Upon the Spaghetti Westerns’ impact and profit beginning to wane in the ’70s, Italian crime films came to save the day. These crime films mostly centered on the Mafia, the law being party to or challenged by the ancient criminal organization, and the various citizens caught in between.
Director Damiano Damiani was the man who birthed this new wave of Italian crime films. Franco Nero called him “the most American director in Europe.” Damiani spoke fluent English and revered filmmakers like John Ford. Concerned with modernity and how the Mafia evolved to work in the 20th century, Damiani captured this while refusing to glorify the lifestyle. A former pugilist and built like it until his golden years, Damiani was adamant about casting non-professionals and would resort to slapping them to evoke the reactions he needed. The director connected with superstar Franco Nero, who was enjoying his riches and acclaim from starring in the popular Westerns as the character “Django,” and the pair went on to make a lot of films together.
It all started after Mussolini was executed, and the Fascist party was weakened after WWII. Then, the Mafia, mainly operating in Sicily, emerged on Italy’s mainland. While many joined the organizations or feared their rule, artists like Damiani dissected their existence in various ways.
Damiani was particularly drawn to the unsolved murder of a communist trade organizer, inspiring the author Leonard Sciascia to write about the crime. Sciascia wrote this novel carefully, avoiding any blatant reference to the Mafia. In 1961, Sciascia’s novel ‘The Day of the Owl’ was published, focusing on a political assassination and mafia corruption. Not only was this allegedly the first book to detail the mob’s affairs, but this was also to be a preview of the upcoming tumultuous 1970s in Italy, more commonly referred to as the “Years of Lead.” During this period, many Italians dealt with false flag operations, bombings, and other horrors that came with domestic subversive activities carried out by the government. Regardless, Damiani’s adaptation of Sciascia’s novel in 1968 set a cinematic precedent, and “The Day of the Owl” is considered the blueprint for future Italian crime cinema.
THE DAY OF THE OWL
Set in Palermo, Sicily, and its surrounding countryside adorned with vineyards, “The Day of the Owl” opens up with a sensational assassination – big bloody squibs and all. In a Post-Mussolini ruled Italy, Damiani’s intention here was to showcase that fascism was not an honorable way to police. Captain Bellodi (Franco Nero) is a reasonable and law-observing member of the Carabinieri. According to Nero in one of the Blu-ray™ extras, Bellodi continues to be respected by the Carabinieri, Italy’s military faction of the police.
Co-star Claudia Cardinale plays Rosa, a beautiful local who may have witnessed the murder or know who is responsible. Right before starring in this, Cardinale was in the box office hit and one of the strongest Spaghetti Westerns, “Once Upon a Time in the West” by Sergio Leone. Rosa is vulnerable but fierce and does not take any crap from the many men standing in her way.
And finally, the local Don Mariano Arena, played by Lee J. Cobb, is an enticing antagonist. Cobb was initially blacklisted for two years due to HUAC (House of Un-American Activities Committee) launched by a Mussolini-like Senator McCarthy. Performing as Don Arena, Cobb resembles a cross between George C. Scott and Kirk Douglas. His performance is understated, and he channels the proper amount of believable peril.
“The Day of the Owl” also contains three main techniques of Damiani: flawlessly switching between handheld camerawork, stationery painterly compositions, and curving tracking shots. Overall, the film’s gritty look is inspired by Italian Neo-Realism, prevalent during Post-WWII, featured in movies like Roberto Rossellini’s “Rome, Open City” and Vittorio De Sica’s “Bicycle Thieves.” The cinematography and Sicily’s vibrant colors framed by Tonino Delli Colli pop on this restoration. Having quite the resume, Colli also shot “The Good, the Bad, and The Ugly,” “Once Upon a Time in The West,” “Once Upon a Time in America,” and “Salo, or the 120 Days of Sodom.” Some other directing techniques recalled Michelangelo Antonioni’s intricate staging and camerawork that would be later featured in “The Passenger” (1975) starring Jack Nicholson. This intricacy in “The Day of the Owl” is most noticeable when multiple people are watching a character stroll the streets of Palermo; their surveillance is captured with exquisite attention to detail. Also, like Leone, their portraits are grotesquely zoomed in when criminals are conspiring or consorting.
