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John Duncombe, the British consul in Florence, returns home from his wife's funeral to his two children, who are unaware of their mother's passing. He makes the decision to tell his eldest son, Andrea, but hides the truth from his sickly younger son, Milo. Director Luigi Comenicini (The Sunday Woman) captures the innocence and carefree moments of youth alongside the agonising feelings of grief, creating one of the finest films about childhood, one which can stand alongside The 400 Blows, The Spirit of the Beehive and L'enfance nue. A Palme d'Or nominee at the Cannes Film Festival and recipient of multiple awards from Italian institutions, Misunderstood features remarkable performances from the children and from Anthony Quayle (Lawrence of Arabia) as Duncombe.

Media

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Bonus Materials

• LIMITED EDITION BLU-RAY SPECIAL FEATURES:
• New 2024 2K restoration from the original negative
• Uncompressed mono PCM audio
• Interview with co-screenwriter Piero De Bernardi and Cristina Comenicini, the director's daughter and herself a noted filmmaker (2008, 36 mins)
• Interview with legendary critic Michel Ciment (2021, 24 mins)
• A Child's Heart - a visual essay by David Cairns on Comencini and the filmmaker's affinity for childhood stories (2023, 25 mins)
• Trailer
• Newly translated English subtitles
• Reversible sleeve featuring designs based on original promotional materials
• Limited edition booklet featuring new writing by critic Manuela Lazic and a newly translated archival interview with Comencini

Sales Points

• For fans of THE 400 BLOWS, SPIRIT OF THE BEEHIVE, and CHILDREN OF PARADISE
• Director Luigi Comenicini won 18 international Awards with 11 more nominations including multiple Golden Bear, Golden Lion & Palme D'or
• First time on Blu-ray
• Nominated for the Palme d'Or at Cannes, and Donatello Winner for Best Director
• Director Luigi Comenicini won 18 international Awards with 11 more nominations including multiple Golden Bear, Golden Lion & Palme D'or

Press Quotes

One of the most beautiful portraits of a child in the history of the cinema

     —Michel Cluny, Cinéma

This pure melodrama, perhaps the most devastating ever made in the history of Cinema, to be placed on a level with the greatest works of Griffith and Sirk

     —Guy Bracourt

Comencini treats a difficult subject of great importance: the misunderstanding between a father and his son, and gets results that are not only devastating but also highly believable

     —Bertrand Tavernier, Positif

Made in 1966, this masterpiece by Luigi Comencini has lost none of its radiant beauty or its subversive force

     —Le Monde

A coming-of-age drama whose punches don’t come as phony contrivances but as real-world pathos of closure and learning to move forward

     —Andrew Kotwicki, The Movie Sleuth