Fontamara

★★★★★

1980 · 2 h 19 min

Directed by Carlo Lizzani · Italy · Italian Neorealism and After

Drama

Watch trailer

Cast

Michele Placido Ida Di Benedetto Antonella Murgia Imma Piro Antonio Orlando Deddi Savagnone

Credits

Written by: Lucio De Caro

Plot

Fontamara is a village in the Marsica, forgotten by all but God and its inhabitants are called 'cafoni' (boors). Berardo Viola wants to marry Elvira but only after gaining enough money to buy some land and in order to reach his aim he has the idea of going to a great city.

Sinekatalog’s take

Fontamara (1980) is a Italian drama directed by Carlo Lizzani. It stars Michele Placido, Ida Di Benedetto and Antonella Murgia. It runs 139 minutes. It is listed here for its festival and awards record.Sinekatalog’s own editorial review – not a user or critic quote.

Awards

• David di Donatello 1981: Best Actor (David di Donatello for Best Actor) — Michele Placido

Ratings

IMDb: 6.9 / 10 (86 votes)
IMDb rating and vote count from the IMDb ratings dataset (October 2026). Scores change over time.

If you liked this

Picked by director, genre, era and shared cast. Titles only, no spoilers.

• Christ Stopped at Eboli 1979 · Francesco Rosi · IMDb 7.7 · Viewers also liked
• The Young One 1960 · Luis Buñuel · IMDb 7.4 · Viewers also liked
• The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds 1972 · Paul Newman · IMDb 7.4 · Viewers also liked
• Terraferma 2011 · Emanuele Crialese · IMDb 6.7 · Viewers also liked
• Tragedy of a Ridiculous Man 1981 · Bernardo Bertolucci · IMDb 6.6 · Viewers also liked
• A Special Day 1977 · Ettore Scola · IMDb 8.1 · Same movement