Under the Roman Sky (original name "Sotto il Cielo di Roma") is a 2010 Mini Series directed by Christian Duguay.
It is about Pope Pius XII (James Cromwell) and how he faced Nazism during World War II. In parallel to this, there is also a story about the Jewish Ghetto of Rome, with two Italian Jewish protagonists named Davide (Marco Foschi) and Miriam (Alessandra Mastronardi).
Tropes:
- Abdicate the Throne: Pius XII writes a resignation letter in case he gets kidnapped by the Nazis.
- Badass Pacifist: Aside from the assassination attempt on Hitler which happened before the film, Pope Pius XII never relies on violence to face the Nazis. He asks the Swiss Guard not to attack.
- Gentleman Thief: Davide is a thief and a black marketman, but a good guy underneath.
- Historical Beauty Upgrade: Montini (Pope Paul VI) was rather unattractive in real life, but his actor Cesare Bocci is good-looking.
- Fire-Forged Friends: Davide and Marco hate each other, but become friends after having to work together.
- Friend in the Black Market: Davide sells robbed things in the black market. Miriam's father uses his help to do falsified documents for Jews.
