Skip to main content

The Anthology Film Archives Presents: The Italian Connection: Poliziotteschi and Other Italo-Crime Films of the 1960s and '70's

June 19 – June 29



Influenced both by 1960s political cinema and Italian crime novels, as well as by French noir and American cop movies like "Dirty Harry" and "The French Connection," many Italian filmmakers in the late-60s and early-70s gradually moved away from the spaghetti western genre, trading lone cowboys for ‘bad’ cops and the rough frontier of the American west for the mean streets of modern Italy. Just as they had with their westerns, they reinvented the borrowed genre with their inimitable eye for style and filled their stories with the kidnappings, heists, vigilante justice, and brutal violence that suffused this turbulent moment in post-boom 1970s Italy. The undercurrent of fatalism and cynicism in these uncompromising movies is eerily reminiscent of the state of discontent in Italy today.

‘The Italian Connection’ showcases the diversity and innovation found in the genre, from the gangster noir of Fernando Di Leo’s "Caliber 9" to Damiano Damiani’s political thriller "Confessions of a Police Captain," and from Carlo Lizzani’s real-time exposé "Bandits in  Milan" to Umberto Lenzi’s genre favorite "Almost Human" and Aldo Lado’s scarce "Born Winner," starring Joe Dallessandro. Featuring terrific scores by Ennio Morricone, Stelvio Cipriani, Bruno Nicolai, Maurizio & Guido De Angelis, and others, some of these gems have been rediscovered and released on DVD thanks to the enthusiasm of the likes of Quentin Tarantino and Joe Dante, but many remain under-recognized in the U.S.


Upcoming Screenings

THE VIOLENT FOUR (aka BANDITS IN MILAN)

  • Carlo Lizzani
  • June 19 at 7:00 PM
    June 25 at 7:00 PM
  • (BANDITI A MILANO)
  • With Gian Maria Volonté and Tomas Milian.
  • Based on an actual band of bank robbers in Milan in the 60s, Carlo Lizzani’s pre-cursor to the popular crime noir of the following decade employs cinema vérité techniques to expose the underbelly of Italy’s most modern city. Tomas Milian is the detective hot on the trail of a pack of bandits led by the charismatic Gian Maria Volonté. This essential entry was selected for the 1968 Cannes Film Festival, which was canceled due to the tumultuous political events of May ’68.
  • HIGH CRIME
  • Enzo G. Castellari
  • June 19 at 9:15 PM
    June 29 at 4:30 PM
  • (LA POLIZIA INCRIMINA LA LEGGE ASSOLVE)
  • With Franco Nero and Fernando Rey.
  • Widely considered the Poliziottesco that started it all, this highly stylized crime action drama from the genre master Castellari (of the original INGLORIOUS BASTARDS fame) spawned a whole generation of ‘bad’ cops. Franco Nero dazzles as the hot-tempered, trigger-happy detective who is out to bring down a powerful European drug ring while fighting the system that cripples him. On display are delirious chase sequences on the road, the roof, even a golf course, along with no-holds-barred violence, notably involving meat hooks and signature slow motion.
  • WE STILL KILL THE OLD WAY
  • Elio Petri
  • June 20 at 7:00 PM
    June 24 at 9:00 PM
  • (A CIASCUNO IL SUO)
    With Gian Maria Volonté, Irene Papas, and Gabriele Ferzetti.

