Name: L'ultimo giorno di scuola prima delle vacanze di Natale
Genre: Drama
Released: 1975-03-13
Duration: 1 h 28 min
Rating: 5.8
Cast: Macha Méril, John Steiner, Lino Capolicchio

The dark side of an untold page of history

Brief synopsis North Italy, spring 1945, during the nazi-fascist occupation. A gang of fugitive republican fascists (John Steiner, Macha Meril and Lino Capolicchio) kidnaps a metrobus full of civilians and tries to escape to the Swiss's border, in order to recover from the advancing allies and partisans. During the journey, we are able to see (throughout some flash-backs) the fascists's activities prior to their runout (Macha Meril, in the role of Egle, a female volunteer for Italian Social Republic, in the attempt to humiliate a nude prisoner before sentencing him to death) alongside the captured civilians (remebrances of their "normal" lives under allies' bombs and everyday's troubles of wartime). As the movie rolls on and the Swiss's border approaches, the three kidnappers decide to kill their hostages anyway: one by one they're picked up and executed and, at the end of the movie, the three villains arrive at the border...but all the area has been already taken under control by the partisans.... "The last day of school before the Christmas' holidays" is a small, rare and raw documentary about cruelty of the war, especially civil ones (expecially Italy's civil war, very often ignored by researchers and film makers). This movie is actually unreleased on homevideo and it's a shame: it anticipates Pasolini's "Salò o le 120 giornate di Sodoma". I had been lucky enough to see it once on a latenight show, but I still remember it for its strong mood and documentary style. The lead stars are top-notch artists of 70's Italian subgeneres, Lino Capolicchio (The house with the laughing windows), Macha Meril (Deep Red) and John Steiner (Shock, Tenebrae, Action, Tinto Brass's Caligula). I recommend you to have a peer to it. Dario

Italian cinema has deeply influenced world cinema through its socially conscious realism and modernist experimentation, but it also flourished in popular genres like peplum (sword & sandal), giallo thrillers, and broad comedies. Its narratives often weave together politics, contemporary social change, class consciousness, and family dynamics, balancing artistic ambition with entertainment that resonated widely.

Lamberto Maggiorani in Bicycle Thieves (1948)

The drama genre is a broad category that features stories portraying human experiences, emotions, conflicts, and relationships in a realistic and emotionally impactful way. Dramas delve into the complexities of human life, often exploring themes of love, loss, morality, societal issues, personal growth, with the aim to evoke an emotional response from the audience by presenting relatable and thought-provoking stories.

Mahershala Ali and Alex R. Hibbert in Moonlight (2016)

L'ultimo giorno di scuola prima delle vacanze di Natale

The Last Day of School Before Christmas (1975)

Get a closer look at some of Hollywood's perfect pairs.

Hollywood Power Couples

Get a closer look at some of Hollywood&#39;s perfect pairs.

See which big screen releases you can watch from the comfort of your couch.

Theatrical Releases Coming to Streaming

See who dazzled on the red carpet and took home gold at the 78th Primetime Creative Emmy Awards.

The Last Day of School Before Christmas

Photos

Top Cast9

User reviews1

Related interests

Storyline

Top picks

Details

Tech specs

Contribute to this page

More to explore

Recently viewed