Illustrious Corpses [Cadaveri Eccellenti] **** (1976, Lino Ventura, Alain Cuny, Paolo Bonacelli, Marcel Bozzuffi, Max von Sydow, Fernando Rey, Charles Vanel, Tina Aumont) – Classic Movie Review 6915

Lino Ventura gives astonishingly powerful performance as Inspector Amerigo Rogas, the tenacious police detective on the case of the mysterious murders of some Italian Supreme Court judges, in director Francesco Rosi’s illustrious 1975 Italian political conspiracy thriller that grips like a vice.

The story, based on the novel Il Contesto by Leonardo Sciascia, is satisfyingly complex and intelligent. Top judicial people are being killed in Italy and behind it is a rightist plot to discredit dissidents that involves the Italian Communist Party.

Rosi directs commandingly in great style, achieving great intensity, focus and power. The story is always timely and relevant, with its moral that power corrupts a perennially important one. And it is hard to imagine a better cast for a Seventies European art film. It also stars Alain Cuny as Judge Rasto, Paolo Bonacelli, Marcel Bozzuffi, Max von Sydow as the Supreme Court’s President, Fernando Rey as the Security Minister, Charles Vanel as Procurator Varga, Tina Aumont as the prostitute, Tino Carraro as the Chief of Police, Renato Salvatori and Luigi Pistelli.

Illustrious Corpses (original title Cadaveri Eccellenti) is directed by Francesco Rosi, runs 120 minutes, is made by Les Productions Artistes Associés and Produzioni Europee Associati (PEA), released by United Artists, written by Francesco Rosi, Tonino Guerra and Lino Iannuzzi, based on the novel Il Contesto by Leonardo Sciascia, is shot in Technicolor by Pasqualino de Santis, is produced by Alberto Grimaldi, is scored by Piero Piccioni, and is designed by Andrea Crisanti.

Also in the cast are Corrado Gaipa, Claudio Nicastro, Paolo Bonacelli, Anna Proclemer, Alfonso Gatto, Mario Meniconi, Maria Carta, Giorgio Zampa, Silvia Blasi, Florestano Vancini, Carlo Tamberlani and Paolo Graziosi.

© Derek Winnert 2018 Classic Movie Review 6915

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