Red Moon (2001)
"Luna rossa" (original title)

Red Moon is the story of a repentant member of the Mafia, who confesses to a judge, in a lengthy flashback to all the misfortunes wrought by the horrendous crimes of some families that ... See full summary »

Director:

Antonio Capuano

Writer:

Antonio Capuano

Stars:

Licia Maglietta, Carlo Cecchi, Toni Servillo

2 wins & 8 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview:
Licia Maglietta	...	Irene
Carlo Cecchi	...	Antonino
Toni Servillo	...	Amerigo
Antonino Iuorio	...	Egidio
Domenico Balsamo	...	Oreste
Angela Pagano	...	Mariella
Italo Celoro	...	Tony
Antonio Pennarella	...	Libero
Enzo Romano	...	Ignazio
Susy Del Giudice	...	Elena
Antonia Truppo	...	Orsola
Lucia Ragni	...	Rita

Storyline

Red Moon is the story of a repentant member of the Mafia, who confesses to a judge, in a lengthy flashback to all the misfortunes wrought by the horrendous crimes of some families that struggle to perpetuate the logic of their evil power. Since the beginning of the 1970s, the Cammarano family has extended its rule over a wide territory, with coldness and no scruples. Nobody would dare to dispute its control and its increased power. Yet things are bound to change, as the new generations feel estranged from their own lives. The balance within the family starts to collapse, and the old grudges re-emerge. Red Moon shows the end of the family, at the hands of a young offspring. It is the end of the Mafia family. This tragedy is inspired by Aeschylus' Orestiadi as the name of the main character, Orestes, clearly implies.

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Plot Keywords:

the family | 1970s | policeman | confession | 1990s | 

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Genres:

Crime | Drama

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Details

Country:

Italy

Language:

Italian

Release Date:

9 November 2001 (Italy)

Also Known As:

Red Moon

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$236,091 (Japan) (13 February 2004)

Gross:

$2,117,427 (Japan) (27 February 2004)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Poetiche Cinematografiche, Telepiù

Technical Specs

Runtime:

116 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

User Reviews

The anti-"Sopranos"

I was lucky enough to catch this picture during a series on new Italian cinema at the Walter Reade in NYC. There doesn't seem to be an english subbed (or even dubbed) version out there, but keep your eyes peeled because an opportunity to see it should not be wasted.

This picture looks at the long-unraveling lives of a once-powerful mafia clan in Italy. Years of violence, neglect, and the shame of dark secrets such as incest have weakened their familial structure to the breaking point. The weight of this decay falls hardest of the shoulders of the family's new generation, raised to believe they would follow in their ancestors powerful footsteps but instead faced with cleaning up the messes made years before by others.

LUNA ROSSA ("Red Moon") seems on the surface very similar to David Chase's "The Sopranos" - it's about mobsters with mid-life crisises. In fact it is an entirely different, vastly superior animal. Artfully sidestepping the glamorous sheen dramatizations of organized crime have here-to-fore possessed, writer and director Antonio Capuano fills the screen with the despair and degradation of a family legitimately feeling sorry for themselves and those who will come after. It's a bleak film to be sure, but it's so well-leveled with humor and honest performances that it's easy to give yourself up to it for the better part of two hours.

From an aesthetic standpoint the film is equally compelling - characters sulk in and out of blackened halls and rooms as if to hide from each other and themselves, low frequency drones and white noise in the background of every scene up the sense of decay - Capuano makes wonderful use of numerous stylistic touches throughout.

All in all, an excellent film that deserves attention. Seek it out!