The Finzi-Continis are among the most cultivated and old-established families in Ferrara, firmly rooted in tradition and part of the city’s Jewish intelligentsia. But, in the years leading up to World War II, the family is caught up in the politics of racial discrimination…

Italian master Vittorio de Sica helped usher in Italy’s famed Neo-Realist period of films with such classics as Shoeshine, Bicycle Thieves, and Umberto D.. But his career extended far beyond this style, and this majestic tale of an old, rich family in tumultuous times is one of his very best.