Piazza Fontana: The Italian Conspiracy
2012 ‘Romanzo di una strage’ Directed by Marco Tullio Giordana
Synopsis
A chronicle of the 1969 bombing at a major national bank in Milan and its aftermath.
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Ambitious but rather dry and convoluted dramatisation of a particularly turbulent period in recent Italian history, centring around the infamous Piazza Fontana bombing of 1969, blame for which has never been satisfyingly apportioned. Part of the trouble is that the events of this period were by their nature confusing, with multiple factions in play on all sides of the political spectrum and serious discrepancies as to who did what, and to whom. This manifests itself in the seemingly endless cavalcade of different names and faces. This veritable rogues' gallery becomes incredibly difficult to keep track of, with only Milanese police captain Luigi Calabresi (Valerio Mastandrea), portrayed here as an honourable man who became the fall guy for a cover-up instigated…
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In 1969 a horrendous terrorist bombing took place in a busy bank in the Piazza Fontana in Milan, Italy. At first anarchists are believed responsible; but an honest police captain is determined to get to the truth. This is the set-up for a remarkable film, based on true events, which is extraordinary in presenting an historical enigma as a complex policier with, to this day, no satisfactory resolution. The film is large scale, with a huge cast of characters; and for foreigners unfamiliar with the case, a little difficult to follow. But it joins a distinguished group of films which re-examine and blow the lid off cover-ups and malfeasances at the highest level. Giordana directed one of my all-time favorite films, THE BEST OF YOUTH, and he's a superior filmmaker at handling actors and setting action scenes. But this film is more political muckraking than emotionally involving, which isn't playing to the director's strongest suit.
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This review reportedly contains spoilers. I can handle the truth.
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In 1969 a horrendous terrorist bombing took place in a busy bank in the Piazza Fontana in Milan, Italy. At first anarchists are believed responsible; but an honest police captain is determined to get to the truth. This is the set-up for a remarkable film, based on true events, which is extraordinary in presenting an historical enigma as a complex policier with, to this day, no satisfactory resolution. The film is large scale, with a huge cast of characters; and for foreigners unfamiliar with the case, a little difficult to follow. But it joins a distinguished group of films which re-examine and blow the lid off cover-ups and malfeasances at the highest level. Giordana directed one of my all-time favorite films, THE BEST OF YOUTH, and he's a superior filmmaker at handling actors and setting action scenes. But this film is more political muckraking than emotionally involving, which isn't playing to the director's strongest suit.
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Ambitious but rather dry and convoluted dramatisation of a particularly turbulent period in recent Italian history, centring around the infamous Piazza Fontana bombing of 1969, blame for which has never been satisfyingly apportioned. Part of the trouble is that the events of this period were by their nature confusing, with multiple factions in play on all sides of the political spectrum and serious discrepancies as to who did what, and to whom. This manifests itself in the seemingly endless cavalcade of different names and faces. This veritable rogues' gallery becomes incredibly difficult to keep track of, with only Milanese police captain Luigi Calabresi (Valerio Mastandrea), portrayed here as an honourable man who became the fall guy for a cover-up instigated…
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Historical drama film. Maniacal care has been taken with attention lavished on even the smallest details. The only big "no" is the acting of Laura Chiatti. Pierfrancesco Favino and Valerio Mastandrea are just Great.