LA PRIMA LINEA/ THE FRONT LINE

Italy, 2009, 100 minutes, Colour.
Riccardo Scamarcio, Giovanna Mezzogiorno, Fabio Rongione.
Directed by Renato De Maria.

There have been quite a number of films from Europe about the terrorist uprisings in the 1960s and 1970s. There have been stories of the Bader- Meinhof group in Germany. There have been films about action in Italy, especially the abduction and killing of the Prime Minister, Aldo Moro.

In a sense, this film presupposes that background.

The film is based on the autobiography the central character, Sergio. We see him arrested in the early 1980s, being interviewed in 1989 at the time of the fall of the Berlin Wall, reminiscing about his activities over the previous 20 years, from the time that he was 15 years old and absorbed the rebellious ideology of the times, expecting revolution and change.

The main action of the film has him planning an escape for his partner from the prison in Rovigo. However, at various times during the action, there are flashbacks to the activities of the 1960s (and newsreel footage), many vicious attacks, explosions, targeted assassinations in the 1970s. The group is called The Front Line – but, after meeting Susanna, Sergio decides to leave the group though continuing some activities. Susanna does not want to leave and is arrested and imprisoned.

The central characters have the time in serving their prison sentences to reflect on what they have done, on the people they have killed – and an afternote indicates that after their release from prison they were involved in volunteer services.

Ricardo Scarmacio and Giovanna Mezzogiorno have been prominent in many Italian films in the 2000s and 2010s.

1. A memoir of protest years? Rebellion? Warfare and terrorism? Murders and assassinations? The ethos of the rebels?

2. The film based on the autobiography of the central character? His history, his perspective on himself, his activities, his motivations? His relationship with Susanna? His being interviewed in 1989?

3. The Italian settings, the cities of the North, Milan, Venice, Rovigo? The period settings of the 1960s and news footage? The attacks of the 1970s? The 1980s? The musical score?

4. The title, the focus on the group, their considering themselves at war, not murderers? Their attacks? The innocent victims? The assassination targets? The later considering the deaths? Their prison sentences? The final information and then doing volunteer work after completing their sentences?

5. Sergio, his history, as a boy, indoctrination, his relationship with his parents and his visits to them, socialisation, rebellion, his expectations of change? His group, The Front Line? The rage? Their ideology? The bond between them, friendship? His work in the 1960s? Into the 1970s and the visualising of the various attacks? His decision to move out of The Front Line? His relationship with Susanna? The clashes with her? Her imprisonment? His arrest in 1983?

6. Susanna, from the South, her personality, her family, severing her ties yet the phone calls? Coming north for action? Involvement in attacks? The encounter with Sergio, staying with him, the relationship? His wanting to move out of The Front Line and her refusal? Her arrest, imprisonment? The prison scenes, shared cells, the lineups for showers, the guards? The plan for the escape? Sergio’s message? The women wanting to go?

7. The setting up of the escape plan? In Venice, the beginning of the day? The occasion for Sergio to reminisce and the insertion of the flashbacks? Travelling to Rovigo, the roadblocks? Contacts with the others in the group? To the prison, machine-gunning the guard towers? The old pensioner and his dog and his going back and his being killed? The explosions, the women escaping? The vehicles and driving?

8. The impact of this film for an Italian audience and going back into this history? An outside audience observing, trying to measure the motivations of the rebels, trying to
understand Italian society at the time? The targets for assassination, politicians, businessmen, reminiscences about churches and liking them, but not the priests there, speculation about their lives?

9. The film and its recreation of the period – as drama, a semi-documentary?