ANCHOR INTRO: KPBS arts reporter Beth Accomando says that just when you think there’s no way to make a mob film seem fresh along comes Black Souls, now playing at Reading Gaslamp, from Italy to prove you wrong. BLACKSOULS 2 (ba) 1:15 Black Souls has one foot in the mob genre and one in the art house. It’s not an action film about the mafia but rather a serious look at the deep roots of violence in the Italian crime world. Shakespeare said blood will have blood but it Italy it’s mixed with honor and egged on by the necessity for revenge at the slightest insult. CLIP Funeral with religious chanting There’s a lot of death and ritual in Black Souls. Take the rituals of the Catholic Church or the custom of breaking bread be it with family or enemies. CLIP Clicking glasses for toast There’s almost as much food preparation and eating in Black Souls as there is killing. A number of meals begin with the slaughter of an animal making clear that these are men who aren’t afraid to get their hands messy on any level. Plus it’s around a meal where business – family or otherwise – is often discussed. That’s because the men like to pretend they’re businessmen operating with civility. But as the film moves the story from the city to the country, we see the more primitive roots of mob culture in old blood feuds and petty grievances. It’s a world where the cycle of violence seems impossible to break although Black Souls suggests a surprising way to opt out. Beth Accomando, KPBS News.
Companion Viewing
"Scarface" (1932)
"The Godfather" (1972)
"Once Upon A Time In America" (1984)
"Excellent Cadavers" (2005, documentary)
"Gomorrah" (2008)
Just when you think there’s no fresh blood to be found in the mob film along comes "Black Souls" (opening May 8 at Reading's Gaslamp and Town Square Cinemas) from Italy to prove you wrong.
"Black Souls" has one foot in the mob genre and one in the art house. It’s not an action film about the mafia but rather a serious look at the deep roots of violence in the Italian crime world. Shakespeare said blood will have blood but in Italy it’s mixed with honor and intensified on by the necessity for revenge at the slightest insult, real or merely perceived.
The film focuses on three brothers that span a spectrum of mob involvement.
Luigi (Marco Leonardi) is in the deepest. He's a man who is used to taking what he wants be it territory, a lamb to slaughter for dinner, or a woman from the strip club. He's comfortable with violence and does not hesitate to use it.
Rocco (Peppino Mazzotta) is the businessman of the family. He keeps the books in order, handles the money and tries to use a level head when it comes to decisions about violence.
And finally there's the oldest brother Luciano (Fabrizio Ferracane), who rejects mob life entirely and has moved to the country to become a reclusive goat farmer.
But Luciano's son Leo (Giuseppe Fumo) is bored with country life and petty insults from other mobsters. He longs to join his uncles in Milan and tries to jump start his career in the mob by shooting up a local bar whose owner has offended his family. The trivial incident ends up unraveling a long history of violence and opening fresh new wounds.
There’s a lot of death and ritual in "Black Souls." There are the rituals of the Catholic Church as well as those of breaking bread with family and sometimes even enemies.
There’s almost as much food preparation and eating in "Black Souls" as there is killing. A number of meals begin with the slaughter of an animal making clear that these are men who aren’t afraid to get their hands messy on any level. Plus it’s around a meal where business – family or otherwise – is often discussed. That’s because the men (there’s no room for women in this world) like to pretend they’re businessmen operating with a degree of civility.
To compliment this, director Francesco Munzi and cinematographer Vladan Radovic give the film a beautiful and elegant facade but with hints of something decayed underneath. Everything has a somber but rich sheen and some of the countryside looks simply gorgeous, which only makes the violence that comes seem all the more brutal and startling.
As the film moves the story from the city to the country, we see the more primitive roots of mob culture in old blood feuds and petty grievances. Munzi serves up an interesting contrast of the modern and the old. We start in the expensive homes and businesses of Milan and move to the rustic country where fancy SUVs with elaborate GPS and sound systems seem out of place. It’s a world where the cycle of violence seems impossible to break although "Black Souls" suggests a surprising way to opt out.
"Black Souls" is unrated and in Italian with English subtitles.
