Italian Gangsters - Like we’ve never seen them before
Whether it’s the Camorra of Naples, the ‛Ndrangheta of Calabria or Cosa Nostra of Sicily, we are accustomed to seeing cinematic stories of organized crime running rampant in the south of Italy. Director Renato De Maria changes things up and presents us with a highly entertaining account of organized crime that plagued Italy’s northern city of Milan during the difficult years following World War II.
In a wildly creative, innovative film that the Hollywood
Reporter describes as “Director Renato De Maria’s most entertaining film to
date”, Italian Gangsters focuses on a group of notorious bandits and crime
bosses that emerged from the rubble of post-war Italy, when Milan was just about leveled. These bandits came from
struggling, working class families, many belonging to the Communist party, and
openly opposed to the wartime fascist ideology.
Utilizing archival news footage, newspaper clippings, scenes
from feature films by Marco Bellocchio and Michelangelo Antonioni, gripping
music, reenactments and narratives by top Italian actors, Renato De Maria
presents us with one of the most creative films I have ever seen. Even if
you’re not a fan of gangster-themed films, the pace, the complexity and the underlying history of the film will keep you totally engaged and on the
edge of your seat.
Actors Andrea Di
Casa, Aldo Ottobrino, Francesco Sferrazza Papa, Sergio Romano, Paolo Mazzarelli
and Luca Micheletti become the infamous gangesters- Horst Fantazzini, Pietro
Cavallero , Enzo Barbieri, Paolo Casaroli, Luciano De Maria and Luciano Lutring.
The characters were drawn from the actual writings and confessions of the gangsters themselves. Each actor puts his own twist on his character, creating six fascinating, charismatic protagonists.
I was especially moved by Paolo Mazzarelli’s interpretation
of gangster, Luciano De Maria. The performance was very natural and Mazzarelli
found the perfect balance of portraying De Maria while adding his own
gestures and personality. In doing so, he humbled the character without taking
away his bold, eccentric qualities. I also appreciated the story that he
recounted- the robbery of via Osoppo in Milan. It was a carefully orchestrated robbery of an armored car that was carried out in the hustle and bustle
of the city. It would go on to be one of the most-talked about, most-examined
armed robberies in Italy’s history. However, it’s something that most Americans
have never heard of, so for this reason, I found it interesting. In
reading about the heist, I learned it was the inspiration behind two
highly-acclaimed crime comedies- Mario Monicelli’s I soliti ignoti (The Big Deal on Madonna Street) and its
sequel, Nanni Loy’s, Audace colpo dei soliti ignoti (Fiasco in
Milan). Both films were huge commercial successes and
starred iconic actors Vittorio Gassman, Claudia Cardinale, Marcello
Mastroianni and Totò.
Paolo Mazzarelli as Luciano De Maria |
Reading about the heist made me even more curious, so I contacted Paolo Mazzarelli, the actor that portrays this
fascinating character, Luciano De Maria, and asked him to shed some light on De
Maria and the robbery of via Osoppo.
Your character tells the story of the robbery of the armored vehicle on via Osoppo in Milan. It’s been referred to as "the most sensational robbery ever recorded in Milan". What made that robbery of 27 February 1958 so epic?
There are two things: the huge amount of money stolen, and the fact that the whole operation was carried out not only without hurting anyone, but without firing a single shot. From the point of view of a bandit, it was an absolutely perfect job. After all these years, and not only in Milan, people still remember that robbery.
Our interview was done in Italian, so I am including both
versions.
What did you do to become Luciano de Maria? Tell me about
your research.
There are not many written records on Luciano De Maria. So, I just tried to give life, humanity, rhythm and irony to the words the writers gave me for my character- words which alone created a varied and vivid portrait.
There are not many written records on Luciano De Maria. So, I just tried to give life, humanity, rhythm and irony to the words the writers gave me for my character- words which alone created a varied and vivid portrait.
Che cosa hai
fatto per diventare Luciano de Maria? Raccontami la tua ricerca.
Su Luciano De Maria non esistono moltissime testimonianze scritte. Ho cercato semplicemente di dare vita, umanità, ritmo, ironia alle parole che gli sceneggiatori mi hanno regalato per il mio personaggio, parole che da sole ne facevano un ritratto variegato e vivido.
