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Salvatore Giuliano



July 5, 1950—Sicilian bandit Salvatore Giuliano's bullet-riddled corpse is found facedown in a courtyard in Castelvetrano, a handgun and rifle by his side.

Local and international press descend upon the scene, hoping to crack open the true story behind the death of this young man, who, at the age of twenty-seven, had already become Italy's most wanted criminal and celebrated hero. Filming in the exact locations and enlisting a cast of native Sicilians once impacted by the real Giuliano, director Francesco Rosi harnessed the facts and myths surrounding the true story of the bandit's death to create a startling exposé of Sicily and the tangled relations between its citizens, the Mafia, and government officials. A groundbreaking work of political filmmaking, Salvatore Giuliano established Rosi's reputation and assured his place in cinema history.

Special Features

SPECIAL EDITION DOUBLE–DISC SET FEATURES:

- New high-definition digital transfer, with restored picture and sound and enhanced for widescreen televisions
- Audio commentary by film historian Peter Cowie
- Witness to the Times, a new discussion with director Francesco Rosi and film critic Tullio Kezich
- Il cineasta e il labirinto, a 55-minute documentary directed by Roberto Andò showing Rosi revisiting his life and career in cinema, with personal comments by directors Giuseppe Tornatore, Martin Scorsese, and others
- Excerpt of an Italian newsreel from July 12, 1950, reporting the shocking death of the infamous and charismatic bandit Salvatore Giuliano
- Original theatrical trailer
- Plus: written tributes by Francis Ford Coppola, Federico Fellini, and Martin Scorsese as well as a new essay by writer Michel Ciment
- New and improved English subtitle translation
- Optimal image quality: RSDL dual-layer edition

Criterionforum.org user rating averages

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I don't want to see the flurry above as the only recommendation for this film. This was a real surprise for me (and for lots of other people here - I seem to recall it got voted best surprise of 2004 by the forum). Rosi delivers a topical biopic with real flair and imagination, not the least of which is the masterful elision of the main character. In the absence of Giuliano, this becomes a portrait of a people and a community, and I think it might even be more successful on those terms than its close relative The Battle of Algiers. The film surfs along on a series of magnificent set-pieces (ambush, raid, massacre, revolt, search, mourning, trial and so on) that are at times almost abstract, but so beautifully conceived and executed you're completely involved.

Di Venanzo's stark photography is superb, and utterly in step with Rosi's project. Look at this film alongside the lush Juliet of the Spirits to really appreciate the range and skill of this cinematographer.

I am considering order this title, but I think I need a strong, over-the-top, gushing recommendation! Fire away...

I'm as inept as any television-raised, public school educated young American would be when it comes to anything involving the expression of my own opinion. I highly recommend the film; its a fascinating and intelligent film, with some of the most miraculous performances to ever briefly grace the screen. Its very much the same kind of film as The Battle of Algiers, only far more demanding.

Here's what Scorsese has to say about the director in the insert...gushing praise is also available from Coppola and Fellini in the same insert.

"For me, Francesco Rosi is one of the greatest masters of contemporary cinema. He succeeded in evoking an entire culture with great artistic sensitivity, coupled with his watchful ethnographer's eye. His films are neither melodramas nor thrillers; they are part of a genre to themselves, based on political realities. They are films of an enlightened realism: first they involve you, then they demand objectivity. Rosi often has the austerity of Dreyer or Bresson. His movies are filled with memorable moments. I could talk for hours about Salvatore Giuliano alone."

Ah, Scorsese jives off in the insert - that'll do!

Thanks, WAD.

won this on ebay for 14 bucks a few days ago. can't wait to get it.

A terrific, and in many ways, an important film, and one which clearly foreshadows Pontecorvo's Battle of Algiers. At this point, any film by Rosi would is welcome, however, his great crime films are so rarely seen that it's enough to make one weep. It would be wonderful to see such films as Excellent Cadavers, Hands Over the City, Lucky Luciano and The Mattei Affair on DVD, or on the big screen, for that matter. Almost all of these films contain sociopolitical undercurrents, and all are unique in his oeuvre. Unfortunately, the Facets DVD of Christ Stopped at Eboli has large sections missing, and anyone familiar with Levi's book or who has seen the complete cut will immediately notice this, and even if you aren't, it's painfully obvious that there are huge gaps in the narrative. However, the film features a warmly felt performance by Gian Maria Volonte that is arguably his finest.

Gordon, other than the Criterion essay by Michel Ciment (which I'm sure you have already read), there is a decent overview of his work by Gino Moliterno at Senses of Cinema, and at RAI, there is a brief bio, a filmography, stills, and a couple of RM interviews, albeit, in Italian.

Edit: Link update

Thanks again, Kinjitsu! Those are excellent links. I think I'll order this today.

Dunbar wrote:what can you say about the the Facets DVD of Christ Stopped at Eboli in terms of picture quality etc.?

Picture is very grainy, much hiss on the soundtrack...watchable though.

I picked this up because of the reccommendations posted here. But I admit to being a bit disappointed or is that confused?

The physical direction and staging are magnificent. Clearly, the director and cinematographer were working as one. And I have no problem accepting that the real subject is Sicily herself-conflicting loyalties and a long history of feudalism.

But the narrative is confusing, with some jarring time transitions. The subsequent "Battle of Algiers" has a real human conflict, with well chosen opponents, to hang one's hat on. "Salvatore Giuliano" seems to be missing that. Perhaps Rosi only had so much to go on, and speculation could only be carried so far within the context Rosi set for himself.

I haven't listened to the commentary. Perhaps that would help. Clearly, Sicily has been very well represented on film. The Leopard,
L' Avventura, The Godfather films, The Fiancees, and others.

BTW, in the last shot, is that the judge from Piscotta's trial?

To understand & contextualize what this film is doing, one would do well to recall how unusual & even perhaps dangerous it was for a film in this one's era-of-release to make the accusations it did/does about a real life subject-- this film fearlessly cracks the whip at the government, the mob, the police as an entity, and accuses them all of being in collusion with one another. It's one thing for Lang to make Dr MABUSE DER SPIELER in a realm of fantasy... it's another one for this film to tackle every organ of power and tear the veneer off of the tidy press/court/cultural reality which the public has been made to swallow. It's a revolutionary movie, one which says I don't care how dangerous it is to me personally to say such a thing-- I'm going to get the truth out even if it means catching the ire of all the most deadly people that inhabit my world.

In making such a statement, Rosi doesn't splat all his eggs down in the pan right off the bat-- many would find his Alternative Reality too difficult to believe and probably a paranoid fantasy. So he moves by degrees, slowly but surely peeling away falsehoods, lifting up carpets, peeking behind doors, building his case little by little until the truth is built on a more believable foundation.

And the fact that it was all executed the way it was-- so cinematically, with such originality & flair... it's just about as mind-boggling as can be imagined. Technique aside, in this film lies the seed for so much radical & revolutionary thought which followed in the 1960's.

here one photographic book review:

COVER


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