The Five Days (1973) Characters, Setting & Themes Explained

The film is set in Milan, Italy, during the 1848 uprising against Austrian rule. The story takes place across five days (March 18-22, 1848), when barricades appeared throughout the city streets and violence erupted between revolutionaries and Austrian forces. Milan serves not just as a backdrop but as an active participant, the urban landscape shifts from bustling markets to battleground, reflecting the volatile mood of the revolt.

• milan
• 1848
• italian revolution
• setting
• austrian rule

In March 1848, Milan erupted in the Five Days uprising, a mass urban revolt against Austrian Habsburg rule. Citizens built barricades, engaged in street battles with Austrian forces, and briefly expelled the occupying army. The revolt was part of a broader wave of revolutions sweeping across Europe that year. The film captures this chaotic period where ordinary civilians were pulled into revolutionary momentum, mixing fear and courage on the same streets.

• five days milan
• 1848 uprising
• austrian empire
• italian unification

The film explores three interconnected themes: Revolution, Friendship, and Truth vs Lie. The Revolution theme examines how collective uprising can be manipulated by ambitious individuals for personal gain. Friendship follows Meo and Romolo's unlikely bond, showing human connection amid chaos. Truth vs Lie reveals how hidden loyalties and betrayals, particularly Zampino's collaboration with the Austrians, unravel the myth of a pure popular uprising and expose how personal motives shape historical events.

• revolution
• friend
• truth
• lie
• betrayal
• themes

Meo Cainazzo is a petty criminal played by Adriano Celentano who escapes from prison during the Austrian bombardment of Milan. Rather than fleeing the city, he becomes drawn into the revolution while hunting for his gang leader Zampino. His journey moves from cynical pragmatism to harsh realization as he uncovers that his former ally may have collaborated with the Austrians. The character represents how ordinary people get caught up in historical events beyond their understanding.

• meo cainazzo
• adriano celentano
• thief
• criminal
• protagonist

Romolo Marcelli is a Roman baker played by Enzo Cerusico who travels to Milan to help his uncle during the uprising. He befriends Meo and participates in acts of courage, from building barricades to defending a pregnant woman. Despite being a newcomer to the city, he fully embraces the revolutionary cause. His arc underscores the human cost of political upheaval, as he is ultimately shot, highlighting how the revolution devours even its most idealistic participants.

• romolo marcelli
• baker
• roman
• supporting character

Meo and Romolo form an unlikely alliance that anchors the film amid the chaos of the uprising, the cynical thief and the good-natured baker become friends through shared circumstances and mutual need. Their friendship is tested by the broader political games played by figures like Baron Tranzunto and Zampino. The bond offers moments of kindness, helping others, sharing resources, standing up to danger, that provide respite from the violence surrounding them.

• friendship
• meo
• romolo
• baker
• thief
• alliance

The Truth vs Lie theme emerges when Meo discovers that his gang leader Zampino has been working with the Austrians, despite appearing loyal to the revolutionary cause. This revelation unravels the film's portrayal of the uprising, exposing how personal ambition and opportunism exploit revolutionary chaos for private gain. The film uses this betrayal to question the purity of political ideals and illustrate how hidden loyalties erode collective trust among rebels.

• truth
• lie
• betrayal
• zampino
• austrians
• collaboration

Baron Tranzunto is an ambitious aristocrat who recruits locals into a revolutionary brigade, using patriotic rhetoric to fuel his own power plays. He represents the manipulation and cruelty that often accompany revolts, embodying how revolutionary movements can be hijacked by those seeking personal gain. His actions contribute to the violence that consumes the most vulnerable civilians, contrasting with the more humble heroism of Meo and Romolo.

• baron tranzunto
• aristocrat
• manipulation
• power
• leader

The film has a bittersweet tone, blending comedic moments, such as farcical barricade-building with a nymphomaniac countess, with the grim realities of war and political betrayal. The comedic elements and satirical edge prevent it from feeling overwhelmingly heavy, even as it deals with themes of death, betrayal, and the futility of revolutionary ideals. The ending is decisively sad, with one friend executed and the other disillusioned by the revolution's corruption.

• tone
• bittersweet
• comedy
• drama
• satire
• ending

The film takes place during Austrian Habsburg rule over Lombardy-Venetia, which lasted from 1815 to 1866. The 1848 uprising was a direct response to this foreign domination and was part of the broader Italian unification movement. The presence of Austrian forces and the conflict between occupiers and Milanese civilians provides the political tension that drives the narrative, while the revelation of collaborators like Zampino highlights the complex loyalties that existed under foreign rule.

• austrian rule
• lombardy
• italian unification
• foreign occupation
• 1848