Vajont - La diga del disonore (2001)

Director:

Renzo Martinelli

Writers:

Pietro Calderoni (writer)
Renzo Martinelli (writer)

Release Date:

19 October 2001 (Italy)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

On October 9th, 1963, at 10:39 pm, 260 million cubic meters of rock fell down from Mount Toc to the artificial lake formed by the Vajont dam...

Plot Keywords:

Dam | Water | Mud | Director On Camera | Cemetery

Awards:

2 wins & 3 nominations

Cast

Michel Serrault	...	Carlo Semenza
Daniel Auteuil	...	Alberico Biadene
Laura Morante	...	Tina Merlin
Jorge Perugorría	...	Olmo Montaner
Anita Caprioli	...	Ancilla
Leo Gullotta	...	Mario Pancini
Philippe Leroy	...	Giorgio dal Piaz
Jean-Christophe Brétigniere	...	Edoardo Semenza
Nicola Di Pinto	...	Francesco Penta
Federica Martinelli	...	Margherita
Eleonora Martinelli	...	Giannina
Maurizio Trombini	...	Ing. Desidera
Bruno Bilotta	...	Remo
Paco Reconti	...	Bertolissi
Antonio Fabbri	...	Prof. Ghetti

Also Known As:

La folie des hommes (France)
Vajont (Italy) (short title)

Runtime:

116 min

Country:

Italy | France

Language:

Italian | French

Color:

Black and White | Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

France:U | Italy:T

Filming Locations:

Belluno, Veneto, Italy

Company:

Canal+

Trivia:

Two sections of the Vajont dam were built in Cimolais, Italy. The "dam under construction" section was built on a railway and then filmed with motion control. Santa Croce artificial lake was dried up by ENEL (the Italian electric energy company) to film the final sequence.

Goofs:

Audio/visual unsynchronized: Jorge Perugorria screams as he's watching the killing-water wave but his mounth is not open.

Quotes:

Ancilla: That's a beautiful story. Really... If I think about it... I'd like a story like that too.
Olmo Montaner: For a story like that, you have to start from the beginning.
Ancilla: [looking at a wooden sculpture] Listen... you didn't chose this one at random...
Olmo Montaner: Well, I was thinking... it's time to start a family.
Ancilla: Yes but... it takes two people to start a family.
Olmo Montaner: But there are two of us...

Soundtrack:

Come Prima

This movie reconstructs with good precision an italian tragedy happened in 1963.

Finally a good film about the true story of Vajont: a very big landslide fell into an artificial lake causing an enormous wave (about 200 m tall) that went on the opposite side of the valley and over the dam, wiping out the underlying town of Longarone and causing more than 2'000 casualties in few minutes. The movie shows very well the intrigues cynically played by the construction enterprise to hide the dangers pointed out by geologists, about an ancient landfall line that the water of the lake made unstable. Well recited by the actors, the movie has good scenes, clever special effects, and a sweet love story within. It deserves to be seen; vote 8.