Made one year after Costa-Gavras’ Z won the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar, Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion is a terrific Italian political thriller, which won the same award in that category in 1970.
Grade: A (***** out of *****)
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Italian film poster
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Tautly directed by Elio Petri, Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion, which was a huge success internationally, is credited for launching or revitalizing Italian political cinema of the 1970s.
It may or may not be a coincidence that it was released in the same year as Bertolucci’s masterpiece, The Conformist.
The great Italian actor Gian Maria Volonté plays the nameless head of the Rome homicide police division; he is known as “Il Dottore” (“the Doctor”).
After murdering his wife, the arrogant doctor decides to plant various clues, highly aware that they would (and could) lead investigators directly to him.
His ideology is that a man of his caliber is above suspicion by virtue of his status and power. Knowing the corrupt and decadent system, he holds that the investigators likely would focus their search on leftist members.
A recently promoted police inspector kills his mistress (Florinda Bolkan), and then covers up his involvement in the crime. He insinuates himself into the investigation, planting clues to steer his subordinate officers toward a series of other suspects, including the woman’s gay husband and a student leftist radical.
He then exonerates the other suspects, leading the investigators toward him just in order to prove that he is “above suspicion,” and that he can get away with anything, while being investigated.
He eventually confesses to the crime in front of his superiors, who refuse to believe him. Feeling that he is safe, he recants his confession, which is then approved by the police commissioner.
The highlight of this perverse political fable is an interrogation at his own home, which turns out to be a dream sequence.
The film is dominated by the charismatic performance of Gian Maria Volonté as the chief (“the doctor”), an actor known at the time from his spaghetti Westerns (A Fistful of Dollars).
Edgy, offbeat, and suspenseful, the film raises some provocative issues, such as the interplay between social class and politics, the arrogant feeling of elite members that they are (and entitled to be) above the law.
The story, with its unpredictable turn, moves forward with relentless momentum, exposing all the layers of police corruption
The movie benefits from strong production values, especially the score by the brilliant composer Ennio Morricone.
Oscar Status
Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion played at the Cannes Film Festival, where it was well received.
It won the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar, in a competitive yea in which the other nominees were: First Love from Switzerland, Hoa-Binh from France, Paix sur les Champs from Belgium, and Tristana from Spain.
Remarkably, the movie was also nominated for the Best Original Screenplay, penned by Elio Petri, who began his career as a film critic for the Communist daily L’Unità, and Ugo Pirro.
The winner, however, was the American Paddy Chayefsky for the satire, The Hospital.
Credits:
Directed by Elio Petri
Screenplay by Petri, Ugo Pirro
Produced by Marina Cicogna, Daniele Senatore
Cinematography Luigi Kuveiller
Edited by Ruggero Mastroianni
Music by Ennio Morricone
Production company: Vera Film
Distributed by Euro International Films (Italy); Columbia Pictures (US)
Release date: February 9, 1970 (Italy); December 20, 1970 (US)
Running time: 115 minutes
Cast
Gian Maria Volonté as “Il Dottore” (‘the Doctor’), the Police Inspector
Florinda Bolkan as Augusta Terzi
Gianni Santuccio as the Police Commissioner
Orazio Orlando as Brigadier Biglia
Sergio Tramonti as Antonio Pace
Salvo Randone as the Plumber
Arturo Dominici as Mangani
Aldo Rendine as Nicola Panunzio
Massimo Foschi as Claudio Terzi
Vittorio Duse as Canes
Aleka Paizi as the Housekeeper
Pino Patti as the Wiretapping Supervisor
Gianfranco Barra as Agent Giusti
