The Secret of Santa Victoria

A few days after learning they have finally been liberated from the fascist control of Mussolini, the residents of a sleepy little Italian village find out they are about to be occupied by the German army.

While they are willing to put up with having soldiers in their town (as long as nobody gets hurt) the villagers draw the line when they find out the Germans are really only after their stash of more than a million bottles of wine.

What seems like an unlikely story of World War II heroism is brought to joyous life by director Stanley Kramer in this highly entertaining Oscar-nominated 1969 film.

The key to the films' success is the engaging performance of Anthony Quinn as Italo Bombolini, the town fool/drunk who gets appointed mayor of the village as the last act of the departing fascist government. Thoroughly ill-equipped for the task of saving his village -- and the wine – from the German invaders, Bombolini soon learns that his love of life is enough to conquer all, at least long enough to hide the wine from the invaders.

And while Quinn's performance dominates the picture, it's nicely balanced by the acting of screen legend Anna Magnani as his no-nonsense wife Rosa, the only person in the village strong enough to speak her mind no matter what the cost.

The film gets a bit ridiculous at times, and the scenes of the villagers forming a bottle-passing conga line to get the wine from the cellars to their new hiding place go on a bit too long, but the power of the performances and the feel-good spirit of the film keeps you from worrying too much about the unbelievability of it all.