The dead man was a judge, an "excellency" and thus he coo is an "excelient' — or in English - an In Rosl's hands the investigation of a murder moves resol itely towards the heart of dark ness in Italian politics. In 120 minutes this remarkable film draws together the threads of individual murder and social crisis through UUICCERUYEE of irationality, death. and politics until it demonstrates lat tor an uranial scery aa crisin, polities is murder and civil HISTORY History is everywhere in Hivstrious Corpies, not merely because Rosi enjoys Filming churches, tombs, courts Reiaissance Towns: bat bocaus it highlights the uniqueness of contemporary ltaly. — a capitalist society overlaid with powerful residue of feudal instihectoes of today' NaThe nude's funeral is ltaly.
The farees of reaction altict in a nagnificent Catholic church mafiosi, the chiefs of saff, the SuTUACYO of the old der confronted by a massi demonstration of the new, "Mafsoso, mafioso!" the left chant at the corpse. A signal, and the Black horses draw an ancient black hearse through a veil of smoke, rotting debris, confetti and thunder. These are not mcy unageh ou corrupcipn c surrealist self-indulgence, but • real scene in a town whose Funerals are srchaic. where the refuse workers are on strike, leaflets are everywhere, and the T DaCr uTOOBHOrC A bourgeois geriatric obsessively stares at the mummified remains of his Renaissance predecessors. As be leaves the tomb he is gunned down. Ilustrious Corpses (Cadaveri Eccelenti) is Francesco Rosi's latest film, the CI SCanE20 against the proletariat As the murders and the investati m contine te griiar crisis matires. The Democrat government goes into criss. the narhamemtary regi is discredited, miass himualiy inervenes, the President tions cake place, the appeals far "law and order and the derective is reassigned to the political police, vinced that tho murders are the work of the far left.
Through a lahyrinth of blindsambe depon the perim a In desperatice society not corrupted by office -the Communist Party (PCT). Intervene Already he has received ampl proof that they too are hopelessly compromised.
The Caristian Democrats call them 'friends". One elist announces: bourgeois Catholic demonstra the truch "illustrious porpses saying scart the revolution before the enunter-nevolation, just let parliament know' Relentlessy the axis af sbe cim ans shitted trom anouuai to the question of how the left can avoid amocber Chile The crisis reaches breaking point and TheOUTEOTC amous nov clear dilemma.
comminis. TROTUS bourgeais order?
Yet the deter ts Che eci leade soars.
ICAL-OI
*I'm not they want!' always revolutionary"
everywhere perpetrase thi past.
Rosi has TAT C-RACISE IS LaLEU WUD & Should they re and not in veal the truth about the illas UniS r OCCnenC ilustrious compromise with the of the masse throurhou demands of his comrades: "Do you wan CO SCH Arouse the nsasses? That's what So for the PCI the truch is not murder.
of the masses reaches a cres nat. benda. the camera tocusses on 8 painting of a demonstration, the red fag and the face of Lenin are SCOTIE - the credits rail
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oni etad mpeip cation and Dante', İnfern