suicide. But at Fontamara the newspaper “Che fare ?” was born.

CRITIQUE

Superstition, bond with the earth, popular ensemble effect and fascist arrogance, in a dignified (but too much television) reading of neorealist savour of Ignazio Silone’s homonym novel. Rigorous sound track of Roberto De Simone. (P. Mereghetti “Dizionario dei film 1998”, translated by Alice Castoldi)