The Truth on the Savolta Affair

A tragic series of historical incidents is effectively and compellingly revealed in this ugly story about avarice and power struggles in the world of arms sales and politics. The setting is Barcelona at the end of World War I, and the Spanish weapons manufacturer Savolta (Omero Anonutti) is having trouble with union discontent. While he is trying to sell weapons to the French, one of his company representatives is secretly selling to the Germans. An accountant discovers the deals with Germany, tips off a journalist, and he goes to Savolta to blackmail him into accepting the unions' demands. The result is a bloodbath, as hired thugs kill off all the protagonists and even some of their families while the cheating representative assumes control of the company and the unions are broken.