"Salvatore Giuliano" starts on July 5, 1950, just after Salvatore Giuliano(Pietro Cammarata) has been murdered. There is differing testimony from the eyewitnesses that not only contradicts the police account but each other. Five years previously, in the wake of the end of World War II, Sicily is on the verge of
proclaiming its independence.(I had never heard of this before but it makes sense considering the cultural differences between Sicily and the mainland.) The leaders of the indpendence movement enlist bandits to the cause, giving Giuliano a field commission of colonel and a provisional amnesty.
"Salvatore Giuliano" is for the most part a riveting docudrama about the legendary independence fighter and bandit, the movie spending a good deal of thought wondering about the difference between the two. Throughout, Giuliano is protrayed as a shadowy figure, mostly known by his distinctive white duster as the police and army try more restrictive methods with each successful strike in order to try and stop him and his bandits which in turn just alienates the native populace. And director Francesco Rosi shows a fine touch with the natural locations and crowd scenes. However, the movie almost falls apart at the end due to a marathon court session that instead of resolving the central mystery, just manages to confuse things even further.
November 26, 2009
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