The harbor of Trieste, at the head of the Adriatic, has at various times been an independent state, a port of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, part of Yugoslavia, and part of Italy. This film, set in 1917 when the city was still Austrian, examines the last days of the life of a fading nobleman (Alain Cuny) of Italian/Austrian lineage, and the change in that city's fortunes which his death prefigures. Only two years later, Trieste was ceded to Italy. This Italian movie is based on the novel La Rosa Rossa by Perantonio Quarantotti Bambini.
~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide