{"id":51503,"date":"2026-01-26T18:43:52","date_gmt":"2026-01-26T23:43:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.cinema-crazed.com\/blog\/?p=51503"},"modified":"2026-01-26T18:43:52","modified_gmt":"2026-01-26T23:43:52","slug":"illustrious-corpses-1976","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cinema-crazed.com\/blog\/2026\/01\/26\/illustrious-corpses-1976\/","title":{"rendered":"Illustrious Corpses [1976] [Radiance Films LE]"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>A police detective tries to solve the killing of judges in Francesco Rosi\u2019s wonderful 1976 political thriller, Illustrious Corpses, re-released on Blu-ray by Reliance Films.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

I watch a ton of giallo<\/a>, the violent murder mysteries from horror fan household names like Mario Bava<\/a>, Dario Argento<\/a>, and Lucio Fulci<\/a>, known mostly to come from Italy.\u00a0 (I recently reviewed Arrow\u2019s new 4k of one of the best: House of Laughing Windows). Thus, it\u2019s a little bit of a strange turn for me to watch a film that hits so many of the same moments without the extended black-gloved, complicated murder scenes. For Illustrious Corpses, the murders are nearly all via surprise gunshot, but there\u2019s so much in there that relates to a favorite subgenre. It may not have the things that normally draw me to Italian murder mysteries. Still, it\u2019s just as well-put-together, with a strange mystery, beautiful scenery, depth in art direction, and a palpable sense of danger.<\/span><\/p>\n

Up to Illustrious Corpses, Francesco Rosi\u2019s career was mostly based on political documentary work. One can see that influence upon this film, although based on the 1972 novel \u201cIl Contesto\u201d by Leonardo Sciascia and adapted by Rosi, Tonino Guerra (cowriter of Amarcord, Blow-Up, and L\u2019Avventura, so no surprise this script is solid), and Lino Iannuzzi. There is a sense of truth and understanding of the political climate of Italy (although the city\/country is left unmentioned, as one can make connections to just about anywhere) as Lino Ventura\u2019s Inspector Amerigo Rogas investigates the murders of several Supreme Court Justices. It\u2019s a police procedural with notes of serial killer, political thriller, and a touch of noir.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Rosi embues the film with a quiet confidence, taking the time in expanded sequences, such as Rogas has long interviews, gets deep into the conspiracy, and has philosophical conversations about justice and guilt (including a great one with Max Von Sydow). That quiet resolve continues in Ventura\u2019s performance as Rogas. He\u2019s reserved but highly engaging as he unravels the conspiracy as possible truths start to crack. In continued confidence in the story and presentation, Rogas starts to tip that he might be reading into things too much, making connections that aren\u2019t there, or he may be on the right path. The answers are as enigmatic as life, a complicated web of connections, lies, political favors, and cover-ups, and just some old-fashioned revenge for injustice. A level of civil unrest, worker strikes, and piled garbage simmers across the film. It gives the film a special sort of verisimilitude. It\u2019s a wonderfully lived-in film.<\/span><\/p>\n

As is often the case with Italian cinema, the cinematography is fantastic. It has texture and depth, with the popping colors when needed over the dark browns and blacks. I especially love the specific set-ups of the camera, often serving as a voyeur and conspirator on its own; with great use of angle and architecture (On a side note, I am fascinated by how Italy and other countries with a mass of older\/ancient infrastructure and construction meld with the modern conveniences. But that\u2019s just my nerd coming out).\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Illustrious Corpses, directed by Francesco Rosi, is a thrilling political conspiracy flick with a twisty narrative. Beautifully shot with a great performance by Lino Ventura, it\u2019s a recommendation for fans of gritty crime cinema, especially for those who dig Italian-style flicks.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The Package<\/strong><\/p>\n

Radiance Films<\/a> presents Illustrious Corpses in a limited edition of 3000 copies. It has a clear case for the singular Blu-Ray, with a reversible sleeve with two designs based on its original posters, one in English and one in Italian. As is the standard for Radiance<\/a>, it has a removable OBI strip for the synopsis and features, leaving the package clear of markings.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Presentation<\/strong><\/p>\n

This release has a 4k restoration by Cineteca di Bologna at L\u2019Immagine Ritrovata and The Film Foundation. As noted above it has a great texture, getting the most out of its dark color palette with flashes of vivid coloring. Sometimesthe dark gets muddy and lost, but it\u2019s generally great looking. The film is in Italian with the uncompressed Mono PCM with optional English subtitles.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Special Features<\/strong><\/p>\n

Commentary by Alex Cox (recorded in 2021 for the Kino Lorber release)<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Cox, the filmmaker behind Repo Man<\/a>, gives a solid if not a bit sleepy commentary (He also recorded one for Radiance<\/a> in the Wicked Games<\/a> box set two months ago). I always appreciate learning about the world around the creation, what certain aspects might be missing for me, as I would not have been living in Italy in the 1970s. The commentary does dry up after a while, but still passable.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Interviews<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Two short contemporary interviews, first with Rosi and then with Rosi and Ventura together. Short, but insightful on the process; very frank in the discussion on the hows and whys of working on this film and how they work together.\u00a0 (9min total)<\/span><\/p>\n

Gaetana Marrone<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Marrone, author of a book about Rosi, discusses the work in adaptation. Based on a 1972 novel, Illustrious Corpses shifted in adaptation. As an English teacher and voracious reader, the media changes are always fascinating to me.\u00a0 In addition, it’s a lens into the political landscape of Italy, englighting. (30m)<\/span><\/p>\n

Final Thoughts<\/strong><\/p>\n

Rosi\u2019s Illustrious Corpses, now on Blu-ray from Radiance Films, is a twisty crime thriller of a great caliber. This edition looks great, with a good enough commentary, and a fascinating dip into the making of with the short interviews and Marrone\u2019s discussion.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A police detective tries to solve the killing of judges in Francesco Rosi\u2019s wonderful 1976 political thriller, Illustrious Corpses, re-released on Blu-ray by Reliance Films.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":32,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4,12],"tags":[240,302,1087],"class_list":["post-51503","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-collectors-den","category-movie-reviews","tag-crime","tag-drama","tag-thriller"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cinema-crazed.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51503","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cinema-crazed.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cinema-crazed.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cinema-crazed.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/32"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cinema-crazed.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=51503"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.cinema-crazed.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51503\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":51507,"href":"https:\/\/www.cinema-crazed.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51503\/revisions\/51507"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cinema-crazed.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=51503"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cinema-crazed.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=51503"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cinema-crazed.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=51503"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}