By Giorgio Di Marzo
The Italian Film Festival, as usual hosted by the Riverside Studios, presented in December a rich programme incorporating various film, from blockbusters to documentaries.
Of unquestionable level were Napoleon and Me, quite a unique case of a very well acted historic film, but witty and hilarious; Saturn in Opposition, a delicate but destabilising drama about the life of a close group of friends; Manual of Love 2, a collection of stories that represent different aspects of sensuality and sexuality; Night Bus, a noir with murders, intimidations and chases, with a space for sentiment.
But I would like to point out the documentary by Marco Turco based on the eponymous book by Alexander Stille: Excellent Cadavers.
“The war against Mafia is fought in Sicily but can be won only in Rome”.
This is the true meaning of the Mafia, which is not a folkloristic heritage but a crude reality, not just in Sicily but everywhere money and politics are.
As a Palermitan, Excellent Cadavers brought to my mind the dark memories related to the carnage of the two Prosecutors Giovanni Falcone and Paolo Borsellino, as the film is mainly based on this piece of Italian history not yet fully understood by the people and explained by those who should give an answer: how come that two among the highest Italian Prosecutors and their escort can be killed?
In some way, it is a horror film: the photos by Letizia Battaglia, a Palermitan photo-journalist, make us smell the stink of blood and death, killing after killing… but she could not take any photo at the massacre of Borsellino: he had been torn in peaces by the explosion…
The film is a blow to the stomach, as cruel as real, and I wish everybody realised, and some remembered, what Mafia was… and is… by listing their main killings, most of them committed in Palermo, all of them in Sicily: but with help of those who live in the big palaces of Rome…
1970: Mauro De Mauro, journalist of the newspaper L'Ora, kidnapped and never found.
1971: Pietro Scaglione, Prosecutor, and his driver Antonino Lo Russo.
1977: Giuseppe Russo, Carabinieri’s Lieutenant Colonel.
1978: Giuseppe Impastato, antimafia activist.
1979: Mario Francese, journalist of the newspaper Giornale di Sicilia.
1979: Giorgio Ambrosoli, liquidator of Michele Sindona.
1979: Boris Giorgio Giuliano, Head of the Police Flying Squad.
1979: Cesare Terranova, Investigating Judge, and his driver Lenin Mancuso.
1980: Piersanti Mattarella, President of the Sicily Region.
1980: Emanuele Basile, Carabinieri’s Captain.
1980: Gaetano Costa, Head of Prosecutors. He had just signed sixty warrants of arrest against Mafiosi, after all his Assistants refused to do it.
1982: Pio La Torre, Secretary of the Italian Communist Party, and his driver Rocco Di Salvo.
1982: Carlo Alberto Dalla Chiesa, Prefect of Police, his wife Emanuela Setti Carraro, and Domenico Russo, their driver.
1983: Giangiacomo Ciaccio Montalto, Judge.
1983: Mario D'Aleo, Carabinieri’s Captain, and two other carabinieri: Bonmarito and Marici. D’Aleo had replaced Cap. Basile.
1983: Rocco Chinnici, Head of the Investigating Judges, and two carabinieri of his escort.
1984: Giuseppe Fava, founder of the weekly magazine I Siciliani.
1984: Leonardo Vitale, the first Mafia’s pentito [former mafioso who “repented” and named names, gave information, etc., in exchange for lighter sentences or for not being prosecuted – Author’s Note]
1985: Beppe Montana, Head of the Police Arrest Squad.
1985: Antonino Cassara’, Deputy Head of Police, and the police officer Roberto Antiochia.
1988: Giuseppe Insalaco, Mayor of Palermo, had publicly reported that Mafia was strongly conditioning politics.
1988: Natale Mondo, police officer.
1988: Antonino Saetta, Palermo’s Head of the Court of Appeal and his son Stefano.
1988: Mauro Rostagno, journalist and sociologist.
1990: Rosario Livatino, Prosecutor.
1991: Antonio Scopelliti, Supreme Court Prosecutor.
1991: Libero Grassi, entrepreneur.
1992: Giovanni Falcone, former Prosecutor was working for the Minisrtry of Justice, his wife Francesca Morvillo, and the escort officers Antonio Montinaro, Rocco Di Cillo and Vito Schifani.
1992: Paolo Borsellino, Prosecutor, and the escort officers Agostino Catalano, Vincenzo Li Muli, Walter Cosina, Claudio Traina and Emanuela Loi.
1993: Beppe Alfano, journalist of the newspaper La Sicilia.
1993: Father Pino Puglisi.
1998: Domenico Geraci, labour leader.
Copyright 2008 GIORGIOSTUDIO Ltd – All rights reserved
|