    Following a string of anonymous letters, a man is killed during a hunting party. A leftist professor begins sleuthing around for the truth as he becomes involved with the man’s widow and her cousin. With a sort of strange happy ending, Petri’s foray into Sicilian ways is a rarely-seen suspense/romance film with top-notch performances from Gian Maria Volonté, Irene Papas, and Gabriele Ferzetti (L’AVVENTURA).
  • CALIBER 9
  • Fernando Di Leo
  • June 20 at 9:15 PM
    June 26 at 7:00 PM
    June 29 at 9:00 PM
  • (MILANO CALIBRO 9)
    With Gastone Moschin, Barbara Bouchet, Mario Adorf, Fernando Cerulli, and Frank Wolff.
  • Gastone Moschin (THE CONFORMIST) is Ugo Piazza, a tight-lipped gangster just released from prison. He is hounded by Rocco, the psychopathic right-hand man of a powerful Milan gang, played with manic energy by the inimitable Mario Adorf, who believes that Ugo had something to do with a large sum of money that’s gone missing. Di Leo, who got his start as one of the screenwriters for Sergio Leone, gives this film – the first chapter of what is known as the ‘milieu trilogy’ – a near Shakespearean touch. Stylized action sequences, a terrific score by Luis Enriquez Bacalov, the gritty setting of Milan in the 70s, and clever plot twists are just a few of the reasons why Quentin Tarantino has called this the best Italian noir ever made.
  • CONFESSIONS OF A POLICE CAPTAIN
  • Damiano Damiani

  • June 21 at 4:30 PM
    June 28 at 6:45 PM
  • (CONFESSIONE DI UN COMMISSARIO DI POLIZIA AL PROCURATORE DELLA REPUBBLICA)
    With Franco Nero and Martin Balsam.
  • A police captain (Balsam) – determined to bring justice by all means to criminals who appear to be above the law – clashes with a young DA (Franco Nero) who wants to play by the book. Damiani’s disturbing political thriller is a good guy vs. good guy drama where the bad guy is the impenetrable system ruled by corruption and unsavory ties. The NEW YORK TIMES called it “a thoughtful, modest movie about the perversion of justice.”
  • GRAND SLAM
  • Giuliano Montaldo
  • June 21 at 6:45 PM
    June 27 at 7:00 PM
  • (AD OGNI COSTO)
    With Janet Leigh, Robert Hoffmann, Klaus Kinski, and Edward G. Robinson.

    Featuring an international cast (Edward G. Robinson, Klaus Kinski, Janet Leigh), Montaldo’s suspenseful caper offers plenty of thrills typical of the genre, and much more as well. A group of international thieves band together to pull off a diamond heist during the Carnival in Rio, and the only person that stands in their way is the gem company’s icy secretary, memorably played by Leigh.
  • RABID DOGS
  • Mario Bava
  • June 21 at 9:15 PM
    June 28 at 4:30 PM
  • (CANI ARRABBIATI)
  • A departure from the horror master’s usual fare, this terrific thriller finds three armed robbers, with hostage in tow, hijacking a car driven by a man with a sick child. Shot almost entirely inside a moving car, there is much more here than meets the eye. Due to the death of the main investor, the production was shut down as it neared completion, and Bava never lived to see the finished film, which he himself considered his most important work. In the late 90s, the elements of the unfinished film were rediscovered and, following Bava’s notes, the film was finally completed. A decade later, an alternative version with newly-shot footage and a different soundtrack was released on DVD in the U.S. under the title KIDNAPPED. We will be showing both the first cut (on June 21 & 28) with its original Stelvio Cipriani soundtrack (available only digitally) and the new version (on 35mm) on June 24!
  • INVESTIGATION OF A CITIZEN ABOVE SUSPICION
  • Elio Petri
  • June 22 at 4:15 PM
    June 26 at 9:00 PM
  • (INDAGINE SU UN CITTADINO AL DI SOPRA DI OGNI SOSPETTO)
    With Gian Maria Volonté.
  • An unnamed police chief kills his mistress for no apparent reason and leaves a trail of clues in his wake. A potent satire/police procedural on the corrupting nature of power, Elio Petri’s masterpiece distills all the cynicism and rage typical in these films down to its very essence. Viewing this in the context of the genre is sure to offer a renewed perspective even to those who are familiar with the film.

  • ALMOST HUMAN
  • Umberto Lenzi
  • June 22 at 6:45 PM
    June 25 at 9:15 PM
  • (MILANO ODIA: LA POLIZIA NON PUÒ SPARARE)
    With Tomas Milian and Henry Silva.
  • In this nonstop action thriller from the prolific Umberto Lenzi (PARANOIA, NIGHTMARE CITY, CANNIBAL FEROX), a sociopathic criminal (gleefully played by Tomas Milian) kidnaps the daughter of a rich man, and to get his hands on the loot he will kill, backstab, and blackmail anyone and everyone. As the original U.S. trailer advises, “CAUTION: Morally and sexually this motion picture may shock you. But it’s an experience in psycho-sadism you will never forget.” This is Lenzi at his most scathing and unapologetic.

