Cosa Nostra: Franco Nero In Three Mafia Tales By Damiano Damiani – Radiance Films (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Dates: Italy/France, 1968 (The Day of the Owl), Italy/France, 1971 (The Case Is Closed, Forget It), Italy, 1975 (How to Kill a Judge)
Director: Damiano Damiani (All Films)
Cast: Claudia Cardinale, Franco Nero, Lee J. Cobb, Tano Cimarosa, Nehemiah Persoff, Ennio Balbo, Serge Reggiani (The Day of the Owl), Franco Nero, Riccardo Cucciolla, Georges Wilson, John Steiner, Ferruccio De Ceresa, Antonio Casale, Daniele Dublino, Claudio Nicastro, Corrado Solari (The Case Is Closed, Forget It), Franco Nero, Françoise Fabian, Pierluigi Aprà, Giancarlo Badessi, Ennio Balbo, Luciano Catenacci, Giorgio Cerioni, Tano Cimarosa, Mico Cundari, Eva Czemerys (How to Kill a Judge)

Release Date: July 24th, 2023 (UK), August 15th, 2023 (USA)
Approximate running times: 103 Minutes 11 Seconds (The Day of the Owl - English Version), 108 Minutes 40 Seconds (The Day of the Owl - Italian Version), 106 Minutes 10 Seconds (The Case Is Closed, Forget It), 110 Minutes 42 Seconds (How to Kill a Judge)
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC (All Films)
Rating: 15 (UK), NR (USA)
Sound: LPCM Mono Italian (The Day of the Owl - Italian Version, The Case Is Closed, Forget It, How to Kill a Judge), LPCM Mono English (The Day of the Owl - English Version, The Case Is Closed, Forget It, How to Kill a Judge)
Subtitles: English (The Day of the Owl - Italian Version, The Case Is Closed, Forget It, How to Kill a Judge), English SDH (The Day of the Owl - English Version, The Case Is Closed, Forget It, How to Kill a Judge)
Region Coding: Region A,B
Retail Price: £39.99 (UK), $79.95 (USA)

"The Day of the Owl stars Franco Nero as a police chief who, while investigating the death of a construction worker, goes up against corrupt officials and a ruthless mafia boss (Lee J. Cobb). Adapted from the celebrated novel by Leonardo Sciascia (Illustrious Corpses, Todo Modo), Day of the Owl was the book first to openly deal with organized crime in Sicily. A prestigious production, it was in the running for best film at the Berlin Film Festival and found wins at home in the David di Donatello Awards for Claudia Cardinale, Nero, Damiani, and Best Production.

Nero portrays a simple man thrown in jail for a misdemeanor in The Case is Closed: Forget It. Inside, he sees the grim reality of life behind bars, where the mafia controls everything. A powerful production with Nero in top form and supported by a strong cast including Riccardo Cucciolla (Rabid Dogs) and John Steiner (Tenebrae), the intensity of Damiani's film places it among the finest prison dramas. Presented in Italian and for the first time with the original English dub.

In How to Kill a Judge, Nero plays filmmaker Giacomo Solaris, whose latest film features a judge corrupted by the mafia and who is later found murdered. The real judge the character is based on seizes the footage, but is later killed in the same way. Feeling a degree of responsibility, Solaris investigates, but as the assassinations increase around him, will he reach the source of the conspiracy? Full of twists and a fascinating meta-commentary on cinema through the film-within-the-film, Damiani points the camera at himself and the genre as he investigates the social impact of mafia violence, a fitting end to this survey of Damiani's Cosa Nostra." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4.5/5 (The Day of the Owl, How to Kill a Judge), 4.25/5 (The Case Is Closed, Forget It)

Here’s the information provided about the transfer, “The Day of the Owl was scanned in 2K from the original camera negative and restored and colour graded by Studio Cine, Rome.”

The Day of the Owl comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 44.6 GB

Feature: 30.2 GB

The source used for this transfer looks excellent. Flesh tones look correct, colors look very good, black levels are strong, image clarity and compression are solid, and the image always looks organic.

Here’s the information provided about the transfer, “The Case is Closed: Forget It was scanned in 2K from the original camera negative and restored and colour graded by Augustus Color, Rome. Additional restoration was undertaken by Radiance Films at Silver Salt in London to remove instances of dirt and scratches. Additional grading and colour correction was performed by Radiance Films in 2023.”

The Case Is Closed, Forget It comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 44.4 GB

Feature: 32.1 GB

The source used for this transfer is in great shape. Flesh tones look correct, and colors look correct; black levels and image clarity are strong; compression is solid; and the image always looks organic.

Here’s the information provided about the transfer, “How to Kill a Judge was scanned in 2K from the original camera negative and restored and colour graded by Augustus Color, Rome. Additional colour correction was performed by Radiance Films in 2023.”

How to Kill a Judge comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 40.6 GB

Feature: 30.5 GB

The source used for this transfer looks excellent. Flesh tones look correct, colors look very good, black levels are strong, image clarity and compression are solid, and the image always looks organic.

