Director/Writer: Marco Bellocchio
Writers: Susanna Nicchiarelli, Edoardo Albinati
Cast: Paolo Pierobon, Fausto Russo Alesi, Barbara Ronchi
In 1858, in the Jewish quarter of Bologna, the Pope's soldiers burst into the home of the Mortara family. By order of the cardinal, they have come to take Edgardo, their seven-year-old son. The child had been secretly baptized by his nurse as a baby and the papal law is unquestionable: he must receive a Catholic education. Edgardo's parents, distraught, will do anything to get their son back. Supported by public opinion and the international Jewish community, the Mortaras' struggle quickly take a political dimension.
2hrs 14mins
"[Edgardo's] story, in the hands of a master, is both compelling and chilling."-Stephanie Zacharek, TIME Magazine