To watch Marco Bellocchio’s incendiary poliziottesco film Slap the Monster on Page One is to realize that the playbook of fascism has hardly changed over the past half-century. Exposing the thinly veiled collusion of right-wing politicians and reactionary media outlets, the demonization of leftist protesters, and the hypocritical piety that ran rampant during Italy’s “years of lead,” Bellocchio’s film probes the ways in which truth is undermined to shape public opinion and sway elections.
As the editor of Il Giornale, a fictional Italian newspaper, Giancarlo Bizanti (Gian Maria Volontè) certainly understands the power of seizing control of a narrative before one’s even been formed. Speaking to the lonely, embittered Rita (Laura Betti)—whom he manipulates into betraying her left-wing activist ex, Mario (Carrado Solari), ultimately falsely implicating the man in the murder of his current girlfriend, Maria (Silvia Kramar)—he says, “Let’s not try to lose our sense of reality.” Bizanti may play the fool at times, but every step of the way, he’s sculpting that reality for his own gain, and that of his preferred political candidate, Montelli (John Steiner), in an upcoming election.
As Bizanti, Volontè is uncharacteristically subdued, his voice measured and assured, with only the subtlest of Mona Lisa smiles giving away the man’s perverse enjoyment of his successes in steering the police toward the wrong man and whipping the public into a frenzy that leads them to demand the death penalty for Mario before he’s even charged with a crime. And while Slap the Monster on Page One, as written by Sergio Donati and Goffredo Fofi, certainly paints Bizanti as a ruthless reprobate, it also wisely presents him as charismatic and incredibly shrewd.
In one of the film’s most distinct and perceptive scenes, Bizanti schools the young reporter, Roveda (Fabio Garriba), who goes on to cover the murder case, about the misguided political implications of one of his earlier article titles. He proceeds to break down, word by word, how the title could be changed to play to the right-wing readers of his paper and shift their sympathies away from the role economic disparity played in a father of five setting himself on fire by, among other things, focusing on the fact that he was an immigrant.
This focus on the importance of linguistic precision of the polemical speaks to the specificity and depth with which the filmmakers approach the means through which a corrupt press can bolster fascistic forces. Yet, despite all this, Slap the Monster on Page One is never pedantic or ponderous. It is, after all, a poliziottesco, and it moves swiftly through its 86-minute runtime, covering more narrative ground and sociopolitical commentary than many films twice its length. And through this steady assault of narrative information, the filmmakers demonstrate how the cacophony of social unrest and economic insecurities serve as the perfect kindling for charlatans like Bizanti and Montelli to start the fires that allow for unchecked power.
Image/Sound
Radiance’s transfer of a 4K restoration from the original negative looks fantastic, boasting an image rich in detail and eye-popping primary colors. The image retains the slight softness that one associates with the materiality of ’70s celluloid, and the even grain distribution adds to the transfer’s celluloid-like texture. Skin tones are also very naturalistic, and there’s no sign of any blurring, even in moments when the camera is moving rapidly. The mono audio bears the limitations of the post-dubbing practices of all Italian films of the era, but there’s suitable depth in the more chaotic scenes, while the dialogue, even when overlapping, is nice and clear.
Extras
A new 25-minute interview with Mario Sesti stands as the highlight of the disc, as the critic and author touches on the political tensions of the years of lead, how Marco Bellocchio became involved with this project, and Slap the Monster on Page One’s continued relevance at a time when Italy’s far-right party holds power. In an archival interview, Bellocchio opens up about the challenges of working with Gian Maria Volontè and the news stories, as well as the experiences of friends, that helped to shape the film. Rounding out the disc is a brief appreciation by filmmaker Alex Cox, and the release also comes with a booklet that includes an essay by author Wesley Sharer, who fully details how Bellocchio’s film was uniquely tuned in to both the anxieties of 1970s Italy and how they were exploited for political gain.
Overall
Over a half-century after its release, Slap the Monster on Page One still reverberates with raw power and insight into the power of information to shape our political realities.
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