Illustrious Corpses
Cadaveri eccellenti
Odlična trupla
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A mob thriller about an incorruptible detective investigating a series of killings of high-level judges who begins to intuit that his superiors don't really want to solve the case, but rather use it for their own political ends.

Someone is murdering judges in Palermo. Inspector Rogas is put on the case, but he soon finds that the authorities have a definite idea of where the investigation should go. His immediate superiors and his higher bosses in the ministry are much more interested in pinning the murders on the Communists. Inspector Rogas eventually zeroes in on a pretty good suspect. One Cres, a pharmacist, was put in prison some years ago for the attempted poisoning of his wife. The three murder victims were the judges in the case, along with a fourth judge, Judge Perro, who is soon killed by a sniper. None of the above sways Inspector Rogas's bosses from their focus on the Communists and left-wing student protestors.

"I needed to make clear what was at the basis of Sciascia's book and my film, that is, the concept that the opposition had to do the opposing and the government had to govern, while instead there were elements of compromise at the top of power. The phrase 'truth is not always revolutionary' expresses the attempt at the top of power to maintain hegemony without letting the masses know the truth in order to avoid destabilising the established order." (Francesco Rosi)

Section: RETRO: CINEMA POLITICO
Directed by: Francesco Rosi
Country, year: Italy, France, 1976
Length: 119
Subtitles: English, slovenian
Language: Italian

Screening in cinema:

Wed, 15.11.2023 15:00 Slovenian Cinematheque Buy
Sat, 18.11.2023 21:10 Slovenian Cinematheque Buy

VOD service:

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Please note that this film is not available as VOD service.
Screenplay:
Tonino Guerra, Lino Jannuzzi, Francesco Rosi, Leonardo Sciascia (roman/novel)
Cinematography:
Pasqualino De Santis
Music:
Piero Piccioni
Cast:
Lino Ventura (inšpektor Amerigo Rogas), Fernando Rey (minister za obrambo), Max von Sydow (predsednik Riches), Tino Carraro (načelnik policije), Marcel Bozzuffi (Leni), Paolo Bonacelli (dr. Maxia), Alain Cuny (sodnik Rasto), Maria Carta (ga. Cres), Luigi Pistilli (Cusan), Tina Aumont (prostitutka), Renato Salvatori (policijski komisar), Paolo Graziosi (Galano)
Producent:
Pea, Produzioni Europee Associate & Les Productions Artistes Associés
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About director
Born in Naples in 1922, Rosi studied law and entered the film industry as an assistant to Luchino Visconti. He then wrote several screenplays and made his directorial debut in 1958 with The Challenge. Rosi's films, especially those of the 1960s and 1970s, often provided political commentary on the rampant corruption in post-war Italy. The topics of his later films became more angled toward literature. He received several awards, including the Lifetime Achievement Awards at the Berlin International Film Festival and the Venice Biennale. Francesco Rosi died in 2015.
Filmography
1958 La sfida (The Challenge)
1962 Salvatore Giuliano
1963 Le mani sulla citta (Hands over the City/Roke nad mestom)
1965 Il momento della verita (The Moment of Truth)
1970 Uomini contro (Many Wars Ago/Ljudje proti)
1972 Il caso Mattei (The Mattei Affair/Zadeva Mattei)
1976 Cadaveri eccellenti (Illustrious Corpses/Odlična trupla)
1979 Cristo si e fermato a Eboli (Christ Stopped at Eboli/Kristus se je ustavil v Eboliju)
1997 La tregua (The Truce)