"La piovra" (1984) TV mini-series

Director:

Damiano Damiani

Writers:

Nicola Badalucco (script)
Lucio Battistrada (written by)

Release Date:

11 March 1984 (Italy)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Family | Romance

Plot:

Corrado Cattani is a police inspector whose life is devoted to fighting the Italian mafia (known here as "La Piovra" or "The Octopus")...

Plot Keywords:

Police | Mafia | Truth | Murder | Infidelity

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Michele Placido	...	Commissario Corrado Cattani
Barbara De Rossi	...	Comtessa Raffaella Pecci Scialoia / Titti
Nicole Jamet	...	Else Cattani
Angelo Infanti	...	Sante Cirinná
Pino Colizzi	...	Nanni Santamaria
Renato Mori	...	Vice-Commissario Altero
Massimo Bonetti	...	Vice-Commissario Leo De Maria
Eurilla Del Bona	...	Anna Caruso
Cariddi Nardulli	...	Paola Cattani
Geoffrey Copleston	...	Alfredo Ravanusa
Michele Abruzzo	...	Ruggiero / Marquess's butler
Jacques Dacqmine	...	Professor Sebastiano Cannito
Paul Guers	...	Professor Gianfranco Laudeo
Flavio Bucci	...	Don Manfredi
Florinda Bolkan	...	Contessa Olga Camastra

Also Known As:

Allein gegen die Mafia (West Germany)
La mafia (France) (dubbed version)
The Octopus

Runtime:

402 min | Netherlands:360 min

Country:

Italy | France | UK | West Germany

Language:

Italian | English | French

Color:

Color (Telecolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Australia:MA | Finland:K-18 (DVD) (2007) (self applied) | Portugal:M/12 (DVD rating) | Netherlands:12 | Germany:12

Filming Locations:

Rome, Lazio, Italy

Company:

Escort Cine TV

Quotes:

Comtessa Raffaella Pecci Scialoia: I'm so scared of death... It's always so... unexpected.

Movie Connections:

Followed by "La piovra 2" (1985)

Exceptionally good as far as I can remember

Since the best film about mafia theme has always been Francis Ford Coppola's masterpiece trilogy THE GODFATHER, a lot of people skip this one. LA PIOVRA, appearing also under the English title of THE OCTOPUS, deals with Comissario Corrado Cattani's attempts against mafia in its heart land, the island of Sicily. Moreover, it develops Cattani's private life in a very interesting way: it focuses on how he and his family have to cope with suffering due to the very specific job he does against the mob. I remember seeing the mini series as a young boy and although I have not seen this since then, a lot remained in my memory. The reason is simple: the mini series stands out as one of the best and most unforgettable action films.

The most outstanding actor among the cast is, in my opinion, Michele Placido. He does a great job in the main role as Cattani, a man who copes with huge difficulties in the exceptionally cruel reality. Although he sacrifices everything, his struggles seem endless... Whenever I see him in any film, he always reminds me of this role. Other cast include not very famous people whose performances I cannot evaluate easily since I saw the film a long time ago.

Besides, throughout the series, there is a thrilling sense of suspicion. In this way, a viewer gets involved in the action. Sometimes, I felt the events so intensely that I could not wait for the following episode. All that happens looks very realistic and watching it meant for me feeling it. This is all intensified by the wonderful music by Ennio Morricone and Riz Ortolani, the best Italian film musicians.

Finally, the beautiful landscape of Sicily that can be found in a number of moments provides a viewer with authenticity of the story. Filmed in Trapani on the western coast of the island near Palermo, the movie is a great experience. When I was in Sicily a few years ago and walked in the narrow streets of its cities, the mini series was unintentionally in my mind's eyes.

Since I have seen this mini series many years ago, I cannot discuss cinematography or some details like the single performances or memorable moments. Yet, I felt compelled to entail my opinion on LA PIOVRA because it has its place in my dearest memories from my early teenage years. Generally speaking it is one of the best action films I have seen. Pity they don't show this on TV anymore. I'd really enjoy seeing it after all these years.