The Night of Shooting Stars

Director: Paolo Taviani, Vittorio Taviani

1982 / 107min / DCP

Co-written by Guerra, directors Paolo and Vittorio Taviani, and Giuliani G. De Negri, this deeply humanistic, fantasy-tinged film, unique in the annals of World War II dramas, concerns a group of Tuscan villagers whose village is threatened with destruction by the Nazis, themselves in a panic at the steady advance of American liberators. A tale of the resilience of everyday people struggling to steer their own fates while tectonic historical forces shake the foundations of society, and winner of the Cannes Film Festival’s Grand Jury Prize. “So good it’s thrilling. This new film encompasses a vision of the world. Comedy, tragedy, vaudeville, melodrama—they’re all there, and inseparable… Stirs warm but tormenting memories of a time when we were beloved and were a hopeful people.” —Pauline Kael, The New Yorker