Long Night in ’43 (1960) in Color — Starring Belinda Lee & Enrico Maria Salerno

Long Night in ’43 (1960) — Buy This Classic in Color

Experience Florestano Vancini’s devastating wartime drama Long Night in ’43 (1960) Colorized, originally titled La lunga notte del ’43, starring Belinda Lee, Enrico Maria Salerno, Gabriele Ferzetti, Andrea Checchi, and Gino Cervi — now available for purchase in stunning color for just €15.00. Set in Ferrara during the darkest days of 1943, this searing Italian classic (un film classico a colori) explores moral collapse under fascist rule through an adulterous affair entangled with a brutal political massacre. Based on a story by Giorgio Bassani, Long Night in ’43 is a meditation on betrayal, cowardice, and collective responsibility. This professionally restored and colorized version (il film colorizzato) brings wartime Ferrara to vivid new life through era-accurate frame-by-frame colorization. Own this DRM-free download and watch this classic movie restored in colour.

Plot Summary

Ferrara, 1943. Italy has surrendered to the Allies, and the country teeters between fascist occupation and liberation. Anna Barilari (Belinda Lee) lives a stifled existence in this provincial city, trapped in marriage to Pino (Enrico Maria Salerno), a bitter lawyer paralyzed and confined to a wheelchair. Their once-grand apartment has become a prison for Anna — a place where love has curdled into resentment and duty has replaced passion.

Into this claustrophobic world steps Franco Villani (Gabriele Ferzetti), a former soldier who has deserted the fascist army and returned to Ferrara to hide. Anna and Franco begin a desperate affair — a brief, tender rebellion against the oppression that surrounds them both. But Ferrara is a city where everyone watches, and secrets cannot stay buried for long. Franco’s father Attilio (Nerio Bernardi) is a respected pharmacist who keeps his head down, while Carlo Aretusi (Gino Cervi), known as ‘Sciagura,’ is the local fascist boss whose brutal authority casts a shadow over every citizen.

When partisans assassinate a fascist official, the blackshirt squads exact terrible revenge. In what became known as the Ferrara massacre, they round up eleven innocent citizens and execute them against the walls of the Castello Estense. In the chaos that follows, Franco Villani becomes a scapegoat — a deserter blamed for the violence, sacrificed to restore the fragile illusion of order. Anna, torn between love and self-preservation, faces the ultimate moral test: speak the truth about Franco’s innocence, or remain silent and survive. The pharmacist, the neighbors, the officials — every character must decide what they are willing to risk. Most choose cowardice. The film’s devastating power lies in its refusal to judge: it shows us the weight of moral failure and lets us recognize ourselves in it.

The film builds toward its conclusion with the inexorability of Greek tragedy. There are no heroes in Ferrara in 1943 — only survivors, and those who did not survive because someone chose silence. Long Night in ’43 is not merely a story about wartime Italy; it is a universal inquiry into what ordinary people do when extraordinary evil demands they take a stand. Bassani’s source material gives the film an authenticity that transcends its specific historical setting.

Cast & Crew

Directors: Florestano Vancini, with contributions by Renzo Ragazzi and Marco Leto

Screenplay: Florestano Vancini, Ennio De Concini, based on the story by Giorgio Bassani

Stars: Belinda Lee as Anna Barilari, Enrico Maria Salerno as Pino Barilari, Gabriele Ferzetti as Franco Villani, Andrea Checchi as the Pharmacist, Nerio Bernardi as Attilio Villani, Gino Cervi as Carlo ‘Sciagura’ Aretusi, Raffaella Carrà as Ines Villani, Isa Querio as Mrs. Villani, Loris Bazzocchi as Vincenzi, Carlo Di Maggio as Mario Bolognesi

Florestano Vancini was one of the most politically engaged directors of postwar Italian cinema. Gabriele Ferzetti, later famous for roles in Antonioni’s L’Avventura (1960) and On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (1969), delivers a haunting performance as the doomed deserter. British actress Belinda Lee, who tragically died in a car accident the year after this film was released, gives one of her finest performances — a role requiring her to perform entirely in Italian. Gino Cervi is magnificently menacing as the fascist boss Aretusi. In a notable early role, Raffaella Carrà — who would become one of Italy’s greatest television and music stars — appears as Ines Villani.

Why Buy This Classic in Color?

