La figlia del capitano

Excellent adventures movie,based on Pushkin's short novel .Action-packed , briskly directed , very well acted , "la figlia del capitano" should be more widely known.

The pair of lover (Macha and Piotr)almost pales next to the supporting cast ,although Irasema Dilian is deeply moving in her imploring scenes .

But Vittorio Gassmann, Amadeo Nazzari and Olga Sibelli outshadow them every time they appear:

Svabrin (Gassmann) is the only real villain, calculating ,hateful, deceitful ..A restrained performance ,with words filled with gall .

Pougatchov (a stunning Amadeo Nazzari, generally cast in melodramas) who passes himself off as kaiser Piotr the Third ,is colorful and eventually noble . As the character is not well known historically speaking,the Russian writer invented most of his storylike epic :he is not really a bandit ,but a revolutionary man who leads the peasants still in serfdom (have you ever seen your empire? he says to the empress.)He fights for the Russian people and he may be sincere ,considering his sympathy towards young Piotr and his love .

Olga Sibelli shines as Empress Catherine The Second . No sentimentality , an iron hand in an iron glove ,she's the enlightened despote who ruthlessly punishes, but treats her subjects justly.

Women seem to wear the trousers in this movie: Macha's mom seems to dominate her captain-husband .

Very entertaining.