The Melbourne Cinémathèque & ACMI present
The Assassin
When
Wed 22 Feb 2023
In this game of cat-and-mouse suggesting the moral decay, claustrophobia and corruption of modern Italy, a cunning Roman antiques dealer is investigated by the police in relation to the killing of a former lover, without being specifically accused. A paranoid post-Antonioni investigation of social identity, guilt and law enforcement, Elio Petri’s still-potent debut feature was co-written by Tonino Guerra, includes outstanding performances by Salvo Randone, Micheline Presle and Marcello Mastroianni, and is distinguished by Carlo Di Palma’s stunning black-and-white cinematography.
35mm print courtesy of Cinecittà Luce.
Also screening on Wed 22 February
Program
“The Art is Very Jealous”: Tonino Guerra, Writing Images
Amarcord (1973) – Wed 8 Feb, 7pm
Blow Up (1966) – Wed 8 Feb, 9.20pm
Nostalghia (1983) – Wed 15 Feb, 7pm
The Mattei Affair (1972) – Wed 15 Feb, 9.20pm
The Assassin (1961) – Wed 22 Feb, 7pm
The Beekeeper (1986) – Wed 22 Feb, 8.50pm
About the program
Screenwriting professor Howard Rodman described Tonino Guerra’s work as “the brave and moral thread that runs through the fabric of modernist cinema” but Guerra’s preferred categorisation of his contribution was simply to claim he “added some structure”...
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About Melbourne Cinémathèque
Australia's longest-running film society, Melbourne Cinémathèque screens significant works of international cinema in the medium they were created, the way they would have originally screened.
Melbourne Cinémathèque is self-administered, volunteer-run, not-for-profit and membership-driven.
