Viva Italia: Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion
April 17, 2024
Viva Italia! The Passion of Italian Cinema
Charismatic Gian Maria Volonte stars as a Roman Police Squad kingpin who thinks he can get away with murder, and even purposely leaves clues to see if his detectives can solve the case. Best Foreign Film Oscar.
SIFF year-round passes and vouchers are not valid for this screening.
These days we're oppressively accustomed to public figures with authoritarian power, in elevated positions where they can follow their impulses without being accountable. Fifty years ago, this darkly comic tale centers on charismatic Gian Maria Volonte as a Roman Police Squad kingpin who thinks he can get away with murder. He and his mistress (Florinda Bolkan) enjoy sex games in which she poses as crime victims, and one time Volonte gets carried away. He purposely leaves clues all around her apartment, then sees if his detectives can solve the case. He's convinced that those who believe in him could never suspect him—but will his arrogantly inflated ego receive a shock? Music by the legendary Enzio Morricone (A Fistful of Dollars, Days of Heaven); Best Foreign Film Oscar.
- Director: Elio Petri
- Country: Italy
- Year: 1970
- Running Time: 115 min.