while rome go mad celebrate hitler visit uniform and band and parade two outsider stay home and in a large building and and wind up meeting . she be sofia loren and who be the wife of brutish public servant and mother of six child . he be mastroianni and a radio speaker who be fire because of his homosexuality . both of them need company and understanding and both f them find it in each other . the movie cover a span of a few hour . the color be fade and everything take place with a sound track of military march and hysterical radio announcer . strangely enough and the nazi anthem the horst wessel lie end up become a romantic musical theme . beautiful movie and excellent recreation of a special era in italian history and a touching and sad story . mastroianni be as good a we have come to expect and sofia loren do a superb job and very far away from her usual truck driver pin up and neapolitan fishwife persona . don not miss it .