Monte Cassino (1948)
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Synopsis by Hal Erickson
It was the consensus of opinion in 1946 that the turning point of the WW II Italian campaign was the battle of Montecassino. At great cost of both men and material, the Allies were finally able to capture the titular Nazi stronghold, an accomplishment summed up by the Bill Mauldin cartoon wherein two mud-caked GIs overlook the Italian landscape and exclaim "My God! There we wuz and here they wuz!" Most cinematic reenactments of Montecassino concentrated on the military aspects of the offensive. This Italian film takes a different approach, dwelling upon the suffering and travails of the local populace. The script also manages to weave in a romance between two of the beleaguered citizens.
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Keywords
war, against-all-odds, America, army, battle [war], bomb, church, destruction, Germany, invasion, Italy, monk, refusal, resistance, soldier, territory, troops
