In 1870, when the annexation of Rome to the Kingdom of Italy is inevitable, repression is violent and the prisons are filled with “conspirators,” among them Augusto (Marcello Mastroianni). On the outside, his wife, Teresa (Magnani), is left to aid Augusto’s compatriots. Magnani’s final starring role is a reprise of and a tribute to every passionate woman of the people she ever created. “Though originally made for television, there is nothing small-screen about 1870, which boasts impressive attention to period detail, an Ennio Morricone score, and, of course, mighty performances from two icons of Italian cinema” (Film Society of Lincoln Center).