Investigations against a citizen who is above suspicion

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Movie
German title Investigations against a citizen who is above suspicion
Original title Indagine su un cittadino al di sopra di ogni sospetto
Country of production Italy
original language Italian
Publishing year 1970
length 115 minutes
Age rating FSK 16
Rod
Director Elio Petri
script Elio Petri
Ugo Pirro
production Marina Cicogna
Daniele Senatore
music Ennio Morricone
camera Luigi Kuveiller
cut Ruggero Mastroianni
occupation

Investigation of a Citizen above suspicion (Original: Indagine su un cittadino al di sopra di ogni sospetto ) is in Italy twisted satirical thriller by Elio Petri from the year 1970 .

An inspector from the homicide squad kills his lover and sets himself up as a perpetrator, but because of his professional immunity, the investigators ignore them.

action

A homicide inspector, called Dottore, who is promoted from head of department to head of the political office, kills his lover Augusta. Both of them played sado-masochistic- like games beforehand , playing a murder victim whom he photographed. Dottore lays traces that point to himself as the perpetrator and anonymously calls the police. When he leaves the house, he is seen by another resident (Antonio Pace). The police found numerous fingerprints, footprints and draped fibers of a blue silk tie.

The inspector, who shows a right disposition and advocates a great police force, provides further clues that point to him as the perpetrator. He indicates to his supervisor that he knew the victim, whereupon he means that the husband is likely to be accepted as the perpetrator. When the police officers who are working on the case hear it, Dottore interferes and reports the husband's innocence.

An officer finds out that the blue tie indicates Dottore, but the housekeeper does not give it to him. Dottore asks an elderly plumber to buy more ties, confesses to him what he has done, and admonishes him to make a statement at the police station. When he was questioned at the station, however, he withdrew his testimony after seeing the dottore.

Flashbacks reveal that the murder victim Augusta had another lover, the student Antonio Pace. Sometimes Dottore incited him because of his power, sometimes she referred to him as a child.

After several bombs were planted, the police arrested a number of left-wing radicals, including Antonio Pace. This tells him on the head that he thinks he is Augusta's murderer. Dottore then asks that Antonio should show him, which he refuses.

Dottore even writes down a confession and gives it to show off their incompetence to his colleagues, and goes home to be ready for interrogation.

At the final, Dottore is woken up at home by a few colleagues and fellow travelers. They give him salt to eat. He freely admits to them that he killed Augusta. But his colleagues ask him for evidence and say that Pace has an alibi, the footprints and fingerprints are not proof, the tie is missing, the plumber did not recognize him. Dottore says about the motif that Augusta made fun of him and the institution and that he has become more infantile. When he takes out his photos of Augusta, they tear up his colleagues. They finally beat him until he confesses his innocence and signs a blank sheet of paper.

Then Dottore lies in his bed again, the previous confrontation with his colleagues was apparently a dream. His colleagues and companions come into the apartment and he lowers the blinds.

At this point the film ends with a quote from Kafka: "However he may appear to us, he is a servant of the law, that is, belonging to the law, that is, removed from human judgment."

background

Investigations against a citizen above suspicion premiered in Italy on February 9, 1970. In the FRG the film opened in cinemas on November 13, 1970, in the GDR on March 14, 1973.

Reviews

The critics' judgment in the USA when the film was released in December 1970 was largely positive. Vincent Canby of the New York Times said the film was "mind-boggling" as a political parable. Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times praised Elio Petris “intelligent mix of psychology and tension”.

Kenneth Turan of the Los Angeles Times wrote in retrospect in 2003: "A provocative political thriller that is still as unsettling today as it was when it was performed in 1970." Dave Kehr of the Chicago Reader, on the other hand, was ambivalent. Although Gian Maria Volonté made an "impressive performance", the film was too rough and rough.

The British magazine Time Out found Florinda Bolkan's "cheerful erotic presence" and Ennio Morricone's "lively music" pleasing, otherwise the film was a "grueling moral sermon".

The lexicon of international films wrote : “An aggressive, socially critical film about the abuse and corruption of power. Brilliantly staged and vividly played. ”The magazine Cinema praised the film as“ bilious, brilliantly played political satire ”and drew the conclusion:“ A classic: more evil than the police allow! ”The Protestant film observer is also full of praise : "Extreme psycho- and political casuistry, but at the same time a clever and unmasking lesson."

Awards

Investigations against a citizen above suspicion received the Grand Jury Prize at the Cannes International Film Festival in 1970 . In 1971 it won the Oscar for best foreign language film . The script was also nominated for an Oscar for best original script a year later .

In addition, the film received a Laurel Award for best foreign language film, the Nastro d'Argento awarded by the Sindacato Nazionale Giornalisti Cinematografici Italiani in three categories (best actor, best director, best original screenplay), the Edgar Allan Poe Award for best feature film, two “Davids” for the producers Senatore and Cicogna and for the lead actor Volonté at the presentation of the David di Donatello Awards , the KCFCC Award of the Kansas City Film Critics Circle and the FIPRESCI Prize. It was also nominated for the Golden Globe for best foreign language film .

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. a b Investigations against a citizen who is above suspicion in the Internet Movie Database .
  2. a b Investigations against a citizen who is above suspicion in the Lexicon of International FilmsTemplate: LdiF / Maintenance / Access used
  3. Reviewed in the New York Times on December 21, 1970, accessed March 8, 2012.
  4. Reviewed in the Chicago Sun-Times, March 8, 1971, accessed March 8, 2012.
  5. Review in the Los Angeles Times of September 26, 2003, quoted on Rottentomatoes.com, accessed March 8, 2012.
  6. Review in Chicago Reader, accessed March 8, 2012.
  7. Review  ( page no longer available , search in web archivesInfo: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. on Timeout.com, accessed March 8, 2012.@1@ 2Template: Dead Link / www.timeout.com  
  8. Review on Cinema.de, accessed on March 8, 2012.
  9. Evangelical Press Association, Munich, Review No. 488/1970.