La corruzione

Alain Cuny had recently played a haunting key supporting role in Fellini's 'La Dolce Vita', which had marked the Italian cinema's decisive break with concern for the underdog to charting the dissolution of the wealthy but aimless. Here he presides over an unholy trinity at sea reminiscent of Polanski's 'Knife in the Water', the younger man this time his vulnerable young son planning to take the cloth; a prospect his satanic father Cuny views with utter abhorrence.

In the opening scene of 'La corruzione', the 1963 film by director Mauro Bolognini, the director of an elite Italian high school, he separates from the graduates with a speech in which he exposes a Manichean vision of the world. According to him, the society of the time has two options: the moral one represented by the Catholic faith and the materialist one embodied by the Marxist ideology. For the school graduates, children of the Italian bourgeoisie, the option seems clear. The hero of the film, Stefano Mattoli (Jacques Perrin), heir to an editorial empire in Milan, takes the moral option very seriously and plans to enter a life of priesthood. His father (Alain Cuny) opposes, wishing that his son takes over the business. Can there be a third way? Or perhaps in a crooked world, where principles are violated by everyone, just one, third alternative exists, that of compromise? 'La corruzione' describes a moral drama in simple terms and with a perfect cinematic execution, due to which this apparently minor film, survives very well the almost six decades since it was made.

In the conflict between the father's materialism (not at all Marxist, on the contrary, very capitalist) and the son's idealism there is a third character - Adriana (played by Rosanna Schiaffino), the father's much younger mistress, whom he uses as bait to distract the young Stefano from his priestly thoughts. The woman fascinates with her beauty but is she in control, or is she just another victim of a corrupt world, in which moral integrity and honor have no place? This is not about a love triangle but about an immoral triangle.

Mauro Bolognini's cinematic talent and professionalism manage to prevent this film from being a boring debate of ideas despite its serious substance. What we see on screen is a coming to age and family drama, with credible characters and a psychologically charged atmosphere due to the relationship between father and son, and sexual tension due to the presence of Adriana. At one point I wondered whether the story was moving towards the thriller genre. The story has a very modern open ending. Jacques Perrin intensely plays the role of the teenager whose dreams fall apart in the face of reality. Alain Cuny is distant and cold, as the father's role demands. Rosanna Schiaffino radiates beauty and magnetism. It is also worth mentioning the character of Morandi, the left-wing intellectual and the fallen idol of Stefano, a traitor to the ideals of the anti-fascist resistance. The role is played by Ennio Balbo. Leonida Barboni's cinematography is excellent, both when filming outdoors, at sea or on the streets of the early '60s Milan, but also when he takes us inside the functional headquarters of the editorial corporation or through the lavish but tasteful rooms of the Italian tycoon's villa. Giovanni Fusco's music combines jazz with contemporary classical tones, under the clear and positive influence of the soundtracks of contemporary films produced by the New French Wave. The acting and the cinematic quality make 'La corruzione' a film worth watching or re-watching.

I really love the cinema of the 1960s, and this film was an interesting find with its cool 1960s Italian vibe and provocative storyline. Stefano, played by Perrin, is a recent graduate who wants to become a priest against his father's wishes. Rosanna Schiaffino is radiantly beautiful and plays temptress, but she is also a pawn, corrupted by the material world. The film portrays the struggle between the idealistic and the virtuous, with the temptations and "corruption" of the materialistic nature of the modern world. Great cinematography by Leonida Barboni, especially in filming on a yacht. It has a very cool soundtrack by Giovanni Fusco, whose rhythmic song accentuates a vague modern ending with a synchronized Madison Dance scene. Surprisingly, this film is not part of the Criterion collection but it is well worth viewing.

Many of Bolognini's films ought to be re-discovered today. This is one of them.

That's what the precedent user wrote;I second that."La Corruzione" is a great Italian movie which compares favorably with the best of what Antonioni,Visconti or Fellini did in those years.

It begins with a sentence which tells us that " even if God did not exist ,religion (and faith) would be beautiful";then a speech by the high school head teacher ;then a jazzy music which seems out of place ;it actually predates the end of the movie: "La Viaccia" had already a desperate ending ,but Stefano crying in his car over the universal "Corruzione" while reckless boys and girls are dancing to some kinda hypnotic frenetic tune leaves the viewer no hope.Nothing could describe the material world like this last night when Stefano is wandering aimlessly in the streets of a city full of neon and homeless brothers.He wanted to be a priest ,but there's no longer room for purity in a world eager for money,sex and power (that's what Adriana (Rosanna Schiaffino) explains to Stefano on the boat but he does not know the world enough to understand what she means ,or at least he pretends he does not understand) The depiction of the father/son relationship is much better applied on "la Corruzione" than it would be later in "Imputazione Di Omicido Per Uno Studente ";I had seen "La Corruzione " forty years ago,I saw it last night and it has improved with age whereas "Imputazione" is a dated post -68 demagogic movie.

The two actors give superlative performances ,particularly Jacques Perrin I have perhaps never seen better than here.His youthful look works wonders when Bolognini depicts his deceived innocence ;he is deeply moving when tears begin to fall on his cheeks (when there's nothing left to hope ,when words cannot convey what he feels ...) His father (Alain Cuny) is both God and the Devil ;God because he is a wealthy man who selfishly reigns over his fellow men ,because he wants to create a son in his own image (he tells hims so);the Devil because his yacht becomes the garden of Eden where he puts a new Eve .Hints at the Bible abound.First corruption.

The scene of the suicide should be studied ,it's a model of directing ;it could not be more effective if filmed by a thriller specialist.The father pays the victim's father and there won't be any scandal.Second corruption.



A note about the actors: Alain Cuny began his career in "Les Visiteurs Du Soir" (Carné ,1942) and although his career was extremely rich (he was featured in "Fellini-Satyricon" and in "la Dolce Vita" but was deemed too intellectual )he never enjoyed popularity in his native country.

Jacques Perrin is not only a brilliant actor but also a wise producer ("Z","Microcosmos" "Les Choristes" "Ocean" ) .He has made memorable movies both in France ("Peau D'Ane" ) and in Italy ("Cronica Familiare" "Il Deserto Dei Tartari" )

Jacques Perrin has just graduated from high school and has determined to go into the priesthood. His father, Isa Miranda, is a rich industrialist who wants his son to follow in his footsteps. So he takes the youngster on a cruise on his yacht and invites Rosanna Schiaffino along, figuring that nature will take its course.

Mauro Bolognini directs the movie for beautiful images, both at sea and when looking at Signorina Schiaffino. If he is attempting to expose the corruption of the rich, I'd say that he has done so in a simple and obvious manner. What he has done for me is expose the essential black-and-white thinking of his young protagonist, in which everything is either all good or all bad, including himself. Except for that point about naivete -- and if he wants to become a priest, there's still confession -- the only thing stopping him is his own pride.