Wide Blue Road, The

Director: Gillo Pontecorvo
Italy. 1957.
99 minutes. Color.

Cast: Yves Montand and Alida Valli.

The Wide Blue Road (La Grande Strada Azzurra), is a remarkable debut feature directed by Gillo Pontecorvo, famed for The Battle of Algiers (1966) and BURN! (1969), only now receiving its US theatrical premiere -- in a beautiful, newly restored print -- thanks to the efforts of Jonathan Demme, Dustin Hoffman and Milestone Film.

Set in a fishing village off Italy's Dalmatian coast, under a brilliant, turquoise sky, Montand plays Squarcio, a rogue fisherman who manages to feed his family by tossing bombs into the water to kill the maximum number of fish. When a new chief of police puts Squarcio's illegal and dangerous exploits under closer scrutiny, his livelihood is threatened. Montand's unforgettable, complex character is part working-class hero, part macho-cowboy, part 1950s sex symbol at sea.

Bonus Features

DVD bonus: Theatrical trailer, stills gallery and optional English soundtrack.

Reviews

"I fell madly in love with THE WIDE BLUE ROAD, filmed in spectacular color and starring Yves Montand (what a hunk!). Because this is such a great movie, enormously gripping and entertaining, as well as being early undeniable proof of Pontecorvo's and Montand's greatness, I have gone ahead to help find the film its long overdue American release." - Jonathan Demme