I pugni in tasca (1965)

User Rating:

7.9/10   

Director:

Marco Bellocchio

Writer:

Marco Bellocchio (writer)

Release Date:

27 May 1968 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

Ale, a deeply disturbed young man subject to seizures benignly decides to murder members of his dysfunctional family for altruistic reasons.

Plot Keywords:

Dysfunctional Family | Epilepsy | Mother Son Relationship | Murder By Drowning | Driving Licence

Awards:

2 wins

Cast

Lou Castel	...	Alessandro
Paola Pitagora	...	Giulia
Marino Masé	...	Augusto
Liliana Gerace	...	Mother
Stefania Troglio	...	Chambermaid
Jeannie McNeil	...	Lucia
Mauro Martini	...	The boy
Gianni Schicchi	...	Tonino
Alfredo Filippazzi	...	Doctor
Gianfranco Cella	...	Young man at the party
Celestina Bellocchio	...	Young Woman at Party
Pier Luigi Troglio	...	Leone
Irene Agnelli	...	Bruna
Sandra Bergamini
Lella Bertante

Also Known As:

Fist in His Pocket (USA)
Fists in the Pocket (UK)

Runtime:

105 min

Country:

Italy

Language:

Italian

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.75 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Italy:VM14 | West Germany:18

Company:

Doria

Trivia:

Director Marco Bellocchio borrowed money from his family to be able to make this film. This film mounts a frontal assault on family values.

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: During the final scene when Alesandro is having an attack, you can see the camera shadow several times; for instance on the bed.

Quotes:

Alessandro: I'm a volcano of ideas.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Gli occhi, la bocca (1982)

One of the best Italian movies ever!

Marco Bellocchio directs his first full-length film, and it's already a masterpiece, a milestone in the history of Italian cinema.This movie is all about contemporary uneasiness and family crisis in today's society (only, some two decades in advance). Every time I hear of family massacres on the news, I've got to think about problematic, disturbed Lou Castel deciding to get rid of his mother and younger brother for the benefit of the eldest, embodying not only a stage of criminality, but above all a wrong philosophy, a twisted point of view about life, a failed maturity. Ennio Morricone' score is just perfect, fully successful in his aim to highlight the dramatic potential of the story. Lou Castel has never acted like this, his grimacing and his usage of the dead moments are unforgettable. The frames of the mother's death are like an howl, they "send shivers down your spine". A must-see.