An anti fascist intellectual is exiled to a remote village in Sicily during Mussolini's dictatorship. He meets friendly and prolix villagers whose profound wisdom and deep-seated humanity change his life forever and for the better; making for a hauntingly humanitarian and moving picture.
Like Patrick McGOOHAN in The Prisoner, the central character - Carlo Levi – faces paranoiac authorities that punish political prisoners on a precautionary basis – even those they only think oppose them.
The island of Sicily is presented as a beautiful gilded cage of a prison; making the title La Gabbia, perhaps a more fitting one. The peasants are largely apolitical and, so, strangely likeable - even to an avid politico like Levi. They like him for his warmth as a person and his ongoing sense of being right in the face of his persecutors.
Here are two Italys – Sicily and the mainland; the latter enslaving the former; the former engaging in endemic brigandage as its sole, desperate outlet. Dreams of escape to America, notwithstanding, Sicilians can neither stay nor leave – the homesickness is always too strong for that.
The never less than excellent Gian Maria VOLONTÉ – a political fighter himself in real life – probably had no difficulty identifying with the sense of conscience of the character he plays here.
Copyright © 2009 Frank TALKER. Permission granted to reproduce and distribute it in any format; provided that mention of the author’s Weblog (http://franktalker5.blogspot.com/) is included: E-mail notification requested. All other rights reserved.
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