An investigation of the judges’ assassinations reveals a political background.
With an opening scene that commences down long, arched corridors accentuated by nearly equally long shadows, “Illustrious Corpses” fills the screen with metaphors as topical as much now as at the time of the film’s release in 1976. After touring catacombs lined with the mummified remains of prominent government officials and wealthy patriarchs hanging on the ancient stone walls, Judge Varga (Charles Vanel) ascends to street level and the sunshine. Varga apparently draws the wisdom of the ages from the desiccated cadavers below, their shriveled and wrinkled mouths all the more haunting as such.
Judge Varga ushers his driver in the Mercedes limousine to move ahead as he pauses to pick a flower concealed beneath vines hanging above the stonework. Without warning, he is shot dead in the road – the first of a series of assassinated magistrates in an unnamed country, though suspiciously reminiscent of Sicily.
Vanel is perhaps most famous for his role in “The Wages of Fear,” a classic thriller later remade as “Sorcerer” by William Friedkin. As an aging magistrate seeking insight from those long passed, his brief but important cameo serves as a fine starting point for the 70s film.
The unknown cabal or deep state at work here – as Donald Trump might intone – has an agenda to thwart popular revolt. Whether presumably known as communists or socialists – either pejorative will resonate with detractors – a popular revolt against the entrenched oligarchy is underway.
The motion picture features notable European actors, some of whom eventually found success in Hollywood. Watching legendary actor Max Von Sydow as Chief Magistrate Riches – aptly named – preach about the infallibility of the judiciary, even when it wrongly convicts innocent men, resonates powerfully in the current political environment. He rails about Voltaire – one of the most renowned figures of the Enlightenment spanning the late 17th and early 18th centuries – due to what Riches claims are revolutionary and subversive writings. In reality, Voltaire stood for reason, tolerance, progress, and liberty – something Riches wants to deny or just dismiss altogether to serve his own nefarious or self-righteous ends. This again strikes a note that hits home today.
Fernando Rey, as the security minister, comes off his iconic role as the villain in 1971’s “The French Connection,” once more demonstrating a suave detachment from the troubling events at hand. He essentially suggests to Rogas that things are not as bad as they may seem – just another example of how far the corruption permeates the system at the top.
Of the few honest characters in a position of power or influence, Inspector Amerigo Rogas (Lino Ventura) surveys the landscape and interviews persons of interest with a calculating objectivity that ought to have served him well in a rational world. However, in an environment of rampant corruption, his probing questions get stymied or deflected at every turn. His most vocal adversary, the chief of police (Tino Carraro), contradicts and dismisses Rogas’s persistent efforts to get to the bottom of the case.
Tina Aumont, as the prostitute – born in Hollywood of all places – dominates the screen in her brief appearances when questioned by the police. She is a compelling eyewitness who offers keen, accurate observations that are difficult to dismiss, even by tainted law enforcement officials.
The narrative’s subtext concerns nominal democracies serving a largely invisible elite order that pits one underclass group against another, using that division as a distraction to maintain power. It’s an ageless tactic most people never seem to catch on to. When an inside or outside agent, such as Rogas, gets too close to the inner workings, a tragic fate befalls him, which is later easily explained away as a result of his supposedly overzealous and misguided beliefs. In its wake, life goes on as usual. Although hippies and leftists protest, both are easily, even casually, dismissed as aberrant – or to use a more contemporary description – radical left lunatics. It may work as a tagline for video soundbites, but the dismissive slight hardly illuminates in any useful manner.
For those willing to read between the lines, “Illustrious Corpses” reveals the nature of conspiracies that actually exist, though never articulated explicitly. That is the source of both their strength and their malevolence in equal measure. The words are never uttered aloud, yet the meaning remains clear – the inquisitors must die, or at least be marginalized.
The restoration of “Illustrious Corpses” looks magnificent, further enhanced with optional audio commentary by filmmaker Alex Cox. Other special features include interviews with director Francesco Rosi and lead actor Lino Ventura. The limited edition of 3000 copies consists of a detailed booklet with new material from writer, poet, and film critic Michael Atkinson, as well as Rosi. Not surprisingly, “Illustrious Corpses” is now considered one of Rosi’s finest efforts. The entire production is first-rate and deserves this resurrection from film archives. According to Cox, Rosi was more interested in getting his audiences to think rather than feel about the content of his narratives. In this regard, the director succeeds admirably.
With hints of “The Godfather,” “The French Connection,” “The Manchurian Candidate,” and “The Day of the Jackal,” “Illustrious Corpses” demonstrates something beyond the earlier films, something deeper yet simultaneously more subtle in delivery. It’s no wonder that Lucasfilm undertook the Blu-ray restoration of this cinematic masterpiece, formerly consigned to the archives. The cinematography alone, with its intriguing angles and panoramic dolly shots, is suitably artful while keeping the action rolling. Discerning audiences will be motivated to brush up on their Italian or simply embrace the English subtitles. Either way, the extra effort will prove rewarding in the two-hour runtime, as the compelling story methodically plays itself out unapologetically.
Available on Limited Edition Blu-ray™ January 27th
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