The Gadfly (1955 film)

Ovod
Directed by	Aleksandr Fajntsimmer Iosif Shapiro
Written by	Viktor Shklovsky Ethel Lilian Voynich (novel)
Starring	Oleg Strizhenov Marina Strizhenova Nikolai Simonov Vladimir Etush
Music by	Dmitri Shostakovich
Cinematography	Andrei Moskvin
Production company	Lenfilm
Distributed by	Artkino Pictures
Release date	1955 (1955)
Country	Soviet Union
Language	Russian

The Gadfly (Russian: Овод, translit. Ovod) is a 1955 Soviet historical drama film based on the eponymous novel by Ethel Lilian Voynich and directed by Aleksandr Fajntsimmer. In 1955 the film was third in attendance in the Soviet Union, collecting 39.16 million ticket sales.

The motion picture tells a story of the underground struggle of Italian patriots against the Austrian invaders for independence of their homeland. Against the background of these events is a tragic story of a man transformed from a pure heart and an enthusiastic young man to an ruthless revolutionary - the legendary and elusive Gadfly.

The film adaptation is more of ideological than the Voynich novel. The romantic subplot was significantly reduced; Arthur and Gemma are shown not as lovers but as party comrades and the jealousy between Arthur and Giovanni due to Gemma is not depicted.

Young student Arthur Burton (Oleg Strizhenov) says goodbye to his beloved teacher, the priest Montanelli (Nikolai Simonov), who is departing to Rome on the orders of the Pope. Arthur participates in activities of the organization "Young Italy". He is resentful of its leader, Giovanni Bolla (Vadim Medvedev); he experiences jealousy towards him regarding his girlfriend Gemma (Marina Strizhenova) and confesses this to the priest, father Cardi (Ruben Simonov). After the confession all revolutionaries end up arrested by the gendarmes. Arthur is walking through the prison courtyard and admits to Giovanni what he told in the confessional and Giovanni calls him a traitor. Arthur gets released from prison and tries to tell Gemma about what happened but she slaps him and runs away. Back home Arthur learns from his uncle Burton that his real father is Montanelli. Arthur's world falls apart before his eyes, he breaks his crucifix and runs out of his home. Everyone considers him dead.