General Della Rovere
General Della Rovere () is a 1959 Italian–French drama film directed by Roberto Rossellini. The film is based on a story by Indro Montanelli which was in turn based on a true story. Plot
Genoa, 1944, during the era of the Italian Social Republic. Petty thief Emanuele Bardone is hired by the German occupation forces to impersonate an Italian Resistance leader, General Della Rovere, and infiltrate a group of resistance prisoners in a Milan prison. Gradually, Bardone loses himself in his role and not merely pretends to be a hero of the resistance but actually becomes one, first encouraging his fellow prisoners to show courage and eventually accepting death by firing squad rather than betraying another imprisoned resistance leader. Cast
 Vittorio De Sica: Vittorio Emanuele Bardone/Grimaldi
 Hannes Messemer: SS Colonel Müller
 Vittorio Caprioli: Aristide Banchelli
 Sandra Milo: Olga
 Giovanna Ralli: Valeria
 Maria Greco: Madama Vera
 Herbert Fischer: German sergeant
 Anne Vernon: Clara Fassio
 Franco Interlenghi: Antonio Pasquali
 Ivo Garrani: Partisan Chief
 Linda Veras: German Attendant

Cultural influences
The transformation of Emmanuele Bardone, the film's protagonist, from an Axis collaborator into a hero of the anti-national socialist resistance, has been compared by Spanish political commentators to the life story of Adolfo Suárez, the Spanish prime minister who oversaw the transition to democracy in the late 1970s. In particular, Javier Cercas devotes the last chapter of The Anatomy of a Moment to exploring the parallels between Bardone and Suarez. Awards
 Golden Lion at the 1959 Venice International Film Festival

References

External links
 
 
 

1959 films
1950s war drama films
Italian war drama films
1950s Italian-language films
1950s German-language films
French black-and-white films
Italian Campaign of World War II films
Films about Italian resistance movement
World War II films based on actual events
Films based on Italian novels
Golden Lion winners
Films directed by Roberto Rossellini
Films set in Genoa
Films set in 1944
1959 drama films
Films scored by Renzo Rossellini
French World War II films
Italian World War II films
1950s Italian films
1950s French films
1950s multilingual films
French multilingual films
Italian multilingual films
French-language Italian films
Italian-language French films