The Great Appeal

The Great Appeal () is a 1936 Italian war film directed by Mario Camerini and starring Camillo Pilotto, Roberto Villa and Lina d'Acosta. It is sometimes known by the alternative title The Last Roll-Call.

Camerini was considered to have no sympathies with the Fascist regime regime of Italy, but he made this propaganda film that endorsed the colonial policies of the Italian government.Gundle p.31 It was one of a number of African-set films made during the Fascist era including The White Squadron (1936), Sentinels of Bronze (1937) and Luciano Serra, Pilot (1938).Palumbo p.294 The film portrays the rediscovery of his patriotism of an Italian, who eventually dies for his country.

Synopsis Giovanni Bertani is a rootless Italian emigrant who is currently running a hotel in French Djibouti. Although his son Enrico is serving with the Italian forces in the Second Italo-Ethiopian War he sells arms to the Abyssinian forces fighting them. Following a journey to Abyssinia Giovanni regains his sense of Italian identity, and is fatally wounded blowing up the shipment of arms to the Abyssinians.Ben-Ghiat p.134

Cast Camillo Pilotto as Giovanni Bertani Roberto Villa (dubbed by Mario Pisu) as Enrico Lina d'Acosta as Pepita Guglielmo Sinaz as Miller - il contrabbandiere d'armi Bruno Smith as Il giornalista Patti Pedro Valdes as Salvador Nino Marchetti as Il chirurgo Enrico Poggi as Un operaio genovese

References

Bibliography Ben-Ghiat, Ruth. Fascist Modernities: Italy, 1922-1945. University of California Press, 2004. Gundle, Stephen. Mussolini's Dream Factory: Film Stardom in Fascist Italy. Berghahn Books, 2013. Palumbo, Patrizia. A Place in the Sun: Africa in Italian Colonial Culture from Post-unification to the Present. University of California Press, 2003.

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