La lunga notte del ’43 a colori rappresenta una rinascita visiva: le strade nebbiose di Ferrara, l’architettura rinascimentale, gli interni degli appartamenti anni Quaranta e i volti intensi del cast acquistano una profondità nuova grazie alla colorizzazione professionale fotogramma per fotogramma. The colorization of Long Night in ’43 transforms this powerful black and white drama into a richly textured visual experience. The cobblestone streets, the arcades of Ferrara, the Castello Estense, and the period interiors of the fascist-era apartments all gain extraordinary depth through professionally colorized restoration using era-accurate frame-by-frame colorization techniques. The film’s documentary-like visual approach — Vancini shot extensively on location in Ferrara using naturalistic lighting — benefits immensely from the addition of historically accurate color, making the city itself feel like a living, breathing character. Buy Long Night in ’43 (1960) Colorized today for €15.00 and own this Italian cinema masterpiece in a DRM-free colorized version.

Historical Significance

Long Night in ’43 occupies a crucial place in Italian cinema history. Released in 1960, it was among the first films to confront the 1943-45 civil war period directly, predating works such as The Four Days of Naples (1962). Based on a story by Giorgio Bassani — whose The Garden of the Finzi-Continis was later adapted into an Academy Award-winning film by Vittorio De Sica — the film draws on Bassani’s experiences as a Jewish intellectual surviving fascist Ferrara. Vancini’s adaptation preserves Bassani’s unflinching moral gaze while translating his literary sensibility into a visual language of extraordinary power. The film won awards at the Venice Film Festival and established Vancini as a major voice in Italian neorealism’s second generation. The restored colorized version makes this historically significant classic film accessible to contemporary audiences.

Technical Details

• Format: MP4 / MKV digital download
• Resolution: HD 720p
• Colorized: Yes, professional AI-assisted colorization
• Audio: Italian mono soundtrack
• Runtime: Approximately 105 minutes
• DRM-free: Yes — watch on any device
• Instant download: Available immediately after purchase
• Price: €15.00

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Movie-Specific Questions

Q: What is Long Night in ’43 about?
A: Long Night in ’43 is set in Ferrara during the chaos following Italy’s 1943 armistice with the Allies. Anna, unhappily married to wheelchair-bound Pino Barilari, begins an affair with Franco Villani, a deserter from the fascist army. When fascist squads massacre eleven citizens in retaliation for a partisan killing, Franco is scapegoated. The film explores the complicity and moral cowardice of ordinary people under fascist rule.

Q: Is Long Night in ’43 based on a true story?
A: Yes. The film is based on Giorgio Bassani’s story ‘Una notte del ’43,’ which recreates the real Ferrara massacre of November 15, 1943 — when fascist squads executed eleven citizens against the Castello Estense walls in retaliation for the killing of a local fascist official, Igino Ghisellini. The characters are Bassani’s invention, but the historical event is authentic.

Q: Who was Giorgio Bassani?
A: Giorgio Bassani (1916-2000) was an Italian Jewish author and intellectual, best known for The Garden of the Finzi-Continis, which was adapted into an Academy Award-winning film. Born and raised in Ferrara, he experienced the fascist racial laws of 1938 firsthand. His fiction returns obsessively to the moral atmosphere of Ferrara under fascism, making him one of the most important Italian writers of the twentieth century.

Colorization Questions

Q: Is this the complete original black and white film?
A: Yes. This is the complete 1960 feature at its full runtime of approximately 105 minutes. The colorization has been applied to the entire classic film — nothing has been cut, censored, or altered beyond the addition of professionally rendered color that enhances the viewing experience while preserving every frame of the original.

Q: How was the colorization done?
A: The colorization process uses advanced AI-assisted digital technology applied frame-by-frame, with careful attention to the historical period — the costumes, architecture, street scenes, and natural lighting of 1943 Ferrara have been researched and reproduced with era accuracy. The restoration was supervised to ensure Vancini’s documentary-style cinematography and neorealist aesthetic are preserved and enhanced, not overwhelmed.

Buying Questions

Q: What format is the download?
A: The film is delivered as a high-quality MP4/MKV file in HD 720p resolution. Watch on any modern device or media player — television, laptop, tablet, or phone.

Q: Is the download DRM-free?
A: Yes, your purchase is completely DRM-free. You own the file outright and can watch it on any device without restrictions or recurring fees.

Q: How quickly will I receive the download?
A: Your download link is available immediately after payment is confirmed. You can begin watching Long Night in ’43 (1960) Colorized within minutes of your purchase.

Q: What is the price?
A: The price is €15.00 — a one-time payment for lifetime access with no subscriptions or hidden fees.

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