The incorruptible Bellodi must deal with informants, mafia customs, and various threats while cleverly manipulating his suspects. You see why Nero is a film star with his charismatic presence and piercing blue eyes. But towards the end, those blue eyes become red with rage.
THE CASE IS CLOSED: FORGET IT
Based on the prison novel “Tante Sbarre” (“Many Bars”) By Pittoni, this adaptation was Co-written by Damiani and Massimo De Rita. De Rita previously wrote “Compañeros,” one of the best Zapata westerns, a revolutionary themed sub-genre of the Spaghetti Western. Fellow “Compañeros” collaborator Ennio Morricone, inarguably one the greatest composers, handled the score for “The Case is Closed: Forget It.” Morricone jettisoned his signature opulent desert twang for a different composition, which is more callously electronic and ambient.
The plot concerns a privileged architect locked up for an alleged hit-and-run. Vanzi (Franco Nero) is a man of means; thus, he can witness the sobering horrors of prison while mainly remaining out of harm’s way.
Damiani wanted to critique Italian society and its Mafia power structures through the prison’s setting. Channeling his former documentarian roots, Damiani shoots with long takes and lets scenes naturally occur with an occasional fly-on-the-wall perspective. He further authenticates this prison setting by casting professional and non-professional actors in various roles.
Vanzi’s status lets us examine hierarchies etched out by preexisting classes, the inner workings of the Italian penitentiary, and a Kafkaesque judicial system. The latter comes to light when Vanzi is held without corroborating evidence for a potential 30-year sentence. While awaiting his fate, he is told if he pays 100,000 Lira, he will get better accommodations. Inside, he becomes acquainted with various inmates like the ailing Campolini (Georges Wilson) and fears the brutish Biro (John Stein). Vanzi’s bourgeoisie status gives him more protection and comfort, while the Mafia’s Don runs things through the prison’s bloated bureaucracy.
But Vanzi faces an existential crisis while befriending a damned do-gooder prisoner willing to expose local corruption that killed 1,000 people. This incident refers to the Vajont disaster that killed 2,000 when a landslide destroyed a dam and reservoir. It is no coincidence that when the officials who caused the disaster were essentially slapped on the wrist, Damiani began casting for this feature. Another major part of the plot involves the Don and other players concerned with procuring a legal document. This document is an ideal MacGuffin device to shepherd us further into the prison world and scratch beneath its deteriorating surface.
HOW TO KILL A JUDGE
Released in 1975, Damiani returned to Sicily for another mostly subtle crime tale. Although, it does open up with a sensational explosion occurring onscreen, in a fictional film – within this film. Like “Blow Out,” this is a meta mystery involving some nefarious people. Unlike “The Day of the Owl,” this time, the central murder happens offscreen. Instead, intangible themes like desire and morality are explored and examined like a crime scene. Pouring over these abstract details – that are nonetheless strongly felt – dynamic camerawork like a familiar curved track rolls around, gazing at the character’s emotions and perspectives. Combining his sensibilities for the personal and the political, in “How to Kill a Judge,” Damiani displays how the domestic and the public become intertwined.
While viewing the latest vitriolic film by director Solaris (Franco Nero), which imagines a fictitious judge being too close with the mob – then blown to smithereens, the actual judge (Pierluigi Apra) is mostly amused. On the other hand, his wife Antonia and assistant think the art is like an actual assassination, which could incite violence against him. They want to charge Solaris with slander, even if it means manipulating the Italian laws to censor his artistic endeavor.
As expected, the judge is eventually killed, not by a dramatic car bomb on a beach, but by a single bullet. The investigation points to many unfortunate citizens whom the judge mistreated and unfair laws favoring the powerful. And Solaris becomes a major suspect. Mafia activity is cryptically portrayed – although a rousing gangland hit near the finale is anything but.
