Marco Bellocchio made a splashy directing debut with Fists in the Pocket, an Italian psychological drama that he also wrote.
Grade: A (***** out of *****)
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A dark satire of family and social values, the film centers on a young man suffering from epilepsy (Lou Castel in his film debut) who plots the murders of his dysfunctional family.
Due to its subject matter, Fists in the Pocket was controversial upon initial release, embraced by some while condemned by others in the establishment.
However, a significant sleeper hit, the film has since developed strong following as a landmark work for the county’s cinema.
Four siblings, a sister and three brothers, live with their blind mother in provincial villa. Three of the siblings suffer from epilepsy. The eldest son, Augusto, does not. and he is the only provider for the family.
One brother, Alessandro, decides that Augusto would be free to live his life if the mother and other siblings were dead.
He connives to be allowed to drive his mother and the other siblings on their periodic trip to a cemetery. After he has left, Augusto reads the note that Alessandro left saying that he would kill all of them and himself. Alessandro intended to drive all of them off a cliff, but does not, and they all return home safely. Later, however, Alessandro takes his mother for a drive; they stop at an overlook, and Alessandro pushes his mother off the cliff to her death. Alessandro is not suspected.
After his mother’s funeral, he kills his brother Leone with an overdose of his medication. Sister Giulia realizes that Alessandro killed Leone and their mother. When Alessandro has epileptic fit, Giulia does not come to his aid.
Fists in the Pocket was Marco Bellocchio’s directorial debut, having previously worked as screenwriter. Bellocchio produced the film independently, financing it through friends and family, and shot it on family property in Piacenza and Bobbio.
The role of Alessandro was originally intended for pop star Gianni Morandi, but the singer turned it down at the advice of his label RCA Records, who claimed it would hurt his career.
Colombian-born Lou Castel, who took the part instead, was not professional actor at the time, who Bellocchio met through the Italian Communist Party. Castel’s only acting experience had been as an extra in Luchino Visconti’s The Leopard (1963), and he did not speak Italian.
Castel improvised many of the character’s mannerisms, often ad libbing, much to the chagrin of his co-star Marino Masé, a classically-trained actor. The two frequently clashed during filming and once nearly came to blows before Bellocchio intervened. Since he wasn’t yet fluent in Italian, Castel’s voice was dubbed by uncredited Paolo Carlini.
At its premiere at the Locarno Festival, the film was condemned by Bellocchio’s idols Luis Buñuel and Michelangelo Antonioni.
It was positively received by younger critics and audiences, and went on win the Festival’s Silver Sail award.
A sleeper hit, it won enthusiastic response when released in France, ranking No. 10 in the Cahiers du Cinéma’s Annual Top 10 List.
The film represents the shift Italian cinema from the post-realism phase of the 1950s to the experimentalism, social commentary, and surrealism of the 1960s.
Critical Status: Awards and Nominations
Cahiers du Cinéma, Top 10 Lists of 1966, 10th place
Nastro d’Argento Best Director of 1966 Marco Bellocchio
Nominated
Best Screenplay Nominated
Best Original Story Won
Best Producer Enzo Doria Nominated
National Society of Film Critics Best Supporting Actress 1969 Paola Pitagora Nominated
Locarno Festival Silver Sail 1965 Marco Bellocchio Won
Venice Film Fest Award of the City of Imola 1965 Won
In 2008, the film was placed on the Ministry of Culture’s list of 100 films to be saved, a collection of “100 films that have changed the collective memory of the country between 1942 and 1978.”
The film underwent a 4K restoration by the L’Immagine Ritrovata laboratory which was completed in August 2015. The restoration was funded by The Cineteca di Bologna, Armani, and Kavac Film, and supervised by Bellocchio.
Cast
Lou Castel Alessandro
Paola Pitagora Giulia
Marino Masé Augusto
Liliana Gerace, Mother
Pier Luigi Trogilio Leone
Jeannie MacNeil, Lucia
Irene Agnelli, Bruna
Credits:
Directed, written by Marco Bellocchio
Written by Marco Bellocchio
Produced by Enzo Doria
Cinematography Alberto Marrama
Edited by Silvano Agosti
Music by Ennio Morricone
Production company: Doria Cinematografica
Release date: October 31, 1965
Running time: 105 minutes
Language Italian
