Gian Maria Volonte and incriminating paper trail in Todo Modo

Elio Petri: Todo Modo

March 28, 2017 Matt Blake 0

Elio Petri’s tendency towards obfuscation stepped up yet another gear with Todo modo (76), which is one of the strangest films ever made. Set in the near future, it delineates an Italian society that is run by a coalition between powerful industries, the ‘party’ and – above all – the Catholic Church.

Satire... or premonition? Ursula Andress in The Tenth Victim

Elio Petri: The Tenth Victim

November 28, 2015 Matt Blake 1

Based on a novel by Robert Sheckley, The Tenth Victim represented a marked sea change in Elio Petri’s oeuvre. Gone was the low key, wry approach of his former films: this is a brash, colorful production that exudes extravagance from it’s every pore.

Marcello Mastroianni in The Assassin

Elio Petri: The Assassin

May 25, 2015 Matt Blake 1

After making two shorts, Nasce un campione (54) and I sette contadini (59), Petri made his full debut with The Assassin (L’assassino, 61), based on a script co-written with Tonino Guerra (with whom he would later collaborate on several films).

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Ghosts of Rome

September 9, 2011 Matt Blake 2

Ghosts of Rome is another excellent comedy from Antonio Pietrangeli, the well respected – but rather forgotten – director of classics such as Adua e le compagne and Io la conoscevo bene.

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Casanova 70

June 19, 2009 Matt Blake 0

Mario Monicelli’s 1965 comedy Casanova 70 sneaked out onto DVD in the UK last year, and I hadn’t had the chance to check it out […]

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Italian leading men

January 28, 2008 Matt Blake 0

Gina Lollobrigida, Sophia Loren, Anna Magnani… there are plenty of Italian actresses who made it big on an international stage, and if you extend it […]