With World War I, the Bolshevik Revolution, and the Russian Civil War as backdrop, it's an old-fashioned, blood-and-guts narrative, filled with earthly humor and a wealth of colorful characters. The story concerns the fluctuating fortunes of Grigory Melekhov, a young Cossack who is both a hero and a victim of the uprising.
Few professional actors were used, including Carlo Battisti and Maria-Pia Casilio, the two principal characters (others, including Umberto's cruel landlady, Antonia (Lina Gennari), were professional actors). The film has been restored by Mediaset (Italy's biggest private television company) and presented again in theaters in New York, Rome and Milan in 1999. Vittorio De Sica dedicated this film to his father.