Sacco and Vanzetti (Sacco e Vanzetti) (1971)
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40% of critics liked it
(5 reviews) -
97% of users liked it
(108 ratings)
One of the most notorious American judicial cases of the 20th century is paced and photographed like a spaghetti Western in the Italian Sacco and Vanzetti. There is no denying that Nicola Sacco (Riccardo Cucciolla) and Bartolomeo Vanzetti (Gian Maria Volontè) were anarchists. But it is highly… More One of the most notorious American judicial cases of the 20th century is paced and photographed like a spaghetti Western in the Italian Sacco and Vanzetti. There is no denying that Nicola Sacco (Riccardo Cucciolla) and Bartolomeo Vanzetti (Gian Maria Volontè) were anarchists. But it is highly doubtful that Sacco and Vanzetti were guilty of murder. However, their trial took place at the height of the 1920s "Red Scare," so there was little opportunity for the two men to receive fair treatment. Despite worldwide protests from politicians, intellectuals, and "average Joes," Sacco and Vanzetti were executed on August 23, 1927, after spending nearly seven years on death row. Like most TV and film accounts of this story, Sacco and Vanzetti is clearly sympathetic to the main characters. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Directed By
- Giuliano Montaldo
- Genres
- Art House & International, Drama
PG,
- In Theaters
- Mar 16, 1971 Wide
- Studio
- UMC Pictures
Critic Reviews
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Kevin Crust, Los Angeles Times
... the 81-minute film contains a surprising amount of information about the two Italian-born immigrants who were tried, convicted and executed in Boston amid accusations of grave injustice.
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Vincent Canby, New York Times
... an Italian film that elects to play on our best prejudices rather than make a reasonable or eloquent plea for truth.
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Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
... one of the best.
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Dave Kehr, Chicago Reader
The trial was an insult to justice, but this 1971 film -- an Italian-U.S. production -- is an insult to the viewer's intelligence, as heavy-handed and phony as any of the right-wing propaganda of the 50s.
See more critic ratings and reviews on Rotten Tomatoes
Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)
Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)
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Cast
- Lewis Ciannelli
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Riccardo Cucciolla
as Nicola Sacco
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Cyril Cusack
as Frederick Katzmann
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Rosanna Fratello
as Rosa Sacco
- John Harvey
- Edward Jewesbury
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Geoffrey Keen
as Judge Webster Thayer
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Claude Mann
as Journalist
- Felicity Mason
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Milo O'Shea
as Defense Lawyer Fred Moore
- Valentino Orfeo
- Perry Desmmond
- Giacomo Piperno
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William Prince
as Defense Lawyer William Thompson
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Gian Maria Volonté
as Bartolomeo Vanzetti
- Armenia Balducci
- Paul Sheriff
- John Gray
