Directed by:
Melville ShavelsonScreenplay:
Melville ShavelsonCinematography:
Daniel L. FappComposer:
Alessandro CicogniniCast:
Charlton Heston, Elsa Martinelli, Harry Guardino, Gabriella Pallotta, Brian Donlevy, Arthur Shields, Victoria Vetri, Gary Collins, Ted Knight (more)Plots(1)
A little bird tells on the U.S. Army during WWII in this farcical comedy. In 1944, during the last stages of the war in Europe, American officers Capt. Paul MacDougall (Charlton Heston) and Sgt. Joseph Contini (Harry Guardino) are sent to Italy to act as spies for the Allies, even though they have no experience in espionage. Working with Partisan resistance solider Ciccio Massimo (Salvatore Baccaloni), MacDougall and Contini send regular reports to their superiors by carrier pigeon. Contini also finds himself falling in love with Massimo's pregnant daughter Rosalba (Gabriella Pallotta), while her sister Antonella (Elsa Martinelli) has her eye on MacDougall. Contini proposes to Rosalba, and Ciccio prepares a feast to celebrate his daughter's upcoming wedding. However, Ciccio prepares squab for the occasion, killing all but one of the carrier pigeons. Ciccio scrambles to replace them, but the new pigeons he finds are German, and they deliver MacDougall and Contini's messages directly into enemy hands. The Pigeon That Took Rome's art direction earned the film an Academy Award nomination. (official distributor synopsis)
(more)Cast
Charlton Heston
USA
Best movies:
Ben-Hur (1959)
The Big Country (1958)
The Agony and the Ecstasy (1965)
Elsa Martinelli
Italy
Best movies:
Le Rouge et le noir (1954)
The Trial (1962)
The V.I.P.s (1963)
Harry Guardino
USA
Best movies:
The Name of the Game (1968) (series)
Dirty Harry (1971)
The Court Jester (1955)
Gabriella Pallotta
Italy
Best movies:
La Viaccia (1961)
The Roof (1956)
Il Grido (1957)
Brian Donlevy
Ireland
Best movies:
Destry Rides Again (1939)
Union Pacific (1939)
Hold Back the Dawn (1941)
Arthur Shields
Ireland
Best movies:
The Keys of the Kingdom (1944)
Gentleman Jim (1942)
Madame Curie (1943)
Victoria Vetri
USA
Best movies:
Rosemary's Baby (1968)
Kings of the Sun (1963)
When Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth (1970)
Gary Collins
USA
Best movies:
The Name of the Game (1968) (series)
The Longest Day (1962)
Roots (1977) (series)
Ted Knight
USA
Best movies:
Psycho (1960)
M.A.S.H. (1970)
Two Rode Together (1961)
Argentina Brunetti
Argentina
Best movies:
It's a Wonderful Life (1946)
Gilda (1946)
Tycoon (1947)
David Macklin
USA
Best movies:
The Apartment (1960)
Midway (1976)
From the Terrace (1960)
Marietto
Italy
Best movies:
Behold a Pale Horse (1964)
It Started in Naples (1960)
Otto Reichow
German Empire
Best movies:
Action in the North Atlantic (1943)
The Young Lions (1958)
Silver River (1948)
Nick Borgani
Italy
Best movies:
Rear Window (1954)
What's Up, Doc? (1972)
Rio Bravo (1959)
Rudolph Anders
German Empire
Best movies:
The Great Dictator (1940)
To Be or Not to Be (1942)
Act of Violence (1948)
Lars Bloch
Denmark
Best movies:
La Dolce Vita (1960)
Fantozzi Against the Wind (1980)
Blackout in Rome (1960)