The Hawks and the Sparrows (1966)

Totò and his son Ninetto are drifting on a road in Italy, when they meet a speaking crow.

Director:

Pier Paolo Pasolini

Writers:

Pier Paolo Pasolini (story), Pier Paolo Pasolini (screenplay)

Stars:

Totò, Ninetto Davoli, Femi Benussi

4 wins & 4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Totò	...	Innocenti Totò / Brother Cicillo
Ninetto Davoli	...	Innocenti Ninetto / Brother Ninetto (as Davoli Ninetto)
Femi Benussi	...	Luna
Umberto Bevilacqua	...	Incensurato
Renato Capogna	...	Scoundrels Leader
Alfredo Leggi
Pietro Davoli	...	Scoundrel
Renato Montalbano
Rosina Moroni	...	Poor Cottage Owner
Flaminia Siciliano	...	Scoundrel
Lena Lin Solaro	...	Urganda
Gabriele Baldini	...	Dante's Dentist
Giovanni Tarallo	...	Starving Peasant
Ricardo Redi	...	Mansion Owner
Vittorio Vittori	...	Ciro Lococo

Storyline

This richly symbolic film is really impossible to understand without some knowledge of 20th Century Italian history, and particularly the power of the Roman Catholic Church. The Lateran Treaty of 1929 finally politically separated Italy from Church power by creating the Vatican as a sovereign state. But the trade off was the that the Church was still left in power over many aspects of everyday Italian life. For instance, Italy finally established a civilian divorce law through a bitterly contested 1970 referendum. Before then, divorce was under strictly in the domain of Church law, and the Church NEVER granted a divorce, even in extreme cases like when a spouse was abandoned many years hence. Overall, however, the power of the Church still resided in the blind allegiance of Italians at all levels to Church morality. Over decades, this led to impeding Italy's social and political progress, and greatly maintained the status quo in the division between the privileged upper class and the ...

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Plot Keywords:

crow | hawk | sparrow | italy | class struggle | 

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Taglines:

An off-beat comedy about serious matters by PIER PAOLO PASOLINI.

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Fantasy

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Did You Know?

Trivia

Film's opening credits are not only displayed on screen but also comically sung in Italian to a jaunty Ennio Morricone score, with a memorably droll rhyming of the film title with the director's full name.

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Crazy Credits

The opening credits are performed as a song.

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Connections

Referenced in Wie de Waarheid Zegt Moet Dood (1981)

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Soundtracks

Uccellacci E Uccellini (Titoli Di Testa)
Composed by Ennio Morricone and Pier Paolo Pasolini
Performed by Domenico Modugno

User Reviews

You've never seen anything like this!

How does one describe a film like this? Imagine a Bunuel film like THE MILKY WAY. A couple of men walking on an empty road. They're on a strange journey only their destination is the beginning of their journey (huh?) and the two men are as funny as the best cinema clowns in screen history. Somewhat Felliniesque, somewhat Chaplinesque, throw in a little De Sica and even a dash of Monty Python and you can begin to have some idea of what this incredible blend of absurd and hilarious satire is like. Unlike Bunuel's films, this film is joyous. It has heart, passion, and an imagination springing somewhere from the soul. The film takes its stabs at religion, academics, and government but it does it in a playful way that leaves one feeling rejuevenated instead of that sour feeling that one feels after watching most social satires. It's hard to believe that this is a Pasolini film. It's about as far on the spectrum from SALO that one can get, yet it's sad that in comparison this film is almost completely unknown.

This is definitley worth seeking out on video. I'm hoping that I can find a soundtrack recording for this. It is one of the best Ennio Morricone scores I've heard, which is saying a great deal!

Details

Country:

Italy

Language:

Italian

Release Date:

10 December 1969 (West Germany)

Also Known As:

The Hawks and the Sparrows

Filming Locations:

Assisi, Perugia, Umbria, Italy

Box Office

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$2,248

Company Credits

Production Co:

Arco Film

Technical Specs

Runtime:

89 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1