Damiani still brings an array of wonderful vistas and sharp camerawork to keep the film engaging. Without spoiling a rarely seen film by modern audiences, there is once again a downtrodden yet realistic conclusion.
Solaris’ namesake and his struggle with the state over the creation of his art appears to be an homage to the Soviets’ censorship of the Russian genius Tarkovsky. Today, censorship continues to be a concern, with many films being altered or edited to fit new narratives that encapsulate our Neo-Victorian era. The lack of sex, the antiseptic CGI, and directors like Phil Lord recently announcing he is “patching” “Across the Spiderverse” to fix some digital blemishes he did not care for are all too phony. We’re too afraid to upset or challenge anything, and not only do we suffer from these unoriginal endeavors, but the art certainly does.
As usual, Radiance loaded this with copious amounts of splendid Special Features:
- The Day of the Owl original negative is presented in the original Italian version (109 mins) and the shorter export cut with English audio (103 mins)
- 2K restoration of The Case is Closed: Forget It from the original negative presented with Italian and, for the first time, English audio options
- 2K restoration of How to Kill a Judge from the original negative presented in Italian and English audio options
- Original uncompressed mono PCM audio
- New interview with star Franco Nero, featuring archive footage of Damiano Damiani and Leonardo Sciascia discussing The Day of the Owl (2022, 17 mins)
- Archival interview with Franco Nero, writer Ugo Pirro, and production manager Lucio Trentini discussing the making of The Day of the Owl (2006, 27 mins)
- Identity Crime-Sis: Filmmaker and Italian crime cinema expert Mike Malloy discusses The Day of the Owl in the context of the formation of the Italian crime film genre (2022, 20 mins)
- Casting Cobb: A Tale of Two Continents: A video essay by filmmaker Howard S. Berger looking at actor Lee J. Cobb’s career transition from Hollywood to Italy and the archetypes he tended to play (2023, 33 mins)
- Archival interview with Claudia Cardinale from Belgian TV in which she discusses her long and storied career (2017, 22 mins)
- New interview with star Franco Nero discussing The Case is Closed: Forget It(2022, 14 mins)
- Archival documentary on the making of The Case is Closed: Forget It featuring actor Corrado Solari, assistant director Enrique Bergier, and editor Antonio Siciliano (2015, 28 mins)
- Italy’s Cinematic Civil Conscience: An Examination of the Life and Works of Damiano Damiani: A visual essay on the career of Damiani Damiani by critic Rachael Nisbet (2023, 35 mins)
- New interview with star Franco Nero discussing How to Kill a Judge (2022, 13 mins)
- New interview with Alberto Pezzotta, author of Regia Damiano Damiani, who discusses Damiani’s contribution to the mafia and crime genres and the reception of his films in Italy (2022, 34 mins)
- Lessons in Violence: A new video essay on How to Kill a Judge by filmmaker David Cairns (2023, 22 mins)
- Original trailers for each film
- New and improved optional English subtitles for Italian audio and English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing for English audio for each film
- Reversible sleeve featuring designs based on original posters for each film
- Limited edition 120-page book featuring new and archival writing on the films by experts on the genre, including Andrew Nette on Leonardo Sciascia’s The Day of the Owl; Piero Garofalo on The Case is Closed: Forget It; Paul A. J. Lewis on depictions of the Mafia in each of the films within this set; Shelley O’Brien on each of the scores; a newly translated archival interview with Damiani; Nathaniel Thompson on Franco Nero; Marco Natoli on Damiani’s place within the cinema politico movement in Italian cinema; a critical overview for each the films by Cullen Gallagher and credits for each film
- Limited edition of 3000 copies (each for the UK and US), presented in a rigid box with removable OBI strip, leaving packaging free of certificates and markings
Now available in a 3-Disc Collector’s Edition Blu-ray™ Box Set
