SACCO AND VANZETTI

Italy, 1971, 123 minutes, Colour.
Gian Maria Volonte, Ricardo Cucciola, Cyril Cusack, Geoffrey Keen.
Directed by Giuliano Montaldo.

Italy, 1971, 120 minutes, Colour.
Gian Maria Volonte, Riccardo Cucciolla, Cyril Cusack, Geoffrey Keen, Milo O’Shea?, William Prince.
Directed by Giuliano Montaldo.

Sacco and Vanzette is a significant film, based on a true story. Two anarchists, workmen, were tried for murder during a bank robbery. The evidence was stacked against them and they were condemned for their political views rather than for criminal offences. The case raised a lot of attention in the United States – and around the world. It is another story of prejudice in the American justice system.

Gian Maria Volonte had appeared in a number of political films after some of the spaghetti westerns of the 1960s. He was the star of An Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion, he took the role of Lucky Luciano, he appeared in The Mattei Affair, The Death of Mario Ricci and Open Doors. Ricardo Cucciolla is very good as Sacco to Volonte’s Vanzetti. A number of English-speaking actors appear in the supporting cast including Cyril Cusack.

The film was directed by Giuliano Montaldo who had made Grand Slam and Machine Gun McCain?. He was interested in the American gangster styles but also in the political repercussions of such stories. His films have not appeared widely outside Italy after the 1970s. However, he had a featured role in Nanni Moretti’s Il Caimano (2006).

1. The impact of this Italian production on Italian audiences, Americans? World-wide audiences?

2. A glimpse of American history, an indictment of injustice and prejudice? A portrait of Italian workers? The point of view of the screenplay, sympathies, critique? Social principles? Political point of view?

3. The international nature of the cast? The impact of the two Italian leads? The Irish and British and American cast? Colour photography, re-creation of period? Atmosphere of the '20s in the United States?

4. The black and white prologue? The rounding up of the Italian workers? Deportation issues? The role of the Consul and his later criticisms? Atmosphere of fear? The reasons for the round-ups - those given? The later attitudes of Katzman and his criticism of Italians and their being absorbed into American society? American reaction overall to this kind of racialism?

5. The portrait of Palmer, his attitudes, his-press conferences? The attack on the unions? On Italian workers? The role of the police - the recurring image of the man falling from the building? The role of the law and Attorney Generals using it? The later atmosphere of conspiracy: the District Attorney, the judge? The use of methods to win a case? The Governor and his assessment of the situation and Thompson's appeal after Palmer's defeat? Sufficient indication of the atmosphere of the time, the role of American politics?

6. Sacco and Vanzetti as radicals, socialists and therefore useful victims? Their arrest, the interrogations, the placing of charges and the bases for these?

7. The reaction of each to the arrest and charges, to the imprisonment, to the trial? Their presence throughout the trial? Their lack of English? The way that they were questioned during the trial? Indications of their background: time spent in America, family, their work, socialist and radical issues e.g. leaving for Mexico during the call-up of 1917? How well did they present themselves? As criminals or not? Sacco and his collapse, his illness? The continued shouting and support from outside the prison and its breaking him down? His being taken away? Vanzetti and his surviving in prison?

8. Katzman and his style - in the initial interrogations, his patronising attitudes towards Sacco and Vanzetti? His conduct of the prosecution and his severity? The judge being on his side? The attacks on Moore? His witnesses, the pressurising of them? The way of addressing the jury, his outbursts, giving them photos of socialist riots? The irony of the later revelations? His presence during the appeal hearings, the attacks on Moore?

9. Moore and his sympathy towards Sacco and Vanzetti, his boorish way of conducting the defence, his angers and frustrations, his interrogations? Criticisms of judge and Katzman? His highlighting the issues of racialism - and Katzman's German origins? The judge's exasperation with him? The disappointment of Sacco? His presence at the committee meetings? His move for the appeal - and his pressurising witnesses? His leaving things to Thompson to try to win? How much was the fault of Moore - especially when he expected the~ jury to give 'not guilty'?

10. The judge and his partiality? His interventions in the case? His control of the courtroom? His continued rejections of appeals? Thompson's scathing attack on him?

11. Thompson and his interest in the case, his presence at the society party, his friendship with the journalist? His being in court? His help to the committee? His being beaten when the police charged? His decision to take on the case, the long and detailed investigations of archives, witnesses, criminals? His building up a solid ground for appeal? His presentation of the grounds and the judge's rejection? His long attacking speech on the judge and administration of law in the United States? His appeal to the Governor? The sympathetic presentation in comparison with Katzman?

12. The witnesses and their vagueness: the line-up and the way that this was held with Sacco and Vanzetti having to hold out their hands as if with. guns, the trying on of caps in court, the device of having the flashbacks indicating the witnesses were very vague? The later revelations about their being paid off? Moore's standing over them? Thompson's methods of discovering the truth?

13. The grounds for appeals and their rejection?

14. The importance of public reaction - the demonstrations outside the jail, the work of the committee? Moore and Thompson and their help? The presentation of the long petitions to the Governor? The statements of the universities? World-wide opinion? The device of having the newsreel material to show world support of Sacco and Vanzetti?

15. Sacco and Vanzetti as being victims of the law throughout the film? Throughout the main trial? The atmosphere of the statement of their guilt by the jury (after having their free meal)? Vanzetti's speech and his assessment of himself, the issues, his being used for political purposes? Sacco's silence?

16. Themes of freedom - the final days of Sacco and Vanzetti? The build-up to death? Capital punishment and the state murdering its citizens? Sacco and Vanzetti as victims?


17. The insight into characters? The quality of the portraits of Sacco and Vanzetti, of the men involved in the law? The adequacy of the social insight into the United States of the '20s? Issues of work, race,