In this masterpiece classic director Francesco Rosi tells the story of Salvatore Giuliano, a famous Sicilian gangster that during the mid-40’s collaborated with a Sicilian separatist group, Movement for the Independence of Sicily (MIS), with close ties to the Mafia engaging with small-scale attacks on government and police targets. Rosi delivers a poignant documentary that… Continue reading Salvatore Giuliano (Francesco Rosi – 1962)
Category: Political
Christ Stopped At Eboli – Cristo si è Fermato a Eboli (Francesco Rosi – 1979)
In this film, Francesco Rosi tells the story of painter Carlo Levi, an anti-fascist activist that was arrested in Turin in 1935 and was sent by Mussolini to the remote town of Gagliano (invented name) – in what is known today as Basilicata. If you ignore the historical context of this film and focus on… Continue reading Christ Stopped At Eboli – Cristo si è Fermato a Eboli (Francesco Rosi – 1979)
The Escort – La Scorta (Ricky Tognazzi – 1993)
Ricky Tognazzi’s classic anti-mafia thriller is deeply grounded in reality. The film was made a year after judge Giovanni Falcone was murdered as he was on his way to Palermo airport. The judge, his wife, and three police bodyguards were killed. Interestingly the film is not about the judge or the case, but focuses on… Continue reading The Escort – La Scorta (Ricky Tognazzi – 1993)
Hands over the City – Le Mani Sulla Città (Francesco Rosi – 1963)
The characters and events shown are imaginary The social and environmental context is real Fracesco Rosi‘s outrageously bold social realism film ends with the above condemning statement. The film offers a unique over the shoulder view into the world of political deal making and corruption in Naples of the early 60’s. Rod Steiger effectively plays… Continue reading Hands over the City – Le Mani Sulla Città (Francesco Rosi – 1963)
Partner (Bernardo Bertolucci – 1968)
I had no particular expectations from this film. I believe a film synopsis has this ingrained tendency to misrepresent sometimes. In this film Bernardo Bertolucci takes you to his early days in cinema, during the tumultuous late 60’s. It’s highly experimental, with erratic jump cuts, inconsistent plot line, political propaganda (Free Vietnam!) and occasional stylistic… Continue reading Partner (Bernardo Bertolucci – 1968)