We Still Kill The Old Way
We Still Kill the Old Way (1967) directed by Elio Petri
94 minutes / 1.85:1 / Colour
Radiance Films (72) 2024
The Film
Elio Petri was one of the pre-eminent socio-political satirists of European cinema during the 1960’s and 1970s. A student of Italian neo-realism, Petri used this formal foundation and incorporated psychological elements into his narratives. As time separated the Italian people from the end of the second world war, collective and individual identity amongst socio-political instability was at the forefront of Petri’s creative output. Released mere months before a decades long period of unrest in Italy known as the Years of Lead, We Still Kill the Old Way (1967) is a paranoid thriller within the world of Mafioso masculinity and concerns the corruption and hypocrisy that permeates all levels of society.
We Still Kill the Old Way begins with the murder of two men on a hunting trip in the Sicilian countryside. Introverted Professor Paolo Laurana played by Gian Maria Valonté, suggests that the men charged with the murders are in fact innocent and at the risk of his own life tries to uncover what really occurred. The investigation involves the church, political figures and organized crime, intertwining a romantic albeit melancholic longing from Laurana towards the widow of one of the murdered men, played by Irene Papas. Paranoia and tension increase as more information is uncovered about the case resulting in threats being made against Laurana to hinder his pursuit of the truth. To reveal more of the plot would be a disservice to the journey the viewer goes on but suffice it to say the film delivers on thrills and has an unforgettable ending.
The more of Valonté’s filmography I watch, the deeper my appreciation for his artistry as an actor becomes. Such delicate and purposeful glances, his gait of walk and communication through body language as Professor Laurana is honestly astounding. Strong supporting roles from familiar faces of Italian cinema, Gabrielle Ferzetti, Luigi Pistilli and Leopoldo Trieste bring gravitas to every quiet moment of backroom conversing and intrigue, all punctuated by a moving score by Luis Bacalov.
Petri masterfully directs what could very well have been a two- and half-hour epic into a tight 94-minute feature. The script by Petri and Ugo Pirro based on Leonardo Sciascia’s novel To Each His Own (1966) was deemed worthy of the best screenplay award at Cannes in 1967 and for good reason. A socio-politically conscious script, with engaging characters and moments of aching subtlety and explosive violence make for one of the greater but lesser discussed films of the period. A lean, mean and satirical take on the mafia tale and government corruption, that any fan of organised crime films will relish in its subversion. Essential viewing!
The Disc
The presentation of the film comes from a 2K restoration by Movietime in association with Museo Nazionale del Cinema Torino, marking its debut on UK Blu-ray. The photography from Luigi Kuveiller, who notably shot Dario Argento’s Deep Red (1975) and was also director of photography for Lucio Fulci and Paul Morrissey productions, really shines through on the disc. Home video enthusiasts around the world have come to expect industry high standards of quality from Radiance in the relatively short time the company has been operating, and this disc does not disappoint. I am by no means an audio-visual tech expert, but I like to think with the number of discs I view per annum that I can tell what good quality is and what isn’t. I experienced no issues with audio-visual compression or artefacts/crushing to indicate a poor encode, so all is excellent on that front. I will comment that the audio, from a dialogue perspective, has a slightly hollow sound to it, likely the result of the audio tracks being dubbed, but this is not distracting.
The special features suite offers a wealth of context and behind the scenes information. The most personal of the supplements is an interview with make-up artist Pier Antonio Mecacci. Mecacci recounts his time on set and includes other anecdotes about another Petri/Valonté production, and Radiance released title, The Working Class Goes To Heaven (1971). Fabrizio Catalano, the grandson of author Leonardo Sciascia provides insight into Sciascia as a person and how his political viewpoint was an important part of his work which lends to the political commentary of the film translated from the novel. An interview with film scholar Roberto Curti discusses Petri at this point in his career and how Petri and Pirro adapted the source novel and where the notable changes between the mediums are. This supplement compliments what I think is the best feature on the disc, a 32-minute archival making-of documentary with talking head segments from Paola Petri, Ugo Pirro and Luis Bacalov.
The limited-edition booklet contains a reprint of a statement from Petri about the film which aligns with a lot of what is covered throughout the on-disc supplements. The essay by David Melville is a well-written, succinct and breezy summary of the film. I like this type of writing for booklets in physical media releases, nothing too heavy or taxing, but intellectually stimulating enough to warrant its place. A delicate thing to balance, and of course subjective to the reader. Overall, this is a stunning release of a film I feel should have a stronger footing in the zeitgeist of Italian cinema enthusiasts and film enthusiasts in general. I think the release could benefit from an audio-commentary and a video essay to provide some variety amongst the wide-array of interviews, but these are wish-list items more than critiques of the package.