Audio: 4.25/5 (LPCM Mono Italian), 4/5 (LPCM Mono English)

The Day of the Owl Italian version comes with one audio option, a LPCM mono mix in Italian with removable English subtitles. The Day of the Owl English version comes with one audio option, a LPCM mono mix in English with removable English SDH. Both audio tracks are in great shape. Dialog comes through clearly, everything sounds balanced, and ambient sounds and the score are well represented. That said, the Italian-language track sounds more robust than the English-language track.

The Case Is Closed, Forget It comes with two audio options, an LPCM mono mix in Italian and an LPCM mono mix in English. Included are removable English subtitles for the Italian language track and removable English SDH for the English language track. Both audio tracks are in great shape. Dialog comes through clearly, everything sounds balanced, and ambient sounds and the score are well represented. That said, there is some background hiss on the English-language track.

How to Kill a Judge comes with two audio options, an LPCM mono mix in Italian and an LPCM mono mix in English. Included are removable English subtitles for the Italian language track and removable English SDH for the English language track. Both audio tracks are in great shape. Dialog comes through clearly, everything sounds balanced, and ambient sounds and the score are well represented. That said, the Italian-language track sounds more robust than the English-language track. Also, there is some background hiss on the English language track. It should be noted that when watching How to Kill a Judge in English, there is some dialog in Italian, and these moments come with removable English subtitles.

Extras:

Extras for The Day of the Owl include a theatrical trailer (2 minutes 50 seconds, Dolby Digital mono Italian with removable English subtitles), an interview with actor Franco Nero (17 minutes 21 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Italian with removable English subtitles), an archival interview with Franco Nero, screenwriter Ugo Pirro and production manager Lucio Trentini (26 minutes 31 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Italian with removable English subtitles), an archival interview with Claudia Cardinale from a Belgium TV series (22 minutes 20 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo French with removable English subtitles), an interview with filmmaker and Italian crime cinema expert Mike Malloy discusses The Day of the Owl in the context of the formation of the Italian crime film genre titled Identity Crime-Sis: Italian Genre Finds Itself (20 minutes 4 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), and an interview with filmmaker Howard Berger about the late Italian career of actor Lee J. Cobb titled Casting Cobb: A Tale of Two Continents (32 minutes 36 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles).

Extras for The Case Is Closed, Forget It include a theatrical trailer (3 minutes 13 seconds, LPCM mono Italian with removable English subtitles), an interview with Franco Nero (14 minutes 26 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Italian with removable English subtitles), an archival documentary on the making of the film featuring actor Corrado Solari, assistant director Enrique Bergier and editor Antonio Siciliano (28 minutes 9 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Italian with removable English subtitles), and a video essay on the career of Damiani Damiani by critic Rachael Nisbet titled Italy’s Cinematic Civil Conscience: An Examination of the Life and Career of Damiano Damiani (35 minutes 29 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles).

Extras for How to Kill a Judge Italian theatrical trailer (3 minutes 42 seconds, Dolby Digital mono Italian with removable English subtitles), English language theatrical trailer (3 minutes 42 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), an interview with Franco Nero (12 minutes 59 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Italian with removable English subtitles), a video essay by filmmaker David Cairns titled Lessons in Violence (21 minutes 38 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English with removable English subtitles for Italian language film clips), and an interview with Alberto Pezzotta, author of Regia Damiano Damiani (34 minutes 23 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Italian with removable English subtitles).

Other extras include an 120-page booklet with cast & crew information for each film, an essay titled Conspiracy of Silence: Leonardo Sciascia’s The Day of the Owl written by Andrew Nette, an essay titled Motion to Reinstate The Case Is Closed, Forget It written by Piero Garofalo, an essay titled The Snail’s Horn: Depictions of the Mafia in The Day of the Owl, The Case Is Closed, Forget It, and How to Kill a Judge written by Paul A. J. Lewis, an essay titled Scoring the Cosa Nostra written by Shelley O’brien, an interview with Damiano Damiani by Nicoletta Zalaffi, an essay titled Franco Nero: A Sense of Force written by Nathaniel Thompson, an essay titled Cinema Politico: The Damiani Case written by Marco Natoli, an essay titled Critical Overview written by Cullen Gallagher, and information about the transfers.

Summary:

The Day of the Owl: When the owner of a construction company is murdered, the new chief of the carabinieri in a small Sicilian town makes it his mission to bring the culprit to justice. Unfortunately for him, the further he digs into the matter, the more he uncovers truths that people more powerful than him want exposed.

Made three years before The Godfather, a film like The Day of the Owl foreshadows many themes that would later become synonymous with mafia because of The Godfather. Notably, the mafia’s deep ties to those in power helped them subvert the law. Also, when it comes to The Day of the Owl, one cannot overlook its influence on what would become Poliziotteschi cinema. That said, The Day of the Owl is a police procedural that is not as action-heavy as the Poliziotteschi films of the 1970s.

