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Review

Leading actors Di Stefano and Bertorelli bring grace and poise to this Italian adaptation of playwright Heinrich von Kleist's "The Prince of Homburg." Set amidst the Prussian-Swedish battles of the 1700s, the film offers both a bleak message about morality in wartime and a hopeful one about the valor of love. Moved by an allegorical dream of victory, the prince hastily decides to breach his commander's orders on the field. Despite great heroism, he is condemned to death, which he ultimately accepts in observance of honor. Through its dimly lit gauze, the film successfully conveys the emotional detachment of militarism, and, in its quiet nocturnal moments, the inner turmoil and solitude of a death sentence. Steeped in period detail and with the intimacy of stage play, this is recommended viewing for those who enjoyed Kubrick's Barry Lyndon.