The Pigeon That Took Rome


The Pigeon That Took Rome is a 1962 film directed and written by Melville Shavelson and starring Charlton Heston. The film is a comedy set in World War II and was based on the 1961 novel The Easter Dinner by former spy Donald Downes.

Plot

In 1944, during the last stages of the war in Europe, American officers Paul MacDougall and Joseph Contini are sent to Italy to act as spies for the Allies, even though they have no experience in espionage. Working with Partisan resistance soldier Ciccio Massimo, MacDougall and Contini send regular reports to their superiors by carrier pigeon.
Contini also finds himself falling in love with Massimo's pregnant daughter Rosalba, while her sister Antonella has her eye on MacDougall. Contini proposes to Rosalba, and Ciccio prepares a feast to celebrate his daughter's upcoming wedding. However, Ciccio prepares squab for the occasion, killing all but one of the carrier pigeons. Ciccio scrambles to replace them, but the new pigeons he finds are German, and they deliver MacDougall's and Contini's messages directly into enemy hands, creating new confusion.

Cast

Academy Awards
  • Best Art Direction-Set Decoration, Black-and-White
Golden Globe Awards
''' Writers Guild of America