On the occasion of the release in cinemas on 4 July of the version restored in 4K by the Cineteca di Bologna of Beat the Monster on the Front Page, one of Marco Bellocchio’s masterpieces, we show you an exclusive preview of the official poster of the film, on which appears a threatening Gian Maria Volontè.
On July 4th, Beat the Monster on the Front Page returns to the cinema, in a version restored in 4K by the Cineteca di Bolognathe film by Marco Bellocchio with Gian Maria Volonté released in 1972. Distributed by 01 Distribution in collaboration with Minerva Pictures, the film had its premiere, in this new guise, at the last Cannes Film Festival, where it was greeted by thunderous applause and a standing ovation and will be premiered in our country on June 27th at the Cinema Ritrovato in Bologna
Slam the monster on the front page was scripted by Sergio Donati And Goffredo Fofi. The scenography is by Dante FerrettiThe music of Nicola Piovanithe photograph of Luigi Kuveiller and Erico Menczer. Next to the immense Willingnessin the role of Giancarlo Bizantithey starred in the film Fabio Garriba (Roveda), Carla Tatò (wife of Byzantines), Jacques Herlin (Lauri), John Steiner (engineer Montelli), Michel Bardinet (Vanzinaeditor of The newspaper, Jean Rougeul (director of The newspaper), Corrado Solari (Mario Boni) And Laura Betti (Rita Zigai).
Slam the monster on the front page: a film more current than ever
Inspired by a news story, the famous case of Milena Sutter, Bang the monster on the front page goes through a period of Italian history marred by attacks or in any case episodes of crime news: the death of the anarchist Pinellithe funeral of Giacomo Feltrinellithe Piazza Fontana massacre, the bombs at the Milan trade fair in 1969.
The theme of the film is the link between the press, politics and law enforcement. At the center of the story, in fact, there is a newspaper that manipulates informationand since we are in an era of fake news, Throw the monster on the front page it’s very current. Marco Bellocchiowho found himself making a commissioned film after the exit of Sergio Donatiat first he was not satisfied with the result, but recently he changed his mind, and in fact, at the Cannes Film Festival he declared:
When I saw it again I realized that in the past I criticized it, while now I appreciate it because it is a simple film with a series of triangulations that are also simple and with some non-random depths, which are also linked to Gian Maria’s sublime interpretation Volonté and Laura Betti, a great and completely forgotten actress.
Elsewhere Marco Bellocchio he recounted the beginning of his cinematic adventure:
The making of Beat the Monster on the Front Page began with Sergio Donati as screenwriter and director. By mutual agreement he and the producer had judged that Donati was not capable of moving on to directing again, and so Franco Committeri set about finding someone to take over the film. I accepted because I was interested in an experience of this kind; jumping on a train that was already moving, seeing what could be done as a strictly professional job, and also transforming the film, which was a mystery about the world of Milanese journalism, into a political film. I dragged Fofi along with me and with him we rewrote the script very quickly day by day, while it was filming. The environments remained, almost all the actors remained, but new roles were added, including the fundamental one of Laura Betti, and the story became completely different.
Beat the monster on the front page: the plot told by Alberto Moravia
What exactly is he talking about Throw the monster on the front page? Alberto Moraviawho reviewed the film in L’Espresso, summarized the plot as follows:
A newspaper enjoys a reputation as an objective, impartial, independent and enlightened body of information. Nonetheless, or perhaps precisely because of this, it is a lying façade behind which hides an owner who defends the interests of power groups with full awareness and a cynical director ready to make any compromises. It happens that right on the eve of the elections the opposition attacks the financial groups that use the newspaper. Alarmed, the owner summons Bizanti, the director, and asks him to divert the public’s attention from the true lead represented by the newspaper’s financiers, towards the false lead of some apolitical news story. In fact, in those days, a little girl, Maria Grazia Martini, was found raped and strangled in a meadow on the outskirts. An anonymous letter sent to the newspaper promises information on the killer. Byzanti wastes no time and sets about creating the monster’s diversion with alacrity. Byzanti is lucky. He frames the author of the letter, a poor jealous woman, and extracts from her the name of the alleged murderer, a boy from the protest. Byzanti didn’t have much hope: here was the monster and, what’s more, located, politically, on the left. At this point, however, a young editor, Roveda, does not feel like following the director in his imaginative reconstructions.
Slam the monster on the front page: the poster of the restored version in exclusive preview
Of the restored 4K version of Beat the monster on the front pagewe are happy to show you, in an exclusive preview, the official poster, on which the face of Gian Maria Volonté. The actor has a menacing look and expresses pride and determination. Below, in black and white and with open umbrellas, the police.
