This fascinating and almost wholly unknown classic was was directed by the Italian writer Curzio Malaparte, his only film. Also called "Strange Deception", it is an allegory about justice, guilt, and expiation. It narrates the story of a soldier (stunningly played by Raf Vallone) returning to his Italian village after World War II determined to kill the man who had betrayed and caused the death of his brother during the Nazi occupation. Weary of bloodshed and reprisals, the villagers won't reveal the man's identity. A friend (played by Alain Cuny) is the forbidden Christ", who seeks to expiate the guilt himself. This intense, visually compelling movie has to be one of the cinema's most tender elegies for the innocent. The movie and its background score (composed as well by Malaparte) have many privileged moments of sublime and haunting beauty.
Review of The Forbidden Christ
