The Sicilian (1987) 5.2
Egocentric bandit Salvatore Guiliano fights the Church, the Mafia, and the landed gentry while leading a populist movement for Sicilian independence. Director:Michael Cimino |
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The Sicilian (1987) 5.2
Egocentric bandit Salvatore Guiliano fights the Church, the Mafia, and the landed gentry while leading a populist movement for Sicilian independence. Director:Michael Cimino |
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| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| Christopher Lambert | ... | ||
| Terence Stamp | ... |
Prince Borsa
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| Joss Ackland | ... |
Don Masino Croce
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| John Turturro | ... |
Pisciotta
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Richard Bauer | ... |
Hector Adonis
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| Barbara Sukowa | ... |
Camilla, Duchess of Crotone
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| Giulia Boschi | ... |
Giovanna Ferra
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| Ray McAnally | ... |
Trezza
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Barry Miller | ... |
Dr. Nattore
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| Andreas Katsulas | ... |
Passatempa
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| Michael Wincott | ... | ||
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Derrick Branche | ... |
Terranova
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Richard Venture | ... |
Cardinal of Palermo
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Ramon Bieri | ... |
Quintana
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Stanko Molnar | ... |
Silvio Ferra
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Giuliano robs from the rich conservative landowners to give to the poor, serf-like peasants, who in turn hail him as their savior. As his popularity grows, so does his ego, and he eventually thinks he is above the power of his backer, Mafia Don Masino Croce. The Don, in turn, sets out to kill the upstart by convincing his cousin and closest advisor Pissciota to assassinate him Written by Anonymous
The European-release version of "The Sicilian" is 31 minutes longer than the US version. Supposedly, the director was ordered to deliver a version under 2 hours, so he recut the film to render it incoherent with the expectation that Fox would have to release the complete film. Only, they went ahead and released the deliberately botched shorter cut. This may be apocryphal, but it would help explain the critical drubbing it got in this country. I was lucky enough to see the complete film in Paris and was mesmerized. Gore Vidal was denied credit for the screenplay, but the film has a literacy, intellectual depth and acidity that is pure Vidal; the character played by Terrance Stamp is essentially Vidal's stand-in. The only comparable film might be "The Godfather," but with an even stronger historic/political context. It is certainly the highpoint of Michael Cimino's career to date, and I'm one of those odd ducks that fervently admires "Heaven's Gate". If you can see this in Europe, or if it comes out over there on DVD and you have a region-appropriate DVD player, grab the opportunity to see it.