Senso (1968)
Director: Luchino Visconti (The Damned, Death in Venice)
Starring: Alida Valli, Farley Granger, Heinz Moog, Rina Morelli, Christian Marquand
Venice, Italy 1855, Austrian military occupation. Countess Livia Serpieri (Alida Valli) does something for which, after a war, women are brutalized by their countrymen. She falls in love with one of the enemy: Austrian lieutenant Franz Mahler (Farley Granger). Not only does she cross that line, she actually steals funds to be used for the resistance to give them to her beloved in order for him to bribe his way out of the military. (Does she have a death wish?)
She has betrayed her country and now she is betrayed by the Austrian lieutenant, who reveals himself as a drunken, ungrateful rogue who has used her solely for her money. For the Countess, the war outside is now within her soul. What will be her response to the lieutenant's betrayal?
Historical Background:
1797 -- Napoleon defeated the Venetian Republic and it became part of the Hapsburg Empire (Austria). It remained under Austrian rule until 1866.
1848 -- Venetians attempt to free their land from the Hapsburg.
1860 -- the army of Giuseppe Garibaldi makes it possible for Italy to become a nation under the reign of the Savoia dynasty.
1866 -- Austria is defeated by Prussia in the Seven Weeks' War. Venice is ceded to Italy.
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