Themes: Rise and Fall Stories, Political Corruption
Main Cast: Salvo Randone, Frank Wolff, Federico Zardi, Pietro Cammarata
Release Year: 1962
Country: IT
Run Time: 125 minutes
Plot
This is a documentary-style Italian drama chronicling the rise and fall of the title character, a real-life Mob chieftain who rose to prominence in post-WWII Sicily. Salvatore Giuliano himself is almost unseen and his career is recalled in flashbacks after his assassination in 1950. With the help of his right-hand man and cousin Gaspare Pisciotta (Frank Wolff), Salvatore becomes a guerilla leader whose resistance to the corrupt politicians dominating his post-war nation leads to his popularity among the Sicilian peasant class. As time passes, though, Salvatore becomes more of a criminal than a rebel, threatening Mafia income. Even Salvatore's own devoted followers begin to doubt him, and when he orders the slaughter of communist supporters at a rally, a bloody shootout with police ensues. Salvatore Giuliano (1962) was such an effective anti-organized crime film that it inspired a real-life investigation into Mob activities in Sicily. The Giuliano story was later filmed as The Sicilian (1987) starring Christopher Lambert as the title character. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
Salvatore Giuliano is a 1962 Italian film directed by Francesco Rosi. Shot in a documentary, non-linear style, it follows the lives of those involved with the famous Sicilian bandit, Salvatore Giuliano, who does not appear directly in the film. Local villagers were cast for most of the scenes.
