Comandante (2023)

 

            “Comandante” is an Italian film that tells the story of an Italian submarine that did an act of mercy in WWII. It was directed by Edoardo De Angelis. The title refers to the captain of the sub, Salvatore Todaro (Pierfrancesco Favino). The sub is the Comandante Cappellini

            In 1940, Italy is at war as an ally of Germany. By this time France has fallen and the Battle of Britain is coming to an end. Italy has not been very helpful so far. However, Italian submarines are trying to aid Germany in its attempt to win the Battle of the Atlantic and to control the Mediterranean. Italian subs had some success in the Atlantic, although not up to the standards of the u-boats. In the Mediterranean, it was much more difficult because the large number of British warships and the heavily escorted convoys. A high percentage of Italian subs were lost in the Mediterranean. Overall, two-thirds of Italian subs sank in the war. The movie is the story of one of those subs on one mission.

            The film begins with Captain Todaro (Pierfrancesco Favino) recuperating from wounds. His wife wants him to settle down to farming, but in the grand tradition of all war movies, bros before hos. He returns to his sub and his crew, even though he is not fit. They put to sea on Sept. 29, 1940.  Suddenly, it is October 5 and the sub is being depth charged. It’s very brief and there is little suspense. It’s almost as though the director decided that viewers had seen enough sub movies to conjure the clicheish effects of a depth charging. He saves his big suspense scene for the snagging of a mine. One of the crew has to go out and unsnag the mine. Well, at least that’s different. Later that month, they encounter a Belgian merchant ship and sink it in an artillery duel. There are survivors in the water. The executive officer reminds Todaro that the Germans don’t pick up survivors. But the captain knows the movie is trying to put a positive spin on Italy’s war effort.

            The submarine subgenre is vast, so why not an Italian sub? Considering the mediocre performance of the Italian navy, it must have been hard to find a screenplay that would do well at the box office. The sinking of the SS Cabalo by the Comandante Cappellini was one of the few bright spots. The film does an adequate job bringing this true tale to the screen. Favino was a good choice for the captain. He’s a well -known actor in Italy. He doesn’t have to do much emoting as Todaro is something of a saint as portrayed in the movie. He’s the opposite of the stereotypical Ahabs that inhabit the subgenre. And the film avoids most of the cliches. There is no dysfunction on board. The executive backs down after suggesting picking up the Belgians is risky. And boy is he right. They will have to stay on the surface with a diesel engine belching enough smoke to draw any aircraft within one hundred miles. Add to that the fact that in earlier scenes, the sub would be traveling on the surface in the daytime with little effort to watch for planes. (Is this an accurate depiction of Italian sub incompetency?)

            One way to judge a sub movie is the interior set. If it’s a WWII sub, it should be cramped. This sub is spacious. The cinematographer did not have  difficult time. Perhaps Italian subs were actually like this, but it was distracting to a war movie lover. The crew does not suffer much in the movie. But we don’t care because none of the characters are developed. The movie has only one character – Todaro. That’s a bit of an exaggeration. The sub’s cook gets some coverage. The crew eats very well. After all, they are Italians. But they aren’t stuck up about their cuisine. They are willing to learn from the Belgians. They teach the chef how to make pomme frites – french fries! The scene lasts longer than the depth charging

            “Comandante” gets some credit for telling a true story, but it does it in a trite way. The main character is saintly and his nonfascist decisions do not result in the kind of suspense that should come with violating safe sub tactics. Todaro’s tactics are either unrealistic or Italian tactics were ridiculous. Cruising on the surface in daylight without several binoculars scanning the sky? That would explain the high mortality rate

            Put “Comandante”well down your SMTBW (sub movies to be watched) list. I watched it so I could say I have seen an Italian submarine movie. You don’t need that on your bucket list.

GRADE  =  C