Bandits in Milan

Bandits in Milan
Film poster under alternative English title
ItalianBanditi a Milano
Directed byCarlo Lizzani
Screenplay by
Story byCarlo Lizzani
Produced byDino De Laurentiis
Starring
CinematographyGiuseppe Ruzzolini
Edited byFranco Fraticelli
Music byRiz Ortolani
Production
company
Distributed byParamount Pictures
Release date
  • 30 March 1968 (1968-03-30)
Running time
98 minutes
CountryItaly
LanguageItalian
Box office₤1.768 billion

Bandits in Milan (Italian: Banditi a Milano; also known as The Violent Four) is a 1968 Italian crime film directed and co-written by Carlo Lizzani, and starring Gian Maria Volonté, Tomas Milian, Don Backy, and Ray Lovelock. It also features Agostina Belli in her film debut.[page needed] The docudrama-style film is based on a real September 1967 bank robbery in Milan by the Banda Cavallero [it], a far-left militant cell.

The film was a critical and commercial success, with Lizzani winning the David di Donatello for Best Director. The success of the film helped spawn the poliziottesco sub-genre in the following decade.

In 2008, the film was included on the Italian Ministry of Cultural Heritage’s 100 Italian films to be saved, a list of 100 films that "have changed the collective memory of the country between 1942 and 1978."

Cast

Production

Like director Carlo Lizzani's previous film Wake Up and Die is based on a real life event, specifically a bank robbery that went wrong in Milan on 25 September 1967. The film was made during the seven months following the arrest of the gang, but before their trial, which lead to a legal challenge in an attempt to block its release in theaters. As such, the members of the gang had their names changed for the film.

It was one of two high-profile crime films produced by Dino De Laurentiis in 1968, the other was Bandits in Rome, which shared two of the same screenwriters.

Release

Bandits in Milan was listed to compete at the 1968 Cannes Film Festival, but the festival was cancelled due to the events of May 1968 in France. It had its world premiere at the Teatro Carignano in Turin on 30 March 1968.

Due to lingering rights issues, the film has long been unavailable on home video.

Reception

The film grossed just over ₤1.768 million in Italy.

Awards and nominations

Institution Year Category Nominee Result
Berlin International Film Festival 1968 Golden Bear Carlo Lizzani Nominated
Cannes Film Festival 1968 Palme d'Or Nominated
David di Donatello 1968 Best Director Won
Best Production Dino De Laurentiis Won
Nastro d'Argento 1969 Best Director Carlo Lizzani Nominated
Best Screenplay Dino Maiuri, Massimo De Rita, Carlo Lizzani Won
Best Actor Gian Maria Volonté Nominated

Notes

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 Curti, 2013. p. 11
  2. ↑ Enrico Lancia, Roberto Poppi (2003). Dizionario del cinema italiano, Le Attrici. Gremese Editore, 2003. ISBN 888440214X.
  3. ↑ "Ecco i cento film italiani da salvare Corriere della Sera". www.corriere.it. Retrieved 11 March 2021.
  4. ↑ "Banditi a Milano - Enciclopedia del cinema in Piemonte". www.torinocittadelcinema.it. Retrieved 14 October 2026.
  5. ↑ "Festival de Cannes: Bandits in Milan". festival-cannes.com. Retrieved 4 April 2009.
  6. ↑ "1968 - On the beach, pavers". Archived from the original on 8 November 2019. Retrieved 10 December 2013.
  1. ↑ Event cancelled before outcome decided.
  2. ↑ Tied with Ermanno Donati and Luigi Carpentieri The Day of the Owl

References

  • Curti, Roberto (2013). Italian Crime Filmography, 1968-1980. McFarland. ISBN 978-0786469765.