The Law (1959) La legge (original title)

Director:

Jules Dassin

Writers:

Roger Vailland (novel)
Jules Dassin (writer)
(more)

Release Date:

11 November 1960 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

Lollobrigida is the Flame...Montand is the Fuse That Sets Them on Fire!

Plot:

Illicit passions pervade an Italian town, where men gather nightly for the cynical "game of the law."

Plot Keywords:

Affair | Based On Novel

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Gina Lollobrigida	...	Marietta
Pierre Brasseur	...	Don Cesare
Marcello Mastroianni	...	Enrico Tosso - l'agronomo
Melina Mercouri	...	Donna Lucrezia
Yves Montand	...	Matteo Brigante
Raf Mattioli	...	Francesco Brigante
Vittorio Caprioli	...	Attilio - il commissario
Lidia Alfonsi	...	Giuseppina
Gianrico Tedeschi	...	Primo disoccupato
Nino Vingelli	...	Pizzaccio
Bruno Carotenuto	...	Balbo
Luisa Rivelli	...	Elvira
Anna Maria Bottini	...	Maria
Anna Arena	...	Anna - la moglie d'Attilio
Edda Soligo	...	Giulia
Herbert Knippenberg	...	Lo svizzero
Franco Pesce
Joseph Dassin	...	Secondo disoccupato
Sonia Barbieri	...	La moglie del svizzero
Marcello Giorda	...	Il parroco
Teddy Bilis	...	Il giudice Alessandro
Paolo Stoppa	...	Tonio

Directed by
Jules Dassin

Writing credits
Roger Vailland		(novel "La Loi")
Jules Dassin		(writer)
Françoise Giroud		(dialogue)
Diego Fabbri		uncredited

Produced by
Jacques Bar	....	producer
Maleno Malenotti	....	producer

Original Music by
Roman Vlad

Cinematography by
Otello Martelli

Film Editing by
Roger Dwyre
Mario Serandrei

Production Design by
Mario Chiari

Art Direction by
Robert Giordani

Set Decoration by
Jacques D'Ovidio		(as J. d'Ovidio)
Pasquale Romano		(as P. Romano)

Production Management
Baccio Bandini	....	production manager
Louis Manella	....	unit manager
Antonio Negri	....	unit manager
Luciano Perugia	....	production manager
Walter Rupp	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Jacques Deray	....	assistant director
Nino Zanchin	....	assistant director

Sound Department
Jean Bareille	....	sound recordist: US version
William Robert Sivel	....	sound (as William S. Sivel)
Arthur Van der Meeren	....	sound recordist: US version
Giovanni Rossi	....	sound (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Jean Castagnier	....	assistant camera
Osvaldo Civirani	....	still photographer
Roger Corbeau	....	still photographer
Jacques De St. Girons	....	assistant camera
Alain Douarinou	....	camera operator
Enrico Fontana	....	assistant camera
Arturo Zavattini	....	camera operator

Editorial Department
Daniele Grimberg	....	editor: US version

Music Department
Marc Lanjean	....	musical director

Other crew
Simone Chotel	....	production secretary
Suzanne Durrenberger	....	script girl
Gilles Villiers	....	production accountant

Production Companies

• Le Groupe des Quatre
• Cité Films
• Titanus
• G.E.S.I. Cinematografica

Distributors

• Les Films Corona (1959) (France) (theatrical)
• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1960) (USA) (theatrical) (dubbed)
• Constantin Film (1959) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• Image Entertainment (2000) (USA) (DVD)
• KinoVista (2007) (Russia) (TV)
• Oscilloscope Pictures (2010) (USA) (all media)

Special Effects

• LAX Lab.

Other Companies

• Chevereau  camera equipment provided by
• Mondia Music S.r.l.  music publishing
• Tecnostampa  laboratory services

Also Known As:

"La legge" - Italy (original title)
"Where the Hot Wind Blows!" - USA

Runtime:

126 min | Spain:115 min | USA:114 min | Argentina:121 min | UK:114 min | West Germany:105 min

Country:

Italy | France

Language:

French

Color:

Black and White

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

Finland:K-16 | Spain:13 | Argentina:16 | West Germany:18 (original rating)

Filming Locations:

Carpino, Foggia, Apulia, Italy

Company:

Le Groupe des Quatre

Trivia:

Both Carol Baker and Scilla Gabel had been contacted to play Marietta's part.

Movie Connections:

Spoofed in There's Something About Mary (1998)

Soundtrack:

WHERE THE HOT WIND BLOWS

Sex, Infidelities, Gossips, Power and The Law

In the Italian fishing village of Porto Manacore, the men gather in the local tavern in the night to play a game called "The Law", where one of them is selected as "The Boss" after an allotment and the others are humiliated by him. The real boss of the town is the powerful aristocrat Don Cesare (Pierre Brasseur), an old man in his last days but still in the command. The young and sexy small time crook Marietta (Gina Lollobrigida) is the servant of Don Cesare and sexually disputed by the hoodlum Matteo Brigante (Yves Montand), by her brother-in-law Tonio (Paolo Stoppa) and by the engineer Enrico Tosso (Marcello Mastroianni). Marietta wants to marry Enrico, but she is too poor and does not have a dowry. The local Inspector Attilio (Vittorio Caprioli) is an unfaithful husband and the naughty Giuseppina (Lidia Alfonsi) is his mistress. Donna Lucrezia (Melina Mercouri) is the judge's wife that has a crush on the lawyer student and Matteo's son Francesco (Raf Mattioli). When Marietta steals a large amount of a Swiss tourist, she sees the chance to marry Enrico, but the police are investigating the case.

"La Legge" is a minor movie that recalls a soap-opera of the great director Jules Dassin but it is still enjoyable and entertaining. The story takes place in a small fishing village in the South of Italy, where nothing happens but sex, infidelities and gossips. The real power is in the hands of an old aristocrat, and the dwellers dispute a despicable game of power where most of the participants are humiliated as a sort of compensation. Gina Lollobrigida is extremely sexy, her beauty is amazing and there are many erotic scenes considering that it is a movie released in 1959. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "A Lei dos Crápulas" ("The Law of the Debaucheries")