Set on the forgotten Alpine Front, the relentlessly realistic anti-war drama reveals all the brutality, chaos, and absurdity of warfare.
In Northern Italy, WWI has turned into a bloody stalemate. Bogged down in their trenches on a barren highland, the men of an Italian infantry division have been given one objective: retake a commanding height from the enemy. Unfortunately, the tactical ingenuity of General Leone consists of supplementing frontal attacks against machine guns with medieval fighting schemes. His dispirited troops must be prodded with ever-harsher measures into storming the Austrian positions. As casualties mount, indignation spreads. Disturbed by his superiors' decisions, Lieutenant Sassu is progressively led to question the purpose of war and reconsider where his real duties lie.
"I have described the war in an almost organic way to bring out its horror and absurdity more clearly." (Francesco Rosi)