  • WHAT HAVE THEY DONE TO YOUR DAUGHTERS?
  • Massimo Dallamano
  • June 22 at 9:00 PM
    June 27 at 9:30 PM
  • (LA POLIZIA CHIEDE AIUTO)
    With Giovanna Ralli and Mario Adorf.
  • When a young girl is found dead by hanging, the police find themselves on the trail of a motorcycle killer. What they uncover is a truth far more sinister and inconvenient. A perfect blend of police procedural and suspenseful giallo, this is the second installment in the ‘school girls in peril’ trilogy by Dallamano (who was formerly Sergio Leone’s cinematographer). Released in the U.S. as COED MURDERS, this socially relevant thriller is graced by a terrifically catchy score by Stelvio Cipriani.
  • BLOOD IN THE STREETS (aka REVOLVER)
  • Sergio Sollima
  • June 23 at 6:45 PM
    June 28 at 9:00 PM
  • With Oliver Reed and Fabio Testi.

    A prison warden’s wife is kidnapped, and the kidnapper demands the release of one of the warden’s prisoners in exchange. The plot is a familiar one, except that in this case the warden, played by the charismatic and boozy Oliver Reed, takes matters into his own hands by kidnapping the convict (Fabio Testi) after orchestrating his very escape. What ensues is a surprisingly compelling drama between the two men as they set out, through the foggy streets of northern Italy to the bohemian lofts of Paris, to uncover the truth and save Reed’s wife. Sollima considered the film foremost a drama set against a crime backdrop rather than a straight entry in the genre.

  • BORN WINNER
  • Aldo Lado
  • June 23 at 9:00 PM
    June 29 at 6:45 PM
  • (L’ULTIMA VOLTA)
    With Joe Dallesandro.

    A down-on-his-luck waiter (Massimo Ranieri) and a motorcycle racer-turned-thief played by Warhol superstar Joe Dallesandro team up for a heist, but what sets this curious blend of action, drama, and comedy apart is its focus on the two leads’ budding friendship, with a hint of homoerotic undercurrent. This rare film is underscored by the music of Fabio Frizzi (ZOMBIE, THE BEYOND) and the classy direction of Aldo Lado (THE SHORT NIGHT OF THE GLASS DOLLS, WHO SAW HER DIE, NIGHT TRAIN MURDERS).

  • KIDNAPPED (aka RABID DOGS)
  • Mario Bava
  • June 24 at 7:00 PM
  • (CANI ARRABBIATI)

    A departure from the horror master’s usual fare, this terrific thriller finds three armed robbers, with hostage in tow, hijacking a car driven by a man with a sick child. Shot almost entirely inside a moving car, there is much more here than meets the eye. Due to the death of the main investor, the production was shut down as it neared completion, and Bava never lived to see the finished film, which he himself considered his most important work. In the late 90s, the elements of the unfinished film were rediscovered and, following Bava’s notes, the film was finally completed (as RABID DOGS). A decade later, an alternative version with newly-shot footage and a different soundtrack was released on DVD in the U.S. under the title KIDNAPPED. We will be showing both the first cut (on June 21 & 28) with its original Stelvio Cipriani soundtrack (available only digitally) and the new version (on 35mm) on June 24!
For more information, visit http://anthologyfilmarchives.org.

