Giuseppe Verdi was born in 1813 and lived until 1901, his life spanning nearly a century of political turmoil and considerable personal turmoil. This 1982 biographical television miniseries, as seen on PBS's Great Performances, dramatizes the life of this classic Italian composer known for operas including La Traviata, Rigoletto, and Aida and his Requiem.

The film follows the story of Orpheus and Euridice.

In Pasquale Pozzessere's debut, a woman just out of prison falls in love with a man who saw steaing form a collection box in a church. Some critics saw a dry style next to Pasolini's as the director shows the two desperate individuals effort to build a sort of precarious family. In the end you could almost feel there's still a slender thread of hope for them to hang on