Besides a phenomenally executed story, the other thing that grabs you about The Day of the Owl is its outstanding cast, anchored by three performances: Franco Nero (Street Law) in the role of Bellodi, the new carabinieri; Claudia Cardinale (The Iron Prefect) in the role of Rosa Nicolosi, the wife of the man who knows the killer's identity; and Lee J. Cobb (The Great Kidnapping) in the role of Don Mariano Arena, the mafia boss who pulls all the strings behind the scene. That said, when it comes to the rest of the cast, they are all excellent in their roles.

When it comes to Italian-made films about the Mafia, one would be hard-pressed to name a director more synonymous with these films than Damiano Damiani. Sure, there were other Italian directors who excelled in the crime film genre, but the way they approached this genre was polar opposite to that of Damiano Damiani. Where his contemporaries were more about visuals that accentuated things like car chases or explosions, Damiano Damiani’s films are more cerebral.

From a production standpoint, there is not an area where The Day of the Owl does not deliver, and then some. A well-executed narrative that is overflowing with tension and has a full-circle finale is the perfect coda for the events that preceded. Also, composer Giovanni Fusco’s (L'Eclisse) score does a phenomenal job reinforcing the mood. Ultimately, The Day of the Owl is an exceptional film that is arguably Damiano Damiani’s finest moment as a filmmaker.

The Case Is Closed, Forget It: Sent to prison for traffic violation, an architect is slowly broken down by inmates and guards when he refuses to go against his conscience.

Where films like The Day of the Owl and How to Kill a Judge were about corruption in society, a film like The Case Is Closed, Forget It explores corruption within the confines of a prison. Though the characters in The Case Is Closed, Forget It are sent to prison for crimes? Once inside, they soon discover that the prison is rotten to the core, with prisoners committing crimes in the open and guards who turn a blind eye if the price is right.

The Case Is Closed, Forget It does a great job showing the daily rituals of prison life. One such thing is how one cannot escape class even inside the walls of prison. Also, the set design does a phenomenal job emphasizing the horrid conditions in which the inmates' lives.

The heart and soul of The Case Is Closed, Forget It is Franco Nero’s (Detective Belli) portrayal of Vanzi, an architect sent to prison for a traffic violation. Though Franco Nero has had many memorable performances, his portrayal of Vanzi is arguably the best of his career. Other performances of note are Riccardo Cucciolla (Rabid Dogs) in the role of Pesenti, an inmate who the mafia wants to silence before his testimony, and John Steiner (Plot of Fear) in the role of Biro, a psychopath inmate who is more than willing to pay the right price to kill someone.

Damiano Damiani is once again solid; the visuals let the performances take center stage. The premise is superbly realized, with a well-executed narrative that’s overflowing with tension and a bittersweet ending in which the protagonist is now a free, albeit broken, man. Not to be overlooked is composer Ennio Morricone’s (The Devil Is a Woman) phenomenal minimal score, which perfectly plays off the ambient sounds and dialog-driven narrative. Ultimately, The Case Is Closed, Forget It is an extraordinary film about abuse of power and the loss of humanity through dehumanization.

How to Kill a Judge: Giacomo Solaris is a controversial filmmaker whose films often depict government corruption. His latest film depicts a Sicilian judge who takes payoffs from the Mafia. After a prominent judge is killed due to his film, he launches his own investigation to uncover the truth behind the judge's assassination.

How to Kill a Judge is filled with social and political commentary, which are the backbone of most of Damiano Damiani’s films. The main theme that How to Kill a Judge explores is the effects of art, in the case of How to Kill a Judge cinema, and how its effects and influences those who watch it.

From its opening moments, How to Kill a Judge sets an uneasy tone as you get the feeling that no one is truly safe from harm and that they can be killed at any moment. The tension that arises from this builds to a fever pitch by the time that How to Kill a Judge arrives at its moment of truth.

Though the main attraction of How to Kill a Judge is Franco Nero’s (High Crime) performance in the role of Giacomo Solaris, the director of a subversive film that leads to the murder of a judge. He delivers a superb performance in which his character assumes the role of amateur sleuth when it appears that the police's investigation into the death of the judge is not going anywhere. That is not to say that Damiano Damiani has not surrounded Franco Nero with an impressive cast who are all very good.

The characters are well rounded, and the first-rate dialog drives the narrative. The violence is mostly low-key outside of a few exceptional action-set pieces. Damiano Damiani’s direction may not be as flashy as other Italian directors from this era of filmmaking, but his style still works perfectly as it allows the story and characters to become the main focus instead of filling every frame with flashy compositions. Also, Riz Ortolani (Cannibal Holocaust) delivers another outstanding score that has few memorable motifs. Ultimately, How to Kill a Judge is a tense political thriller that works as well as it does because of Franco Nero's performance.

Cosa Nostra: Franco Nero In Three Mafia Tales By Damiano Damiani is an exceptional release from Radiance Films that gives all three films solid audio/video presentations and a wealth of informative extras, highly recommended.

Written by Michael Den Boer