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 takes on a political dimension. But the Church and the Pope will not agree to return the child, to consolidate an increasingly wavering power.
In Italian with English subtitles.
Cast: | Enea Sala, Leonardo Maltese, Fausto Russo Alesi, Barbara Ronchi, Paolo Pierobon |
Director: | Marco Bellocchio |
Studio: | Cohen Media Group |
Producer(s): | Beppe Caschetto, Simone Gattoni, Paolo Del Brocco |
Writer(s): | Marco Bellochio, Susanna Nicchiarelli |