The Great Ambition

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Marco L @decatur555 Nov 23, 2025 Some films make you wonder how the world would look if things had gone differently. This one follows the historic attempt to bring the Christian Democrats and the Communist Party together in 1970s Italy, seen through Enrico Berlinguer's eyes. The Cold War hangs over every conversation, a reminder that this opening could have reshaped Europe. What I liked most is that it shows the hope and the obstacles together. It has an almost documentary rigor without losing the human pulse, mostly thanks to a superb Elio Germano, who plays the communist leader with a mix of firmness and vulnerability. Some stretches lack dramatic tension, but the strength is in the political portrait: ideas, doubts, the will to find common ground in a world split into blocs. It works as history and as an open question. A sober, lucid film, tinged with nostalgia and melancholy. A necessary look at a time when politics still seemed able to change history. See more Runa R @runa.r Aug 2, 2025 I give this film three stars, not because it lacks quality, but simply because it explains very little. Unless you're already familiar with Italian politics in the 1970s, much of it will go over your head. This kind of film — with a quasi-documentary style, even interspersing real archive footage — is one of my favourites, precisely because of the educational potential it often carries. But this one teaches very little. To grasp the essentials, you need to do your own research online, or turn to books, to fill in the gaps. But if you’re going to investigate separately, the value of a documentary film as an educational tool is somewhat lost. This film seems made for an already well-informed audience. It would have been helpful to include an extra 15 or 20 minutes of context, explaining the key concepts, protagonists and ideas, especially for international viewers or younger generations, who didn't live through these events and could genuinely learn from the film. See more Read all reviews

The Great Ambition

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