Su Luciano De Maria non esistono moltissime testimonianze scritte. Ho cercato semplicemente di dare vita, umanità, ritmo, ironia alle parole che gli sceneggiatori mi hanno regalato per il mio personaggio, parole che da sole ne facevano un ritratto variegato e vivido.
What qualities of yourself did you give to this character?
I tried to give my bandit an irony and a boldness that, in part, are also characteristics of my own personality. De Maria, like the other bandits featured in the film, played around with his persona, giving it a fictionalized and romantic image. Today, that type of bandit no longer exists, so it was fun and exciting to enter this world and tiptoe around as an actor.
I tried to give my bandit an irony and a boldness that, in part, are also characteristics of my own personality. De Maria, like the other bandits featured in the film, played around with his persona, giving it a fictionalized and romantic image. Today, that type of bandit no longer exists, so it was fun and exciting to enter this world and tiptoe around as an actor.
Quali sono le
qualità di te stesso che hai dato a questo personaggio?
Ho cercato di dare al mio bandito una ironia e una sfrontatezza che, in parte, sono anche caratteristiche della mia personalità. De Maria, come altri banditi raccontati dal film, giocava col proprio personaggio, con una immagine romanzata e romantica di bandito che, oggi, non esiste più. E' stato divertente ed eccitante entrare nel suo mondo in punta di piedi, come attore.
Ho cercato di dare al mio bandito una ironia e una sfrontatezza che, in parte, sono anche caratteristiche della mia personalità. De Maria, come altri banditi raccontati dal film, giocava col proprio personaggio, con una immagine romanzata e romantica di bandito che, oggi, non esiste più. E' stato divertente ed eccitante entrare nel suo mondo in punta di piedi, come attore.
Your character tells the story of the robbery of the armored vehicle on via Osoppo in Milan. It’s been referred to as "the most sensational robbery ever recorded in Milan". What made that robbery of 27 February 1958 so epic?
There are two things: the huge amount of money stolen, and the fact that the whole operation was carried out not only without hurting anyone, but without firing a single shot. From the point of view of a bandit, it was an absolutely perfect job. After all these years, and not only in Milan, people still remember that robbery.
Il tuo
personaggio ha raccontato la storia della rapina del camion porta valori di via
Osoppo a Milano. E’ stata chiamata, “la più sensazionale rapina che mai la
cronaca milanese abbia registrato”. Qual è il motivo, che ha reso quella rapina
di 27 feb 1958 così epica?
Due cose: l'enorme quantità di denaro rubato, e il fatto che tutta l'operazione sia stata svolta non solo senza ferire nessuno, ma addirittura senza sparare un colpo. Dal punto di vista di un bandito, un lavoro assolutamente perfetto. Al punto che di quella rapina, a Milano e non solo, c'è ancora memoria a distanza di tanti anni.
At any time during his life, did Luciano de Maria express remorse for the crimes that he committed?
I don’t know if he ever really expressed remorse. Surely, the 20 years imprisonment that he served was a long period of reflection and perhaps then, he questioned his actions as a criminal. But there’s really no way of knowing if he traveled that path to clear his conscience.
In quale momento,
durante la sua vita, Luciano De Maria ha espresso rimorso per i crimini che ha
commesso? Due cose: l'enorme quantità di denaro rubato, e il fatto che tutta l'operazione sia stata svolta non solo senza ferire nessuno, ma addirittura senza sparare un colpo. Dal punto di vista di un bandito, un lavoro assolutamente perfetto. Al punto che di quella rapina, a Milano e non solo, c'è ancora memoria a distanza di tanti anni.
At any time during his life, did Luciano de Maria express remorse for the crimes that he committed?
I don’t know if he ever really expressed remorse. Surely, the 20 years imprisonment that he served was a long period of reflection and perhaps then, he questioned his actions as a criminal. But there’s really no way of knowing if he traveled that path to clear his conscience.
Non lo so. Non so
neanche se abbia mai davvero espresso rimorso. Sicuramente i 20 anni di carcere
che si è fatto saranno stati un lungo periodo di riflessione e magari anche di
messa in discussione del suo operato criminale, ma io non ho elementi per sapere
che percorso abbia fatto la sua coscienza.
Italian Gangsters will be available online until September
8th through the Venice Film Festival’s Sala Web program.
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