The Sicilian (1987)

User Rating:

5.1/10   

Director:

Michael Cimino

Writers:

Mario Puzo (novel)
Steve Shagan (writer)

Release Date:

23 October 1987 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Crime | Drama

Tagline:

Only one man ever dared to stand alone.

Plot:

Egocentric bandit Salvatore Guiliano fights the Church, the Mafia, and the landed gentry while leading a populist movement for Sicilian independence.

Plot Keywords:

Mafia | Sicilian | Landed Gentry | Mafia Don | Robin Hood Plot

Cast

Christopher Lambert	...	Salvatore Giuliano
Terence Stamp	...	Prince Borsa
Joss Ackland	...	Don Masino Croce
John Turturro	...	Pisciotta
Richard Bauer	...	Hector Adonis
Barbara Sukowa	...	Camilla, Duchess of Crotone
Giulia Boschi	...	Giovanna Ferra
Ray McAnally	...	Trezza
Barry Miller	...	Dr. Nattore
Andreas Katsulas	...	Passatempa
Michael Wincott	...	Cpl. Silvestro Canio
Derrick Branche	...	Terranova
Richard Venture	...	Cardinal of Palermo
Ramon Bieri	...	Quintana
Stanko Molnar	...	Silvio Ferra

Runtime:

Argentina:116 min | France:146 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.20 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby (35 mm prints) | 70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints)

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Portugal:M/12 | South Korea:15 | Argentina:16 | Australia:R | Finland:K-16 | Netherlands:12 | Norway:18 | Singapore:M18 | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | USA:R | West Germany:16

Filming Locations:

Sutera, Caltanissetta, Sicily, Italy

Company:

Gladden Entertainment

Trivia:

The novel is a spin-off of The Godfather (set during Michael's exile in Sicily), however all references to the Corleones are omitted from the film.

Goofs:

Factual errors: The film shows Guiliano trying to stop the massacre at Portella della Ginestre (blamed in the film on Terranova, who was one of the few of Giuliano's band who it's definitely known did NOT fire a single shot on that day). In reality Guiliano always accepted full responsibility for the massacre and expressed no sorrow for the victims.

Quotes:

Cpl. Silvestro Canio: Aren't you a bit young to be declaring war on Rome?
Salvatore Giuliano: At my age Alexander the Great had conquered half the world. They called him "Fire from Heaven."
Cpl. Silvestro Canio: Alexander? He wasn't a Sicilian like you an me. There's no fire in our heaven to fall.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Z Channel: A Magnificent Obsession (2004) (TV)

The gifted Director is a brilliant post-modern architect of the film industry.

Cimino is one of the very rare species on earth that can create a "MOOD' that leads to the very cradle of western civilization. The Roman Empire. As a foreigner who has lived in an Italian town for a year, I come to see that the colossal heart of every Italian man can only be captured with its gist by Cimino. And no other up till date. It comes from lighting, its shadow, its colours, its smell even on screen, its silhouettes, its accents, its breathing space, and his very own colossal heart that can contain it all. You do feel that he has achieved that sacred task in showing us THE SICILIAN. Nobody has that feeling ever been captured with rapture that its texture is almost noble, royal, yet sacred. But in its careful craftsmanship of Cimino, you find it everywhere, and it is just everywhere that overflows: its costumes, its lighting, its camerawork, its juxtaposition, its projections, so on and so forth. Its tempo of the film makes you flow like a river that breeds lives and cultures at the very same time.