Colomba

The film is set shortly after the 1815 Battle of Waterloo, around 1818, in which the hero Lieutanatn Orso fought for the French. In Marseille, returning to Corsica and his family estate, of which is now the head, Orso meets the Irish widower Colonel Sir Thomas Nevil and his beautiful daughter Lydia. The Colonel also fought for the British at Waterloo and they strike up a military-based friendship. They also share a passion for hunting. Orso convinces the colonel to come and hunt there. France ruled Corsica then, as they still do. Sadly, in his absence Orso's father has been assassinated by the influential Barracini family. Orso's sister Colomba is bent on him revenging the murder - in the Sicilian vendetta style. Orso doesn't agree with these old ways and the scene is set for a terrible conflict involving Corsican bandits and the French prefect. The book was made into an Italian one with the same title in 1948 and remade in 1950 in Hollywood under the name of "Vendetta".

Directed by Émile Couzinet, Colomba leans on a strong ensemble — Catherine Damet, Pierre Magnier, Édouard Delmont — to carry a story that balances spectacle with character.

The film landed with audiences for its craft and performances, and remains one of the most talked-about screen titles of 1948.