The Great War

Set in Italy in 1916, during the First World War, The Great War follows two young men who are conscripted into the army and do whatever they can to keep away from the fighting. Giovanni Busacca, a Milanese newcomer to the ranks, and Oreste Jacovacci, a Roman, first meet over a promise of exemption for money. The arrangement does not go as Giovanni expected, and when he goes looking for the man who took advantage of him, the two instead become friends. Together they end up in Tigliano, a small town behind the lines, waiting to be sent to the front.

Mario Monicelli directed the film, the second of the sixteen features credited to him in chronological order, coming after Big Deal on Madonna Street and before Boccaccio '70. Luciano Vincenzoni, Agenore Incrocci and Furio Scarpelli wrote the screenplay, and Dino De Laurentiis produced it for an Italian-French production. Vittorio Gassman plays Giovanni and Alberto Sordi plays Oreste, with Silvana Mangano, Folco Lulli, Bernard Blier and Romolo Valli among a credited cast of twenty-nine.

The film won wide approval in both its domestic and international reception. On IMDb it holds a rating of 8.1 out of 10 from around 5,000 votes, and on TMDB it also stands at 8.1 from 378 votes. A critics' rating of 8 out of 10, drawn from five reviews, places professional assessment close to the audience response, showing broad agreement on the film's merits across viewers and critics alike.