‘Comandante’ (The Commander) is a war drama film co-written and directed by Edoardo De Angelis, starring Pierfrancesco Favino. The film is set to open the 80th edition of the Venice Film Festival on September 30th.
Synopsis
During the onset of World War II, Salvatore Todaro assumes command of the Italian Royal Navy submarine Cappellini. While navigating in the Atlantic on a dark October night in 1940, he encounters an unidentified merchant vessel sailing without lights. Employing his cannons, Todaro successfully sinks the ship. In a moment that would later be recorded in history, the Commander makes a crucial decision: he rescues the 26 shipwrecked Belgians who otherwise faced certain death in the vast ocean. Accommodating the survivors aboard his submarine necessitates three days of surface navigation, thereby exposing himself and his crew to enemy forces and placing their lives at risk.
The Director
Edoardo De Angelis is a director, screenwriter, and producer; he was born in Naples in 1978. He debuted with Mozzarella Stories (2011), followed by Perez (2014). He made his reputation with Indivisibili (2016), presented at the Venice International Film Festival’s Giornate degli Autori. His next movies were Il vizio della Speranza (2018), which received the Audience Award at the Rome Film Fest, and three movies for Rai based on works by Eduardo De Filippo, Natale in Casa Cupiello, Non ti pago, and Sabato, Domenica e Lunedì. In 2022, he directed the TV series The Lying Life of Adults, based on the same-titled novel by Elena Ferrante and produced by Fandango for Netflix.
The Cast
Pierfrancesco Favino
Johan Heldenbergh
Silvia D’Amico
Luca Chikovani
Johannes Wirix
Jacques Reclercq
Mario Russo
Lucas Tavernier
Massimiliano Rossi
Giulio Greco
Arianna di Claudio
Giuseppe Brunetti
Gigino Magnifico
Giuseppe Lo Piccolo
Pietro Angelini
Alessandro Bandini
Giustiniano Alpi
Giacomo Bottoni
Olivier Langhendries
Andrea Ferrara
Comandante (2023)
Movie title: Comandante
Movie description: At the start of WWII, Salvatore Todaro commands the Italian Royal Navy submarine Cappellini. One dark night in October 1940, while navigating in the Atlantic, he comes upon an armed merchant ship sailing with lights out. He shoots his cannons at the ship and sinks it. At that moment, the Commander makes a decision that was destined to go down in history: he saves the 26 shipwrecked Belgians who otherwise would have drowned in the middle of the ocean and disembarks them at the nearest safe harbor, as prescribed by the law of the sea. To make room for them on board his submarine, he is forced to navigate on the surface of the water for three days, visible to the enemy forces and endangering his life and that of his men.
Date published: August 11, 2023
Country: Italy
Duration: 155 min
Director(s): Edoardo De Angelis,
Writer(s): Edoardo De Angelis, Sandro Veronesi
Cinematography: Ferran Paredes Rubio
Actor(s): Pierfrancesco Favino, Johan Heldenbergh, Silvia D'Amico, Luca Chikovani, Johannes Wirix, Jacques Reclercq, Mario Russo, Lucas Tavernier
Genre: War drama, History, Biography
Companies: Indigo Film, O’Groove
