Todo modo
Screening on Film
Directed by Elio Petri.
With Gian Maria Volonté, Marcello Mastroianni, Michel Piccoli.
Italy, 1976, 35mm, color, 130 min.
Italian with English subtitles.
With Gian Maria Volonté, Marcello Mastroianni, Michel Piccoli.
Italy, 1976, 35mm, color, 130 min.
Italian with English subtitles.
A metaphysical mystery based on the novel by Leonardo Sciascia, Todo modo is the most curious and puzzling of Petri’s films and offers a not-so-veiled critique of Christian Democratic political power. Italy’s most successful politicians go on a monastic retreat at the convent of Don Gaetano (Mastroianni) to contemplate their notable careers and secretly devise a new power structure. After a series of mysterious crimes, the consortium becomes divided and, ultimately, depleted. The film’s unabashed leftist politics are given vivid articulation through the work of noted production designer Dante Ferretti.