AFI FILM FEST: THE FINAL WEEK

T he following are capsule reviews of this week’s screenings at the AFI Film Festival of Los Angeles. Screenings take place at the Los Feliz Theater, 1822 N. Vermont Ave., Hollywood, except where noted. Tickets and information: (213) 520-2000 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. WEDNESDAY

“The Garden of the Finzi-Continis” (Italy/West Germany, 1970, 9:30 p.m.). A career high point for director Vittorio De Sica, this fine film illuminates the fate of the Jews under Mussolini, which in turn serves as the background for a poignant, ill-fated romance and also an eloquent but never sentimental evocation of a privileged, insulated way of life destroyed by World War II. The film marked a return to top form for De Sica after a long decline; it is being shown as part of the tribute to producer Arthur Cohn. Recommended.