Processo alla città
Luigi Zampa
© Touring Club Italiano CC BY, SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons
At the beginning of the 20th century, the body of Gennaro Ruotolo is found on the beach at Torre Annunziata, near Naples. His wife has also been killed, at their home in the town. The police investigation is geting nowhere, no one is talking, but Judge Spicacci is determined to get to the bottom of it.
Cast : Amedeo Nazzari, Silvana Pampanini, Paolo Stoppa, Dante Maggio, Franco Interlenghi
Scenario : Suso Cecchi D'Amico, Diego Fabbri, Ettore Giannini, Francesco Rosi, Turi Vasile, Luigi Zampa
Cinematography : Enzo Serafin
Sound : Alberto Bartolomei, Ennio Sensi
Editing : Eraldo Da Roma
Music : Enzo Masetti
Scenario : Suso Cecchi D'Amico, Diego Fabbri, Ettore Giannini, Francesco Rosi, Turi Vasile, Luigi Zampa
Cinematography : Enzo Serafin
Sound : Alberto Bartolomei, Ennio Sensi
Editing : Eraldo Da Roma
Music : Enzo Masetti
Production : Film Costellazione Produzione
Distribution : Gaumont
Distribution : Gaumont
From its very beginnings, Italian cinema has tackled the issue of the Mafia, whether it be the Sicilian Cosa Nostra or the Neapolitan Camorra. Among the seminal works, Luigi Zampa’s The City Stands Trial (Processo alla città, 1952) is prominent as one of the first films to shine a spotlight on the underworld plaguing Naples. Written by Ettore Giannini and Francesco Rosi – the latter going on to direct Hands Over the City ten years later – the film was inspired by the famous Cuocolo trial of 1911, a high-profile legal case. Processo alla città depicts an all-pervading Camorra, where small-time crooks rub shoulders with white-collar offenders, revealing a criminal organisation rooted in all social circles. Naples is shown without embellishment, far from picturesque clichés, offering a realistic and sombre portrait of the city. Released in the immediate post-war period, the film was a huge success in Italy and paved the way for a long tradition of "investigative films", combining social awareness and documentary rigour.