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

"Roma 11:00" – The Tragic True Story of Desperation in a World of Poverty

There couldn’t have been a more perfect couple than Lucia Bosè and Raf Vallone in Giuseppe De Santis’ 1952 “Roma 11:00.”  A tragic story based on true events, the film follows several young women in post-WWII Rome as they answer a job listing for a typist. When 200 women are in line on one staircase over several floors, a crack leads to the collapse of the entire staircase. Dozens were injured and one was killed. The tragedy spoke to the poverty and desperation that existed for so many Italians in the early 1950s before the ‘58 industrial boom began.  Cesare Zavattini was one of the screenwriters. Elio Petri was the assistant director who interviewed many of the victims and cast a few in supporting roles. In addition to Bosè and Vallone, the film stars Carla Del Poggio, Massimo Girotti, Maria Grazia Francia, Lea Padovani and Delia Scala. The film is set in Largo Circense 37, while in reality the collapse took place in via Savoia 31, in the Salario district, on J...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Timeless Talent of Stefania Sandrelli

On screen since the tender age of 14, she has captivated audiences for more than 50 years with a compelling combination of strength and vulnerability. She achieved stardom at just 14 years old playing the angelic cousin of a love-struck Marcello Mastroianni in Pietro Germi’s “Divorce Italian Style.” More than half a century later, she is still going strong and remains one of Italy’s most esteemed actors. Stefania Sandrelli was born on June 5, 1946, in Viareggio in the province of Lucca in northern Italy. As a child, she studied music and dance. Then in 1960, she won a beauty pageant and was featured on the cover of Le Ore magazine. Her purity captivated the country and shortly thereafter, movie offers began pouring in. Just one year later, she made her cinema debut in three feature films: Mario Sequi’s Gioventù di notte , Luciano Salce’s The Fascist, and Pietro Germi’s Divorce Italian Style . She instantly became a star and before long was a key figure in Italy’s legend...
Post a Comment
Read more

'Salvatore Giuliano' blends documentary realism with dramatic storytelling

"Salvatore Giuliano" is a 1962 Italian crime drama directed by Francesco Rosi that dramatizes the real-life events surrounding the life and death of the legendary Sicilian bandit and folk hero. Giuliano rose to notoriety after the liberation of Sicily from fascist control in 1943, when he formed a gang that joined a separatist army. When the army dissolved, he and his gang intensified their outlaw activities. One of their most significant crimes was the Portella della Ginestra incident, during which dozens of men, women, and children were killed or wounded. This act prompted the authorities to launch an all-out war against Giuliano. His defenses slowly crumbled, and on July 5, 1959, his body was discovered in the courtyard of a house in Castelvetrano. That moment serves as the starting point for Rosi's film. Giuliano's fame is tied to his involvement in the Sicilian independence movement and his battles against both the Italian government and the Mafia in the 1940s a...
Post a Comment
Read more

Federico Fellini: A Look into the Life and Career of an Icon

A Fellini family portrait  “The term became a common word to describe something on the surface you can say is bizarre or strange, but actually is really like a painter working on a film,” said Martin Scorsese when asked to define “Felliniesque,” an adjective inspired by one of the greatest filmmakers of all time. The oldest of three children, Federico Fellini was born in the seaside town of Rimini in 1920. His father was a traveling salesman, so his mother was left to do the bulk of raising the children. One can argue that Fellini was born for his destiny. “You could tell that even as a child, he was different and unique. He was very intelligent, well above average. He was always the one to organize things, direct the others, make up games. He could control the other kids with just a look, said Fellini’s sister, Maddalena, in an interview with journalist Gideon Bachmann.  Not only was Fellini directing the children, but he was also putting on shows and charging ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Gianfranco Rosi to premiere 'Sotto le nuvole' at Venice Film Fest, exploring Naples' history

Documentary filmmaker Gianfranco Rosi will premiere his much-anticipated latest film at the upcoming 82nd Venice International Film Festival , which runs August 27 - Sept. 6. "Sotto le nuvole" (Below the Clouds)  takes a deep dive into the rich history and culture of Naples and the area surrounding Mount Vesuvius. There has not been much information revealed but so far, we know that the film will focus on themes similar to those explored by Rosi in his previous works, such as the examination of Roman culture in "Sacro GRA" (2013) and Lampedusa's refugee crisis in "Fuocoammare" (2016).  The film's synopsis reads, “The land around Vesuvius is a vast palimpsest. On the surface, underground and even beneath the sea of the modern city of Naples and its surroundings, the memory of history is etched into tunnels, walls and fissures, the remains of women, children and men — statues, buried cities. Only thin layers separate contemporary and ancient life, an...
Post a Comment
Read more