A ciascuno il suo (1967)

User Rating:

6.9/10   

Director:

Elio Petri

Writers:

Jean Curtelin (dialogue)
Jean Curtelin (screenplay)

Release Date:

28 February 1968 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama

Tagline:

Sicily is a small island. Some people live there. Some people love there. Some people die there.

Plot:

A leftist professor wants the truth about two men killed during a hunting party; but the mafia, the Church and corrupt politicians don't want him to learn it.

Plot Keywords:

Mafia | Widow | Murder | Investigation | Vatican

Awards:

5 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

Gian Maria Volontè	...	Prof. Paolo Laurana
Irene Papas	...	Luisa Roscio
Gabriele Ferzetti	...	Avvocato Rosello
Salvo Randone	...	Prof. Roscio
Luigi Pistilli	...	Arturo Manno
Laura Nucci	...	Roscio's mother
Mario Scaccia	...	Curato di Sant'Amo
Luciana Scalise	...	Rosina
Leopoldo Trieste	...	Il deputato comunista
Giovanni Pallavicino	...	Ragana
Franco Tranchina	...	Dr. Antonio Roscio
Ana Rivero	...	Arturo's wife
Orio Cannarozzo	...	Ispettore di polizia La Marca
Carmelo Oliviero	...	Arciprete Rosello
Carlo Ferro

Also Known As:

We Still Kill the Old Way (USA)

Runtime:

99 min

Country:

Italy

Language:

Italian

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

West Germany:12 (f) (re-rated) | West Germany:16 (f) (original rating) | Argentina:16 | Finland:K-16 | Norway:16 (1968) | Sweden:15

Filming Locations:

Cefalù, Palermo, Sicily, Italy

Company:

Cemo Film

We Still Kill The Old Way (Elio Petri, 1967) ***

Goodish blend of Mafia movie (still pretty much uncharted territory at the time) and political thriller, with a hesitant romance thrown in for good measure; the result is generally absorbing, thanks largely to uniformly excellent performances, gleaming location photography (Sicily, of course) and a wonderful score by the ever-reliable Luis Enrique Bacalov. Heading the cast is Gian Maria Volonte': the film launched the political/social conscience phase of his career after a stint doing Spaghetti Westerns. His character is that of an intellectual loner who finds himself in over his head when he starts probing into the assassination of two friends – including philanderer Luigi Pistilli – which leads to his falling for the other's wife (Irene Papas). Though the identity of the villain (as ever, an eminent member of the community and far closer to the hero than he envisaged) comes as no real surprise, the investigation – involving, among other things, the hushed participation of cleric and senator alike – and the disquieting revelations that emerge from it, lends the whole a deeply cynical tone (culminating in the downbeat climax depicting Volonte''s own extreme fate) while cementing the Mafia's reputation as strictly a 'family business'. The Italian DVD includes an interesting half-hour featurette detailing the making and reception of the award-winning film (including the fact that the author of the source novel, Leonardo Sciascia, was dissatisfied with how the script turned out); the interviewees are co-scriptwriter Ugo Pirro, the wife of the late Elio Petri, and composer Bacalov (who is regretful that, given his felicitous working relationship with the director here, the opportunity never arose for another collaboration).