When in Rome, Shoot Like the Romans

THERE IS A GOOD deal of fear and loathing in Rome these days. The recent assassination of Aldo Moro only exacerbated a steadily deteriorating social climate in a country where Machiavellian political intrigue has historically been par for the course. The average Italian does not know where to turn today for salvation. The lack of trust among various factions and the unwillingness to compromise which have characterized Italian national affairs since 1945 have continually thwarted efforts to form a new political coalition which would embrace more liberal elements and might bring about a greater degree of social cohesion. Even the Italian Left has suffered serious disintegration in recent years with more moderate socialist spokesmen and more extremist leaders growing more and more intolerant of one another.

The reported corruption which has plagued the Christian Democrats' rule for the past 30 years, the diverse host of culpable villains (or heroes, depending of course on one's perspective) has unrest and a disturbing wave of terrorist kidnapping, murder, and sabotage. A large and diverse host of culpable villains (or heroes depending of course on one's perspective), has emerged, including such notables as Prime Minister Giulio Andreotti, Communist Party leader Enrico Berlinguer, Pope Paul VI, Fiat chairman Gianni Agnelli, prominent Mafia chieftains, and Brigate Rosse revolutionaries. Both the American CIA and Kremlin officials have also been charged in the Italian press with acting directly and indirectly to undermine political stability.

Nobody, it would appear, is immune to the rampant violence that has given rise to a siege mentality among the Italian people. Not only are bankers, captains of industry and politicians subject to abduction and killing, but virtually anybody suspected of being even comfortably "borghese" has become a possible target, as evidenced by the recent series of attacks on conservative newspaper editors and middle-level civil servants.

Francesco Rosi's brilliant political thriller Illustrious Corpses, deals quite well with this rather complicated subject of Italian political turmoil. The film's theme of political assassination and a growing police state conjures up frightening Orwellian visions of Big Brother-type repression. It is even more eerily prophetic as it was made in 1975, before the Moro killing and more compelling than The Parallax View (an American film with the same theme of assassination) as it probably reflects a greater measure of reality.

The film opens as the first of a series of corrupt judges is murdered in a small city. More judges are murdered in nearby towns and Inspector Rogas, a shrewd and tough police detective (played by Lino Ventura) is called in on the case to try to put together the pieces of the puzzle. At first Rogas suspects a wrongly convicted pharmacist seeking revenge on his accusers. A boyhood friend of Rogas who is now a writer for a Communist newspaper suggests that conspiratorial political machinations might be involved in the murders, but Rogas dismisses the idea.

As Rogas further investigates the shootings, he begins to feel that his superiors in the police and justice departments are more suspicious of him than they are of the actual killer. He is disturbed by the government's excessive use of electronic surveillance techniques and their insistence that the perpetrators must be left-wing radicals, probably from the universities. The investigation serves as an awakening and education for Rogas in the reality of power politics. Initially annoyed by the labor unions who seem to paralyze society with their incessant strikes, he gradually becomes aware of a far more serious threat to the nation as he begins to uncover a diabolical counter-revolutionary plot being planned and executed by the very leaders of the military-industrial-political complex. The final turning point occurs when he discovers that his own telephone is being tapped by those who fear he knows too much.

ILLUSTRIOUS CORPSES is in many ways typical of contemporary Italian cinema. Rosi uses the documentary style, which places an exaggerated emphasis on certain events in the plot to create a more realistic impression, and uses the common theme of the overgrown police state seen in many recent films. He also contrasts the grandeur of the great halls and monuments of Romano-Italian civilization with the decadence of the morally weak leaders for ironic effect.

There are several fine acting performances in this film--most notably Ventura's as the cool, savvy inspector. Ventura has a striking physical presence which he uses well to convey the grave sense of urgency that dominates the picture. His ability to keep his cool contrasts effectively with the surrounding madness. Fernando Rey as the pragmatic Minister of Justice and Max Von Sydow as the fanatically authoritarian Chief Justice also play their roles convincingly.

Illustrious Corpses is a somewhat flawed film, in that its labyrinthine plot can hopelessly confuse even the most attentive viewer. This reviewer had to see it twice just to understand what was going on, and I'm still not sure about some parts. But it is a must see for those looking for suspense and some consciousness-raising in the scary business of how powerful groups use certain events such as assassinations to influence public opinion for quite contrary purposes.