在这部伽利略传剧情片中,After his encounter with Giordano Bruno in 1592, Galileo convinces himself that the sun, and not the earth, is at the center of universe. The Church considers Galileo's theory a heresy, but he continues his studies in Florence, until he's arrested and tried. Standing before the inquisition court in 1633, he will sign a solemn abjuration. Galileo Galilei and the Church: a controversial and hard subject faced by Liliana Cavani in this TV movie (which was later screened in movie theaters), which portrays Galileo's drama when he opposed himself to a conservative and obscurantist church. Cavani focuses on the contrasts, and powerfully proposes his story with dramatic intensity.
A humble scientist from Padua proves that the Earth revolves and that it is not the center of the universe. He has few supporters and many enemies. When Giordano Bruno dies a martyr's death, Galileo exclaims: "Science needs scientists, not martyrs!" In order to preserve his discovery and continue his research he tries to make peace with the church but does not succeed. Slandered and misunderstood by his contemporaries, Galileo suffers the tragic isolation of men of genius the importance of whose lifework is recognized only by subsequent generations.