'When I began to work on the subject, I started from the point of view of looking in from the outside. As if the tragedy, the kidnapping, was seen by those only indirectly involved… But eventually, this didn’t satisfy me. I was more interested in seeing what everyday life in prison was like, from the inside. I knew this almost family-like life, with its routines, its repetitions, its ‘normality’ could offer me a lot of chances for good scenes.' Marco Bellocchio Carefully, Bellocchio controls the performances, the visual style, the light and the sound. The in- terior scenes are mixed with real news footage that show the impact of the kidnap on the country and the refusal of the Government and the Vatican to negotiate with the terrorists. And so, Moro’s fate is decided. He writes immensely moving letters to his family, used by Bellocchio in his screenplay. He was also inspired by the book 'The Prisoner', co-written by former Red Brigade member Anna Laura Braghetti, who participated in the kidnap. Based on the true story of the kidnapping of Italy’s former Prime Minister Aldo Moro in 1978, a crime which stunned a nation. Yet, at a time when terrorists’ cells and fundamentalism are pro- liferating around the world, this sensitive and thoughtful film explores the failure of radical ideology and presents an allegory for the death of the socialist dream which transcends its Italian context. Rare and valuable is its compassionate and human approach, which celebrates the value of life and mourns its waste beyond morality and judgement. The intimate, complex yet grand scale of the film shows Marco Bellocchio ('My Mother's Smile') as a director at the height of his powers.

>> back