La corsa dell'innocente (1993)

User Rating:

7.2/10   

Director:

Carlo Carlei

Writers:

Carlo Carlei (screenplay)
Carlo Carlei (story)

Release Date:

21 July 1993 (France)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

The boy Vito is a portrait of beauty and wide-eyed innocence spawned from a violent family of kidnapers and murderers in the South of Italy...

Plot Keywords:

Italy | Boy | Young Boy | Orphanage | Ransom

Awards:

Nominated for Golden Globe. Another 2 wins & 2 nominations

Cast

Manuel Colao	...	Vito
Federico Pacifici	...	Scarface
Sal Borgese	...	Vito's Father
Lucio Zagaria	...	Orlando
Giusi Cataldo	...	Giovanna
Massimo Lodolo	...	Rocco
Anita Zagaria	...	Vito's Mother
Isabelle Mantero	...	Policewoman
Nicola Di Pinto	...	Questor
Severino Saltarelli	...	Scarface's Driver
Gianfranco Barra	...	Porter
Giovanni Pallavicino	...	Vito's Grandfather
Anna Lelio	...	Vito's Grandmother
Beppe Chierici	...	Don Silvio
Ester Galazzi	...	Old woman

Also Known As:

La corsa dell'innocente attraverso i campi
La course de l'innocent (France)
The Flight of the Innocent (USA)

Runtime:

UK:105 min | USA:105 min | France:100 min | Germany:106 min

Country:

Italy | France

Language:

Italian

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Certification:

Iceland:16 | South Korea:15 | Australia:MA | Finland:K-16 | France:-12 | Norway:18 | Portugal:M/16 | Spain:13 | UK:18 | USA:R | Singapore:PG

Company:

Canal+

Movie Connections:

Referenced in War Journal: On the Set of 'The Punisher' (2004) (V)

Una vera corsa

Corsa means race. And this is one of epic dimensions. It is interesting to point out that Carlo Carlei, the director, was in his first effort at the time.

As a director myself, I find some of the many runs of Vito a bit over the top. But, at the same time, I must admit that the scarcity of dialogue and the stupor in Vito's attitude is alluring and simply unnerving.

This is a film that uses in a very effective way the dramatic and cinematic expression of Panavision. This format is completely accepted as the de facto standard for any major release. But the complexities of using this format in a story that will be told through the eyes of a child is not easy.

The superb landscapes and contrasts that make this film as visually stunning and as dark as it is is not a small achievement for a first film. Actually, it's quite unbelievable this is a first directorial job.

The natural settings and lighting give, to some scenes, a beautiful psychological break within all the violence and desperation the main character experiences.

But, above all, this film is effective. It takes the audience completely off-balance and never lets it go. It's gripping. Even with some really redundant scenes and not so believable twists. But we have to remember that for some dramatic purposes, these twists are a valid resource.

Music becomes almost a character in a very unobtrusive form, and I like the sparse passages of really weird and doom-reminding sounds.

The language is beautiful, even when the boy and his family speak with a very tight lilt -true to their land. I only object to the incredibly bad voice-over of the only french actor, it's a voice that is as unconvincing as if the man was talking with Hugh Grant's voice.

Even when all the slo-mo scenes are masterfully planned and shot, the violence is overwhelming. I wouldn't be that explicit, but -then again, this leads the audience to the unexpected with such a speed that it is pretty justified.

All in all, La Corsa... is a riveting film. Manuel Colao's performance and beauty are all the more enticing within such a dark subject matter.