Italian Crime Filmography, 1968-1980

by Roberto Curti

In 1970s Italy, after the decline of the Spaghetti Western, crime films became the most popular, profitable and controversial genre. In a country plagued with violence, political tensions and armed struggle, these films managed to capture the anxiety and anger of the times in their tales of tough cops, ruthless criminals and urban paranoia. Recent years have seen renewed critical interest in the genre, thanks in part to such illustrious fans as Quentin Tarantino. This book examines all of the 220+ crime films produced in Italy between 1968 and 1980, the period when the genre first appeared and grew to its peak. Entries include a complete cast and crew list, home video releases, a plot summary and the author's own analysis. Excerpts from a variety of sources are included: academic texts, contemporary reviews, and interviews with filmmakers, scriptwriters and actors. There are many onset stills and film posters.

Genres: Film

332 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2013

About the author

Roberto Curti is a free lance writer for several Italian and foreign magazines. He’s a regular contributor to Italian music, film and literary magazine Blow Up (http://www.blowupmagazine.com). He has collaborated, among others, to the Italian cult film magazine Nocturno Cinema and to the Canadian web mag Offscreen (www.offscreen.com). His most recent work is Italian Crime Filmography 1968-1980 (McFarland), an in-depth history of Italian crime and noir films.

Reviews

[Aaron · Rating 5 out of 5]

Magnifico and informative and fun. Having narrated the film documentary "Eurocrime!", directed by Mike Malloy, I can say this book is a perfect companion piece. It's chronological organization of every single Italian crime film, from the more politically focused offerings in the 60s up through the radically angry, shocking and downright exploitative poliziotteschi in the 70s and into the 80s, is extremely helpful for both fan and novice alike. The author's commentary is amusing while still remaining intelligent. No abundance of film geeking squeals and giggles. Lots of great background information and interview segments with film-makers and actors.

[Toxic Graveyard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Back in my early 20's I really got into European horror films, especially those from Italy. Their films were more unhinged, had better soundtracks, pretty girls, and crazy violence in them. I purchased a copy of (now defunct) Film Fanaddict Magazine. In the back of one issue it stated there would be an article about poliziotteschi or Italian crime films. I had never heard of the genre before. I had no clue it even existed. Unfortunately that issue never came out and at the time there was little information available elsewhere. It was like a secret club of movie lovers were hoarding all the info and there I was on the outside looking in. In the past couple few years that has changed.

Blue Underground released a handful of Italian crime films around the same time they were releasing a big bundle of horror films. More recently RaroVideo has been pumping out Italian crime flicks here and there but still to this day many of them are unavailable in the states or scattered across many labels making finding them tough. Thanks to the doc Eurocrime, finally the films are getting attention again and now we have this fantastic film guide to help us through the genre. The book's author Roberto Curti claims that the book is the most complete filmography of Italian Crime films in the English language. I don't doubt it. The book is stacked with information lovingly researched and presented to us. Included are all the cast and crew that made the film, alternative titles, synopsis, a review and also included are quotes from various cast/writers/directors that made the films. He also writes about the historical context the films were made in. For instance some of the films were ripped from Italian headlines, slightly changed but basically commentary on what was going on at the time in Italy, something that we would have no knowledge of here in the states 40+ years after they happened. Also included are movie posters and stills from the films.

Reading this book you will become an expert on the genre. The reviews are well written, informative and interesting. The book sidesteps the dry reference guides you may be familiar with and instead reads like a history book of Italy and Italian cinema. It's clear that the author is incredibly knowledgeable about his subject and that the films were researched very thoroughly. The book boggles my mind. I can't believe how much information is provided. It's a treasure trove of information and film recommendations.

If you have any interest in poliziotteschi, you need to have this book on your shelf. I'm so glad I have this book and I can't wait to dig deeper into the genre with this book as my guide.