The Working Class Goes To Heaven
The Working Class Goes To Heaven, is not only a critque of mechanisation and the capitalist system; it also slams the bland indecision of the working class in the political struggle. Massa (aka Lulu), the film's central character, is a member of the lumpen proletariat, who seeks paradise between women's legs. The process of his politicisation only begins to take shape when he loses his index finger in a work accident. Lulu resembles a cog in a machine: as far as he is concerned, the secret of success in his job is to keep pace with the machine he works on. One day, a friend who works at the same factory rounds on him with the remark, "You're not going to die in bed. You'll die at work!" His rejoinder is "What difference does it make?" But in this he is deluded: for as Lulu tries to turn his back on the working class struggle, so the reality of which class he belongs to comes running after him. The success of Elio Petri's films lies hidden as much in his use of simple stories as the premise of his work as in his ablity to point the camera documentary-style at the details of ordinary people's lives without ruffling the audience. If the arguments set out in The Working Class Goes to Heaven avoid becoming limp political slogans, this is due for the most part of to the director's self-possession and his bold determination to critice the working class.
Italy
'
1971
'
1971
Script
Elio Petri
Ugo Pirro
Elio Petri
Ugo Pirro
Cinematography
Lugi Kuvellier
Lugi Kuvellier
Editing
Ruggero Mastroianni
Ruggero Mastroianni
Production
Ugo Tucci
Ugo Tucci
Cast
Gian Maria Will
Gino Percine
Luigi Diberti
Mariangela Melato
Gian Maria Will
Gino Percine
Luigi Diberti
Mariangela Melato
Music
Ennio Morricone
Ennio Morricone
Awards
Best Film David di Donatello Awards
Golden Palm Cannes
Best Film David di Donatello Awards
Golden Palm Cannes
Festivals
14th Festival on Wheels
İTALYAN POLİTİK SİNEMASI: ELIO PETRI
14th Festival on Wheels
İTALYAN POLİTİK SİNEMASI: ELIO PETRI