Sacco & Vanzetti (1971)

The story of two anarchists who were charged and unfairly tried for murder when it was really for their political convictions.

Director:

Giuliano Montaldo

Writers:

Fabrizio Onofri (story), Giuliano Montaldo (story)

Stars:

Gian Maria Volontè, Riccardo Cucciolla, Cyril Cusack

6 wins & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Gian Maria Volontè	...	Bartolomeo Vanzetti
Riccardo Cucciolla	...	Nicola Sacco
Cyril Cusack	...	Frederick Katzmann
Rosanna Fratello	...	Rosa Sacco
Geoffrey Keen	...	Judge Webster Thayer
Milo O'Shea	...	Fred Moore
William Prince	...	William Thompson
Claude Mann	...	Eddie
Edward Jewesbury	...	Alvan T. Fuller
Armenia Balducci	...	Virginia
Valentino Orfeo	...	Celestino Madeiros
Pier Giovanni Anchisi	...	Membro Comitato Difesa (as Piero Archisi)
Desmond Perry	...	Lieutenant
John Harvey	...	Minister Palmer
Felicity Mason

Storyline

In 1920, the anarchist Italian immigrants Nicola Sacco (Riccardo Cucciolla) and Bartolomeo Vanzetti (Gian Maria Volonté) are sentenced to death, falsely accused of a robbery and murder. Indeed they are condemned due to their political beliefs, in one of the most shameful and hypocrite judgments of the human history.

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Plot Keywords:

character names as title | three word title | surnames as title | true crime | usa | 

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Taglines:

What you don't know about Sacco & Vanzetti will stun you! (Must be seen from the beginning)

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Genres:

Biography | Crime | Drama

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Certificate:

GP

Did You Know?

Trivia

This co-production was the final film for the Italian production company Jolly Film.

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Quotes

Nicola Sacco: You speak of dollars and cents, sir. Let's talk about millions of dollars. If you talk about a manager of industry or the head of a bank who donates money to a university, everybody says, "What a great man he is!" But I have worked thirteen years in this free country, doing what I've been told. I've worked like a slave and I still don't own anything, not a single dollar. Here, all you hear is, "Passport, passport!" But when I went to the consulate to organize my journey back to be repatriated, ...

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Alternate Versions

The American release censors a lot of the pro-anarchy sentiments, most notably Bartolomeo Vanzetti's final words. In the American version, he simply says "I am innocent"; in the international version, he states what are said to be his actual final words, "Viva l'anarchia", "Long live anarchy".

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Connections

Referenced in The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004)

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Soundtracks

The Ballad of Sacco and Vanzetti
Written by Ennio Morricone & Joan Baez
Performed by Joan Baez

User Reviews

A Masterpiece of the Political Italian Cinema

In 1920, the anarchist Italian immigrants Niccola Sacco (Riccardo Cucciolla) and Bartolomeo Vanzetti (Gian Maria Volonté) are sentenced to death, falsely accused of a robbery and murder. Indeed they are condemned due to their political beliefs, in one of the most shameful and hypocrite judgments of the human history. In 1971, the exhibition of "Sacco and Vanzetti" was forbidden in Brazil, and the first time I could watch it was when Brazil was leaving the military dictatorship regime in a movie theater specialized in art movies. I was very impressed with the story of one of the greatest injustice of a judiciary system, mostly because it happened in the "land of freedom". Gian Maria Volonté, as usual, and Riccardo Cucciolla offer one of the most touching and beautiful dramatic interpretations I have ever seen. This movie was recently released by the best (not in quantity of titles but in their quality) Brazilian distributors called Versatil. The DVD is completely restored, in widescreen and full of Extras, showing footages of this infamous trial. The musical score of Joan Baez and Ennio Morricone is another attraction. I expected to see this outstanding movie among the IMDb Top 250, but it seems that its worldwide distribution does not work well, and there are only 185 votes in 2005. My vote is ten.

Title (Brazil): "Sacco & Vanzetti"

Details

Country:

Italy France

Language:

Italian English

Release Date:

16 March 1971 (Italy)

Also Known As:

Sacco & Vanzetti

Filming Locations:

Dublin, Ireland

Box Office

Gross USA:

$185,410

Company Credits

Production Co:

Jolly Film, Unidis, Theatre Le Rex S.A.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

125 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1