Little seen outside Italy until its recent DVD release, this is an unusual little war film and well worth a look. The story concerns those lucky Italians who were sent to help Germany invade the Soviet Union in 1941. This seems to have been done mainly on horseback, so the resulting film is a bit like an Italian version of The Horse Soldiers, only set in Russia. The cast is excellent, and predictably we see a lot of clowning around between battles, with squeaky-voiced Gigi Reger doing a passable Chaplin, and Domenico Modugno (who later had a hit with Volare) entertaining on the guitar. Some of the Russian snow looks a bit powdery, which is understandable since the film was shot entirely at the Titanus studios in Rome. The plot is interesting and sometimes moving, even if a little implausible in the way the Russian villagers make friends with their Italian invaders. Kalina, played by the striking Tania Weber, begins by trying to machine-gun Captain Valli from the top of a bell tower, but minutes later she can hardly stay away from his sleeping quarters. Then there's a singalong where the guests perform Song of the Volga Boatmen in Italian followed by the hosts returning the favour with O Sole Mio in Russian. Everyone's buddy-buddy until those nasty Nazis come along to remind the Italians whose side they're supposed to be on. The final "heroic charge" of the title, which took place at Isbuschensky on 24 August 1942, is quite impressively staged, though clever editing is needed to disguise the budget limitations. It's touching to read in the credits that the horse Albino, who survived the charge but was blinded, was later honoured with a pension for life and looked after at a home for blind war veterans. The dedicated staff at Istitute Luce have obviously provided the best print available, and it's a fair copy save for a few wobbles on the music track. This is unfortunate since Enzo Masetti, as we now expect, has turned in another impeccable score, nicely mixing in Italian and Russian folk melodies with spectacular battle music and marches. Previously known only for Attila and Hercules, this composer's scores are gradually becoming more available, and evidence is mounting that he was very probably the best Italian film composer of them all.
2 Reviews
The Last Cavalry Charge
gordonl5611 July 2016
Warning: Spoilers
CARICA EROICA aka (HEROIC CHARGE) 1952
This is an Italian war film from 1952. It is the tale of one part of the Italian Army that was sent to the Russian Front in 1942. The Italian cavalry regiment Savoia Cavalleria is part of the 1942 summer offensive of the Axis forces against the Soviet Red Army.
The film follows the regiment as they advance through the vast hinterland of the Russian steppes. There is the odd scrap with Red partisans, but for the most part the days are filled with dust and boredom. The men are billeted in a small Russian village not far from the Don River. The men get along with the locals and life seems not so bad.
This all changes when the Red Army launches an attack in late August 1942. The assault overruns an Italian Infantry Division. The only troops handy to plug the gap are the Savoia Cavalry. Their German Allies are not all that happy with the idea of sending in a single regiment.
The Italians though are up to the task and launch a ferocious counter-attack into the flank of the Soviets. They charge with drawn sabres and bags of hand-grenades. They suffer heavy losses but manage to drive off the Reds. Their action stabilizes the front line.
(A bit of history) The use of cavalry had ended in the west with the slaughter of the Polish Cavalry in 1939. On the Eastern front it was a different matter. The Soviets, Germans, Italians and Romanians all used cavalry units. Cossack companies were used by both the Soviets and Germans. Because of the sheer amount of area in the east, mounted troops were found useful in scouting, recon and patrol duties. The attack depicted in the film is thought to be the last mass cavalry attack in history.
The film was directed by Francesco De Robertis, who also wrote the screenplay. The only members of the cast I recognized were, Franco Fabrizi and Dario Michaelis. This is an interesting film about a rather unknown incident from World War Two history.
This is an Italian war film from 1952. It is the tale of one part of the Italian Army that was sent to the Russian Front in 1942. The Italian cavalry regiment Savoia Cavalleria is part of the 1942 summer offensive of the Axis forces against the Soviet Red Army.
The film follows the regiment as they advance through the vast hinterland of the Russian steppes. There is the odd scrap with Red partisans, but for the most part the days are filled with dust and boredom. The men are billeted in a small Russian village not far from the Don River. The men get along with the locals and life seems not so bad.
This all changes when the Red Army launches an attack in late August 1942. The assault overruns an Italian Infantry Division. The only troops handy to plug the gap are the Savoia Cavalry. Their German Allies are not all that happy with the idea of sending in a single regiment.
The Italians though are up to the task and launch a ferocious counter-attack into the flank of the Soviets. They charge with drawn sabres and bags of hand-grenades. They suffer heavy losses but manage to drive off the Reds. Their action stabilizes the front line.
(A bit of history) The use of cavalry had ended in the west with the slaughter of the Polish Cavalry in 1939. On the Eastern front it was a different matter. The Soviets, Germans, Italians and Romanians all used cavalry units. Cossack companies were used by both the Soviets and Germans. Because of the sheer amount of area in the east, mounted troops were found useful in scouting, recon and patrol duties. The attack depicted in the film is thought to be the last mass cavalry attack in history.
The film was directed by Francesco De Robertis, who also wrote the screenplay. The only members of the cast I recognized were, Franco Fabrizi and Dario Michaelis. This is an interesting film about a rather unknown incident from World War Two history.
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