The Wide Blue Road (1957): cast, story & where to watch

Released in 1957, The Wide Blue Road is a drama, crime and romance film directed by Gillo Pontecorvo, running about 103 minutes.

What it’s about. Squarciò, a fisherman, lives with his family on a small island off the Dalmatian coast of Italy. Like his fellow villagers, Squarciò struggles against harsh living conditions, a scarcity of fish in nearby waters and exploitation by the local wholesaler. But while the other fishermen continue to use nets, he goes out to the open sea to fish illegally with bombs. But Squarciò borrows money, loses his boat, and in a moment of supreme desperation, has to bomb directly off-shore, causing the hatred and rejection of his fellow fishermen. Trying to save his family, Squarciò and his young sons sail their new boat out beyond the local waters and bomb-fish again. But this time, the sea exacts a terrible toll…

Who’s in it. The Wide Blue Road stars Yves Montand as Giovanni Squarciò, Alida Valli as Rosetta, la moglie, Francisco Rabal as Salvatore and Umberto Spadaro as Gaspare Puggioni, 1st Coast Guard Officer, among others.

How it landed. With an audience score of 6.0/10, The Wide Blue Road has drawn a solid, mixed-to-positive response.

Where to watch. Streaming options change often. See the full, country-by-country breakdown on our where to watch The Wide Blue Road page.

If you liked it. Fans of The Wide Blue Road tend to enjoy The Shawshank Redemption, The Godfather, Schindler's List and The Godfather Part II.