The City Stands Trial

It comes as no surprise to learn that the plot of this piece was developed on the initiative of Francesco Rosi and although the directorial styles of Luigi Zampa and Rosi are as different as chalk and cheese, Zampa's film could be seen as a precursor to Rosi's depictions of civil/civic corruption. This is from Zampa's neo-realist phase in contrast to his popular comedies featuring Alberto Sordi and is loosely inspired by the infamous Cuocolo murder case which took no less than five years to come to trial. Although most of the defendants were convicted, no evidence of collusion between the Camorra and the political-institutional world ever emerged.

The central figure of the judge who is determined to see justice done despite having to face antipathy, a conspiracy of silence, dodgy witnesses and an unsympathetic wife is beautifully realised by Amedeo Nazzari whose strong presence carries the day whilst Paolo Stoppa impresses as a particularly heavy-handed police commissioner and veteran Eduardo Ciannelli is a chilling villain. Franco Interlenghi and Irene Galter evince our sympathy as a couple whose only crime it seems is financial hardship and impossible to overlook pneumatic Silvana Pampanini who does her best in a thankless role.

Despite its gloomy subject matter and downbeat ending this expertly-constructed and well-written film was favoured both critically and commercially and is generally considered to be one of Zampa's finest. It also featured in International Festivals amongst movies representing the best of Italian Cinema. How does one explain therefore its subsequent obscurity? Even allowing for the fact that the demographic of IMDb is mainly American, it beggars belief that mine is only the second review, the first being posted fifteen years ago. Oh, well. Fools give you reasons..........

It is remarkable the dynamic way Zampa works with themes, style and genres completely different. At same time this movie leads with typical characteristics of the investigative kind and appoints for the societal corruption, something very uncommon at that time. In a certain way it anticipates a political filmography of names as Francesco Rosi (and particularly Le Mani sulla Città) and it is no coincidence that Rosi is one of the the authors of the basic plot. The fact that is a historical drama is less important than a description of a corrupted society, almost inducting the spectator to think it lasting until the days of the film production. Its visual style and narrative plot structure its deep influenced for Welles'"Citizen Kane", something that could be particularly noticed in some sequences as the deep focus use of the restaurant that serves as momentary place for the suspects arrested by the police. Amedeo Nazzari, a lead actor that peak his career under fascist years lives a sophisticated judge with irreproachable ethical values and obsessive desire for justice in opposition to the nervous and violent policeman of Paolo Stoppa. Both are very well casted.Its prologue, with two poor kids running on the beach could be read wrongly as another neo-realist movie, although the way that movie approaches politics is more mature than most of the movies labeled as such.