1979
Directed by Francesco Rosi
I finally received my DVD copy of this film, and finally possess the mobility to turn on my DVD player. I was fully expecting the DVD to lag, or not work on my DVD player (which, let's face it, is a racist). But the Criterion Collection doesn't fuck around, and I was permitted to be miserable in Italy for a couple hours.
Carlo Levi is a writer and painter from Turin. He is arrested in 1935 by Mussolini's regime for anti-fascist ideas, and sentenced to live in exile. He is confined to Aliano, a remote town in southern Italy. Having earned a degree in medicine but never practiced, Carlo starts to put his learning to good use by helping the villagers. Predictably, they are insular, impoverished, and superstitious. But even a village as cut off as Aliano is touched by Mussolini's reign. They have to pay high taxes, which forces them to do things like kill their goats, and make us watch.
Another perk of the copy I watched, depending on your point of view, is that it was the fully uncut version, which was 220 minutes. So you really had time with the characters. I mean, a lot of time. I think the novel version of this is on the 1001 book list as well, so this isn't the last time I'll be with these characters for the long haul.
Visually, this is a stunning movie with breathtaking landscape shots. Of course, this is contrasted sharply with the conditions of the village's inhabitants. So many of them had fled to the USA for a better life, that at one point a character jokes if his people had a capital, it would be New York City. It's fascinating that even in "exile," the village isn't free from the terror of Mussolini or the Catholic Church. Well, it was fascinating for the first hour or so anyway.
One more movie to go! The most elusive of the bunch, and here's hoping I'm able to track it down.
RATING: ***--
Interesting Facts:
The source novel is based on the memoir of Carlo Levi.
The title of the movie comes from an expression by the people of Gagliano (Aliano in the film) who say "Christ stopped short of here, at Eboli."
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