30/08/2023 - VENICE 2023: Defying international war films, Edoardo De Angelis’ historical drama recalls an episode from World War II which serves as a warning for the present

Pierfrancesco Favino in The Commander

There’s a crucial line delivered by the lead character in The Commander [+see also:
trailer
film profile], Edoardo De Angelis’ historical drama which is screening within the Official Competition and opening the 80th Venice Film Festival, which makes the audience think and which might serve to stir up debate. Pierfrancesco Favino steps into the shoes of Salvatore Todaro, the commander of the Cappellini Submarine during the Second World War, which saved survivors from the Belgian ship Kabalo which had been transporting British war material and which the Cappellini had only just sunk. It was a courageous act which went against the orders submarines in war zones were supposed to follow. When, upon disembarking in the bay of Santa Maria delle Azzorre, the captain of the Kabalo asked him why he’d exposed himself to such a risk, contravening the directives of his own chain of command, Salvatore Todaro replied with the following words which secured his fame: “Because we’re Italians”.

(The article continues below - Commercial information)

Adopting a directorial approach which defies international action movies about war – especially those set in the claustrophobic spaces of a submarine – and wielding a considerable budget (of around 16-17 million euros), De Angelis sought to recall the story of a forgotten hero. The director penned the screenplay (which also forms the basis of the homonymous novel) together with writer Sandro Veronesi after he first heard this story, told to him by an admiral during the Italian Coastguard’s 123^rd anniversary. The pair were given access to the Todaro family archive, including the letters the commander wrote to his wife during his various missions, and this is what we listen to in the film. Todaro suffered a terrible spinal injury after an aeroplane accident in 1933 and, in the film, we see him wearing an iron support which was the source of such pain that he ended up turning to morphine. Having moved on to submarines, in 1940 - after the Kingdom of Italy entered the war to fight against the British Empire and France - Todaro was entrusted with the command of the new oceanic submarine Commander Cappellini, which was one of the best in the Italian Navy’s fleet. Having reached the ocean after passing through the dangerous Gibraltar Strait for a mission, Todaro intercepted a ship from a neutral country, Belgium, which nonetheless attacked the Italian submarine with cannon fire.

Following a prologue on dry land (Silvia D’amico plays the wife), De Angelis introduces us to the crew of the submarine, composed of men hailing from all corners of Italy: the commander’s right-hand man and faithful friend (Massimiliano Rossi), the Neapolitan sailor who heroically frees the submarine from underwater mines, the Sardinian who takes down a British plane, and the Neapolitan cook (Giuseppe Brunetti) who knows all the recipes in the world. At the dramatic point in time when the “enemy” sailors (Johan Heldenbergh, Johannes Wirix) are accommodated on board the Cappellini, amidst all kinds of difficulties, any tension (enhanced by music composed by former Massive Attack member Robert Del Naja) soon dissolves when the Belgians cook their “national dish”, Belgian fries. De Angelis seems to have a certain predilection for Neapolitan characters, so much so that, at a certain point, we even see a mandolin.  

Culinary and unbearably fascist rhetoric intertwines. Adored by his men, Todaro is anything but a pacifist. He’s a military man and he expresses himself with the language of a committed fascist at war, with all the linguistic mannerisms of the time (“these men turn fear into a devastating force”). What distinguishes him is the knowledge that the laws of the sea supersede the dictates of war. “Dearest Rina”, he writes, “today is an auspicious day. Together, we and our enemies saved each other”. The parallel with the modern-day situation in the Mediterranean - which has become a graveyard for many, just like it was in times of war - is clear, much like the response “because we’re Italians” should become a more generalised and non-declamatory “why not?”.

The Commander is an Indigo Film and O’Groove production made in league with RAI Cinema, Tramp LTD, V-Groove and Wise Pictures, in association with Beside Production and in collaboration with Paramount+. The movie will be distributed in Italy by 01 Distribution with international sales entrusted to True Colours.

(Translated from Italian)

Photogallery 30/08/2023: Venice 2023 - The Commander

21 pictures available. Swipe left or right to see them all.

{0} of {1}

Edoardo De Angelis, Sandro Veronesi, Massimiliano Rossi, Johan Heldenbergh, Silvia D’Amico, Pierfrancesco Favino
© 2023 Fabrizio de Gennaro for Cineuropa - fadege.it, @fadege.it