Sacco und Vanzetti

This is the second of director Giuliano Montaldo's thematic trilogy depicting the use and abuse of power, military, religious and in this film, needless to say, judicial.

Based upon a play and set against a background of the Red Scare, this takes in the arrest, trial and execution of two avowed Italian anarchists for homicide and bank robbery. Neither Sacco nor Vanzetti did themselves any favours by rambling on in the courtroom about radical politics but it is certain that they were the victims of a corrupt police investigation, unreliable and probably intimidated witnesses, questionable ballistics reports and worst of all, a blatantly biased, far Right judge who denied motions for a retrial despite new evidence coming to light that would have exonerted the accused. The Governor of the State appointed a commission to look at the conduct of the trial and it predictably upheld the verdict.

Most of the film has been shot in Dublin which accounts for the presence of Cyril Cusack and Milo O'Shea as counsels for the prosecution and defence whilst Geoffrey Keen looks stern and does a lot of gavel bashing as the infamous Judge Thayer. By all accounts the producers had wanted Yves Montand and Lino Ventura to play the title characters but one could not do better than Riccardo Cucciola and Gian Maria Volonté, the latter well known for his far Left beliefs. Cucciola has the showier role and picked up the awards whilst Volonté's performance is masterfully understated.

The production design by Aurelio Grugnola and Silvano Ippoliti's cinematography give us a real sense of 'being there' whilst the events of seven years, although of necessity merged and truncated, are powerfully presented. Ennio Morricone's score includes a ballad sung by noted activist Joan Baez using the words of Emma Lazarus inscribed on the Statue of Liberty. It is noticeable in the English version that the pro-anarchic sentiments are toned down and interesting to note that the makers have chosen not to feature the Wall Street Bombing of 1920 which killed forty and injured hundreds.

As well as worldwide demonstrations condemning the death sentence, many intellectuals at the time made their feelings plain in print, including Anatole France who likened the process to that of the Dreyfus Affair whilst H. G. Wells wrote: "Trying and executing murderers as Reds and Reds as murderers is a new and frightening line for the court of a State in the most powerful and civilised Union on earth to pursue".

Most powerful? Indisputably. Most civilised? Doubtfully.

My comment could not possibly add anything to the ones already available. I just want to say that the latest scandal in this story is that the film has not been made available on DVD ! Is there a conspiracy still going on to prevent such films from being watched by new generations ? I am exasperated to see that thousands of trash films are published on DVD every month while such masterpieces are still ignored. Sacco e Vanzetti reaches far beyond the subject of the two anarchists ignominiously put to death in a misconducted trial. The ghosts of the two men are still behind every prejudiced account by the media, every lie by politicians all over the world. It calls for better institutions, better democracy all over the world. The fact that so many film buffs bothered to express their admiration for this outstanding movie should entice a publisher to make this film at last available. I have kept checking for years, but nothing so far.

Magnificent rendition of the people, circumstances and atmosphere surrounding the infamous "Palmer Raids", the paranoia of the keepers of law and order and the status quo, and of course the frame-up of Sacco and Vanzetti.It is worthwhile to know that the governor of Massachussets recently exonerated Sacco and Vanzetti, calling their trial a shameful mark on the face of American judiciary system.

Frank McGurk "Guilty or Innocent???" for writing a WRONG comment?

I quote with correction:

"recent ballistic tests on the weapons proved that the gun found on Nicola Sacco was NOT (NO-NEIN) the gun used to murder the payroll guards"!

Be careful guys... ...if you don't want roll injustice over and over again...

N.B. If also not so, remember that the real guilty man confessed his crime. But the court refuse to admit his confession, because he was already put to death for other crimes.

take care

What great roles for Gian Maria Volontè and Riccardo Cucciolla, two excellent actors! Very good Cyril Cusack and Geoffrey Keen too, in two roles of villains law enforcement officials! Milo O'Shea and William Prince are also very good as the lawyers trying to save Nicola and Bart. Another film that demonstrates that the idea of humanity is only a lie, real democracy doesn't exist, and the justice is just a bad joke. Morricone and Joan Baez are excellent too.