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The Organizer (I Compagni) takes a gritty, near-documentary approach to its subject matter: the exploitation of Italian laborers in the 19th century. Shorn of all his studio-imposed glamour, Marcello Mastrioanni plays a Genoan political refugee visiting a friend in Turin. Appalled by the horrible working conditions in the town's textile mill, Mastrioanni stays on to organize the workers in a strike. Though he is nearly killed several times, Mastrioanni survives to set an example for the workers, who rally together into a powerful union. The fact that Marcello Mastrioanni was bearded and bespectacled in the manner of a Bolshevist radical was enough for The Organizer to be condemned by certain extreme anti-Communist elements in Hollywood--to no avail, since the film was nominated for an American Oscar, and even given a commendation by the ultraconservative National Board of Review. In turn-of-the-twentieth-century Turin, an accident in a textile factory incites workers to stage a walkout. But it's not until they receive unexpected aid from a traveling professor (8«'s Marcello Mastroianni) that they find a voice, unite, and stand up for themselves. This historical drama by Mario Monicello (Big Deal on Madonna Street) is a beautiful and moving ode to the power of the people, brimming with humor and honesty. The Organizer (I compagni) features engaging, naturalistic performances; cinematography by the great Giuseppe Rotunno (Amarcord); and a multilayered, Oscar-nominated screenplay, by Monicelli, Agenore Incrocci (The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly), and Furio Scarpelli (Il Postino).
Condition:NEW. Brand New Factory Sealed
Cast & Crew - I Compagni
Marcello Mastroianni
(Films)(Biography) Prof. Sinigaglia
Renato Salvatori
(Films)(Biography) Raoul
Annie Girardot
(Films)(Biography) Niobe
Gabriella Giorgetti
(Films) Adele
Folco Lulli Pautasso
Bernard Blier Martinetti
Raffaella Carrà Bianca
François Perier Maestro Di Meo
Giampiero Albertini Porro
Giulio Bosetti Actor
Edda Ferronao Maria
Kenneth Kove Luigi
Mario Pisu Manager
Vittorio Sanipoli Baudet
Bruno Scipioni Actor
Pippo Starnazza Bergamasco
Technical Credits
Mario Monicelli Director, Screenwriter
Age Screenwriter
Franco Cristaldi Producer
Mario Garbuglia Art Director
Agenore Incrocci Screenwriter
Ruggero Mastroianni Editor
Giuseppe Rotunno Cinematographer
Carlo Rustichelli Score Composer
Furio Scarpelli Screenwriter
Piero Tosi Costumes/Costume Designer
Pierluigi Urbini Musical Direction/Supervision
Herman Weinberg Editor
Product Details
Actors: Marcello Mastroianni, Annie Girardot
Directors: Mario Monicelli
Format: Black & White, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
Language: Italian
Subtitles: English
Region: Region A/1 (Read more about DVD/Blu-ray formats.)
Aspect Ratio: 1.77:1
Number of discs: 1
Rated: Unrated
Studio: Criterion Collection
DVD Release Date: April 24, 2012
Run Time: 130 minutes
Features:
New high-definition digital restoration, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack; Introduction by director Mario Monicelli from 2006; Trailer; New English subtitle translation; Plus: An essay by film critic J. Hoberman
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