The Insatiables

[Vittorio de Sica’s] The Garden of the Finzi-Continis opens with a series of striking images of nature: colorful leaves, towering trees, sunshine peering through the foliage. But these are the most unnatural of times. A momentary preface reveals the looming tragedy of this picturesque Italian village: the implementation of Mussollini’s racial laws between 1938 and 1943. Beyond the gated walls in the center of Ferrara lies the estate home of the Finzi-Continis, a highly regarded, aristocratic Jewish family. The Finzi-Continis are literally untouchable, rarely venturing in public, isolating themselves from the turmoil of war and religious persecution. The adult children, Micol (Dominique Sanda) and Alberto (Helmut Berger), entertain friends, take academic instruction from private tutors, and carry out romantic liaisons, all within the confines of the estate. Even the grandmother’s field trips consist of a chauffeured drive around the estate grounds. But as the racial laws grow increasingly more stringent, the Finzi-Continis withdraw further into their insular, albeit illusory, paradise.

via: Strictly Film School