| 1-IMDB
comment-1 Comment: If
you want to know what marxism-madrakism is, don't miss this
movie! A great example of smart and politicized Italian
cinema of the seventies, a real cult in my opinion. The
main character is a sort of modern times psychopathic robin-hood
whom works as a clerk in a bank, but is allergic to money!
At a certain point he is so exasperated that he decides
that he must mine rich people's private property in order
to give a shock to their lives. His main target is a rich
butcher (Ugo Tognazzi), but he decides not to steal his
money, but things that he needs more: his butcher knife,
tool of his trade, his hat, his woman... In the meantime,
he enters the dark world of delinquency meeting a professional
thief which he manages to blackmail so that he can help
him in his misdoings. Between the world of marxist idealism
and pure delinquency, the whole story is fantastic and unreal,
with references to Fromm's "Life between having and
being". The character would like to "have"
(money and things) but in the same moment he also wants
to "be" (save his personality), but he undesrtands
that it's impossible ("This is the problem!",
he repeats) . The final is also fantastic, with the thief's
funeral in which a great Gigi Proietti gives us a monologue
on the importance of thiefs in society. A must for lovers
of the genre (Here) |
| 2-IMDB
comment-2 Petri's surrealism
---- 17 February 2013 | by m-sendey (Poland)
A young bank worker Total
(Flavio Bucci) witnesses a robbery, in which one of the
thieves gets caught and beaten by an avaricious, rich
butcher (Ugo Tognazzi). He can't come to terms with the
fact that in spite of being always a righteous man, he
has never managed to gather as much money as all other
people including the above-mentioned man. He vows to prosecute
him and drive him insane by stealing everything that belongs
to him, along with his lover Anita (Daria Nicolodi).
In this third part of "the
neurosis' trilogy", Petri tackles inequality in society,
the issue of property and last but not least money itself.
None of Petri's movies is straightforward and this one
is no exception. While among Petri's works are more and
less demanding ones, this one must be together with A
Quiet Place In The Country (1968) and Todo Modo (1976)
his weirdest creation. Therefore, there is nothing strange
about the fact that the film wasn't acclaimed in its premiere.
It's a bold, remarkably modern satire which is bound to
leave you confused and make you think about it long after
it's over. Apart from his usual collaboration with A-grade
cinematographer Luigi Kuveiller (Argento's Deep Red, 1975),
the director utilizes a really grotesque plot and a perfect
illustration of this is our protagonist who is allergic
to… money. In addition to this, there is a frequent use
of stagey scenes, therefore the ensemble looks everything
but ordinary. A soundtrack is composed by Ennio Morricone.
It is very "avant-garde" and owing to some creepy
whispers included (Io ho – I have, tu hai - you have,
egli ha – he has, essi hanno – they have) already comments
the events that are occurring on the screen.
The cast isn't too bad, unfortunately
Flavio Bucci, who is surely a good actor, appears to be
a bit inexperienced in comparison to Volonte for example,
thus the film lacks a strong leading actor. Daria Nicolodi
and Ugo Tognazzi give strong performances. One can spot
Salvo Randone as well, who as always plays his role very
well.
With this flick, Petri shows
that human takes part in the rat race in order to become
more powerful, socially accepted and approved, irrespective
of all hidden necessary, immoral ways. The character of
the butcher represents the rich and Petri points out that
all those people who want to dominate, are unscrupulous
and pitiless, as the poor who often are honest ones will
never achieve better life conditions, since either they
are limited by religious as well as state laws or on breaching
overtly all those moral boundaries they are banished from
the society. The only way to render their life acceptable
is to obey the rules and submit to opulent people, who
are protected on account of their wealth and power. Another
interesting aspect of the movie is comparing a bank, which
is heart of consumerism, to the church. To make this allusion
even more visible, the bank is full of images depicting
the Holy Trinity. Also, just like in the "Holy Church",
in the rat race, which is called here a "religion
of property", there is a certain hierarchy and blasphemies
(when the clerk Total sets a banknote on fire, the director
is disgusted and almost throws a tantrum).
However, it's more fascinating
to analyze it than to behold it, as the plot seems to
flow quite slowly, there isn't enough black humor to keep
the climax amusing. The script with its full resonance
overwhelms the viewer to the extension that one feels
a bit tired and the twisted Marxism - Madrakism message
appears to be slightly too radical. Nonetheless it does
have plenty of splendid ideas, electrifying score of Morricone,
erotically-tinged atmosphere, strong direction, and hence
this is a good piece of political cinema. Although it
isn't as marvelous as his previous films, it certainly
encapsulates the political situation of those times in
Italy perfectly. (Here)
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