History Film / ElAlameinTheLineOfFire

* BritsWithBattleships: The film's antagonists.

* GenreSavvy: The Corporal who brings Serra to the front line is able to recognize whether an artillery shell is gonna land in the distance, or on his position, simply by hearing how the incoming 'whoosh' sounds. The first time it happens, Serra jumps down while the Corporal just [[{{Badass}} calmly stands up]] in the dust, and explains him about this. Half a minute later a second bombardment happens, this time on their position, and he shouts to Serra to get to cover, but while shouting [[spoiler: a shell lands right on him. When Sergeant Rizzo and two of his men arrive, all they found of Serra's Corporal is [[SmolderingShoes an ear]]]].

* NazisWithGnarlyWeapons: While largely OutOfFocus due to the film focusing on the Italians, they still make their presence throughout.

''El Alamein - The Line Of Fire'' (2002) is an Italian film directed by Enzo Monteleone, set during WorldWarII and starring Paolo Briguglia, Emilio Solfrizzi and Pierfrancesco Favino. It takes place during the [[WorldWarII/WarInEuropeAndAfrica Battle of El Alamein]], and follows a group of Italian soldiers from the Pavia division, which is deployed in the south sector of the line, close to the Qattara Depression. A new soldier, Private Serra, arrives on the front line full of enthusiasm. He soon finds out that life on the front line is much more horrible than he had learned.

** {{Subverted}} by the Afrika Korps, of all people: not only they barely show up, but the only things we know for certain about them in the film is that some of them still have trucks to retreat with, the British broke through ''them'', and they're ''still'' blaming the Italians for the defeat.

* GenreSavvy: The Corporal who brings Serra to the front line is able to recognize whether an artillery shell is gonna land in the distance, or on his position, simply by hearing how the incoming 'whoosh' sounds. The first time it happens, Serra jumps down while the Corporal just [[BadAss calmly stands up]] in the dust, and explains him about this. Half a minute later a second bombardment happens, this time on their position, and he shouts to Serra to get to cover, but while shouting [[spoiler: a shell lands right on him. When Sergeant Rizzo and two of his men arrive, all they found of Serra's Corporal is [[SmolderingShoes an ear]].]]

* InfiniteSupplies: {{Averted}}: the Italian troops have little food, fuel munitions, medicines, and water (and what water they get is polluted). The British tend to give this impression with their casual artillery salvoes and every single soldier being loaded with food, but the soldiers, being GenreSavvy, realize it's just because they're near their supply bases, so their supplies have a much shorter way to the front.

* SoleSurvivor: [[spoiler:The platoon which had formed during the retreat is captured by the British while they were sleeping at a graveyard. Only Pvt. Serra, Sgt. Rizzo and Lt. Fiore remain, because they were sleeping outside of the graveyard, and Rizzo's moral code was 'rather die than be captured']].

* WarIsHell: The film manages to drive this point home ''before anyone in the cast dies'', by showing the ''Bersagliere'' happy for successfully scavenging a quarter litre of fuel, the sight of Fiore's command post, the insistence on Serra's canteen of pure water (extremely rare on the frontlines) and the GenreSavvy corporal so used to artillery he can tell when the shells are coming down on him. ''Then'' the corporal shouts Serra to take cover because an artillery salvo is about to hit them, and gets [[NoKillLikeOverkill disintegrated when a shell hits his head]].

* EyeScream: One of the soldiers during the british attack is hit in the eye.

* WarIsGlorious: Serra joins the army because he believes this. He's disabused of this notion before the fifth minute of the movie.

* HollywoodMirage: Averted. When Rizzo and Serra enter the Qattara Depression for the aforementioned patrol, they only see a 'Fata Morgana' [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fata_Morgana_(mirage)]] type of mirage in the distance.

* FiveSecondForeshadowing: Only evident if you pay attention to the soundscape. Every time artillery shells are going to land, you can hear the faint, low boom of the British guns 5 seconds before the [[StuffBlowingUp explosions]].
** The reason for it being unnoticeable is that the sound blends in with the wind. It's only evident once you hear the shells landing.

* EyeScream: One of the soldiers, Tarozzi, loses vision in his right eye during the British assault. He's not seen again until the troops get a transport truck at a medic post.
--> '''Serra''': Tarozzi!
--> '''Tarozzi''': Hello, Serra.
--> '''Fiore''': How are you?
--> '''Tarozzi''': [takes off bandage] Here's how I am.
** The injury is a bit ironic because Tarozzi is good at using mortars at close range, by checking the target site to aim the mortar.

* ShellShockedVeteran: When Rizzo and Serra return from their patrol, they find out Private De Vita has becomed this because of the massive Allied preemptive bombing on the Axis lines, for the ground troops. De Vita says that "everything is broken" and starts literally hammering on boxes to fix them. [[spoiler:He finally snaps during the British attack, where he steps out of his foxhole and walks away into the smoke and into certain death.]]

* VeryLooselyBasedOnATrueStory: The protagonists are from the Pavia division, but they are stationed at Naqb Rala (the most southern section of the line before the Qattara Depression), while in reality the Folgore paratroopers were stationed there, while Pavia was higher up.
** The director actually made a documentary called (''I Ragazzi Di El Alamein'') (The Boys Of El Alamein), where several Italian veterans of the Battle of El Alamein are interviewed. The film itself, before the credits, has a summary of the battle, with the numbers of dead, wounded and captured, and also explains that three Italian divisions where completely wiped out during the retreat.

* BasedOnATrueStory: The director actually made a documentary called (''I Ragazzi Di El Alamein'') (The Boys Of El Alamein), where several Italian veterans of the Battle of El Alamein are interviewed. The film itself, before the credits, has a summary of the battle, with the numbers of dead, wounded and captured, and also explains that three Italian divisions where completely wiped out during the retreat.

* WithThisHerring: In one scene the troops receive two trucks of supplies (which were heading for the coast, but took a completely wrong direction), one full of shoe polish, and the other carrying Mussolini's [[WhiteStallion personal horse]], for the great parade of [[GeneralFailure the arrival to Alexandria]]. Apparently Mussolini [[ArmchairMilitary doesn't understand]] that they're never going to arrive to Alexandria.
*

* WithThisHerring: In one scene the troops receive two trucks of supplies, one full of shoe polish, and the other carrying Mussolini's [[WhiteStallion personal horse]], for the great parade of [[GeneralFailure the arrival to Alexandria]]. Apparently Mussolini [[ArmchairMilitary doesn't understand]] that they're never going to arrive to Alexandria.

--> '''Tarozzi''': [takes off patch] Here's how I am.

* HollywoodMirage: Averted. When Rizzo and Serra enter the Qattara Depression for the aforementioned patrol, they only see a sort of 'woman' silhoutte in the distance, a mirage which is apparently well-known among the troops.

* TearJerker: At the end of the film we see the real-existing Italian military memorial of El Alamein, with walls of [[TheDeadHaveNames names of fallen soldiers]] among other walls filled with 'Ignoto' (Unknown).

'''''El Alamein - The Line Of Fire''''' (2002) is an Italian film directed by Enzo Monteleone, set during WorldWarII and starring Paolo Briguglia, Emilio Solfrizzi and Pierfrancesco Favino. It takes place during the [[WorldWarII/WarInEuropeAndAfrica Battle of El Alamein]], and follows a group of Italian soldiers from the Pavia division, which is deployed in the south sector of the line, close to the Qattara Depression. A new soldier, Private Serra, arrives on the front line full of enthusiasm. He soon finds out that life on the front line is much more horrible than he had learned.