Director: Francesco Rosi
Screenplay: Francesco Rosi
Based on a Novel by: Leonardo Sciascia, Tonino Guerra, Lino Iannuzzi
Starring: Lino Ventura, Tino Carraro, Marcel Bozzuffi, Paolo Bonacelli, Alain Cuny, Fernando Rey, Max von Sydow
Country: Italy, France
Running Time: 120 min
Year: 1976
BBFC Certificate: 12
Francesco Rosi was best known, at least through the films he made in the first half of his career between the late 50s and the end of the 70s, for making what the director has described as “documented realism”. He would often base his scripts on court documents and other official records to ensure his often highly political films were as accurate as possible.
1976’s Illustrious Corpses, which is due to be released on Blu-ray by Radiance Films, may have seemed like somewhat of a departure then, at first. It was based on a popular novel by Leonardo Sciascia named ‘Equal Danger’ (‘Il contesto’ in its native Italian) and produced on a relatively grand scale. Rosi has reportedly even described this as being a ‘noir’ rather than his usual documented realism.
However, the resulting film still seems to fit within the body of his work. For one, the story and the alterations Rossi made to the source material say a great deal about the ‘years of lead’ that Italy were going through at the time, even if a concerted effort is made to hide the fact that the film is set in the country. It’s a clear statement about the political unrest and disturbing machinations of power shaking the nation but, in refusing to openly name its setting, the film could be seen as condemning corruption in any seat of power.
Illustrious Corpses follows Inspector Rogas (Lino Ventura), a meticulous police investigator assigned to solve a series of assassinations targeting high-ranking judges and prosecutors. The victims all share a history of having presided over controversial trials that led to harsh or unjust convictions, suggesting that the killings may be acts of revenge rather than random terrorism.
As Rogas traces the pattern of the murders, his investigation leads him into the upper reaches of the judiciary, the police, and the political establishment, where official explanations clash with uncomfortable truths.
The deeper Rogas probes, the more isolated and paranoid he becomes.
It’s a powerful film that takes a bitter, cynical view of the world. Rosi himself saw the film’s message as being that it’s always impossible to do justice. The closer Rogas gets to the truth, the less he can do about it.
The film never provides a neat and tidy answer to the investigation, either. It gives you just enough to be satisfied with the narrative, but leaves you frustrated at the state of the world. Sadly, things don’t seem to have changed since the mid-70s either.
Away from the politics of the film, Rosi proves to be a master in the director’s chair. He makes careful use of shape, space, depth and movement to tell his story. Dialogue is kept relatively minimal for a political thriller, and the editing and sound design are cleverly thought through too, making striking use of contrasts.
Ventura is perfectly cast as Rogas and does a typically sterling job. There are strong performances all round, with a special mention to Max von Sydow, who plays up his relatively small but important role.
Overall, Illustrious Corpses is an exquisitely made, carefully controlled political thriller whose message remains potent.
Film: 
Illustrious Corpses is out on 26th January on region A&B Blu-Ray, released by Radiance Films. It looks good, with a clean, detailed picture, earthy colours and a natural grain structure. I’ve used screengrabs throughout this review to give you an idea of how it looks, though these have been compressed. The mono audio is strong too – rich and clear.
LIMITED EDITION BLU-RAY FEATURES
– 4K restoration of the film by Cineteca di Bologna at L’Immagine Ritrovata and The Film Foundation
– Original uncompressed mono PCM audio
– Audio commentary by filmmaker Alex Cox (2021)
– Archival interview with director Francesco Rosi (1976, 4 mins)
– Archival interview with Francesco Rosi and Lino Ventura (1976, 5 mins)
– New interview with Gaetana Marrone, author of The Cinema of Francesco Rosi (2025, 29 mins)
– Trailer
– Gallery
– Optional English subtitles
– Reversible sleeve featuring designs based on original posters
– Limited edition booklet featuring new writing on the film by Michael Atkinson, and newly translated writing by and interview with Rosi
– Limited edition of 3000 copies, presented in full-height Scanavo packaging with removable OBI strip leaving packaging free of certificates and markings
Alex Cox provides a commentary. This is pretty good, but lower energy than some tracks, and he resorts to describing what’s happening on screen a little too often for my tastes. Sometimes this helps you better appreciate the film, but often it feels purposeless.
Gaetana Marrone is interviewed about the film. She breaks down key scenes, looks at the differences between the film and the source novel, and gives some production background. It’s a valuable addition to the set.
There are a couple of archival interviews on the disc with Rosi, including one that also includes Ventura. These are relatively short but give a good idea of the director’s intentions behind the film. Ventura also talks about Rosi’s meticulous approach.
I didn’t receive a copy of the booklet to comment on that, unfortunately.
Overall, it’s a solid package to support an exceptional film. Highly recommended.
Disc/package: 