The Man with a Cross
The Man with a Cross () is a 1943 Italian war film directed by Roberto Rossellini and starring Alberto Tavazzi, Roswita Schmidt and Attilio Dottesio. It was the final part of Rossellini's "Fascist trilogy" following "The White Ship" (1941) and "A Pilot Returns" (1942). It is loosely inspired by Reginaldo Giuliani, an Italian military chaplain who had been killed on active service. The film was made at Cinecittà with location shooting in the countryside around Ladispoli standing in for the Eastern Front. Although the film incorporates elements of neorealism such as the use of amateur  actors in some parts, stylistically it is closer to a more conventional war film. Rossellini cast his friend, the art director Alberto Tavazzi in the title role, while his girlfriend Roswita Schmidt played the female lead. Synopsis. The film is set in the summer of 1942 in Ukraine where Italian troops are fighting those of the Soviet Union. A military chaplain volunteers to stay behind with a badly wounded Italian soldier, even though this means certain capture.