The evolution of crime in post-war Italy in the works of Carlo Lizzani and Giorgio Scerbanenco

Paoli, M

Abstract

This study discusses the evolution of crime in Italy during the period from 1944 to the late
1960s, as represented in the works of film director Carlo Lizzani and author Giorgio
Scerbanenco. This study pays particular attention to the viewer's or reader's engagement with
the scenarios and the fictional characters portrayed. The introduction outlines the
implications of the emerging forms of criminality, which were so closely linked to Italy's
post-war economic, political and social transformation, as a context for the discussion that
follows. Part One focuses on three key films. In // gobbo (1960), the director gives a
description of the chaotic period 1944-46 during which criminals such as Giuseppe Albano
('II Gobbo del Quarticciolo') established a form of dominion over whole areas of Italian
cities. Through the filter of comedy, La Celestina P.. R.. (1965) highlights criminal activities
during the years of the economic miracle and its aftermath, such as prostitution and bribery,
as a rapid means to success. Banditi a Milano (1968), gives a portrayal of the infamous
Cavallero gang, their initial political frustration and the influence of capitalist values in
turning proletarian rebels into 'managers' of violent criminal organizations. Part Two
discusses the way in which Italian literature, and in particular detective fiction, depicted the
evolution of crime in the 1960s, focusing in particular on Scerbanenco's representation of
criminal environments in his Duca Lamberti series (1966-69). Two innovative aspects
characterising 1960s Italian detective fiction will be analysed: Scerbanenco's portrayal of the
urban space and its oppressive and alienating influence on characters, and the author's
representation of violence and its cognitive and emotional impact on the reader. The
conclusion highlights the parallels and contrasts between the way in which Lizzani and
Scerbanenco portrayed the evolution of the crime and the influence of criminality upon
society in the post-war period.

Citation

Paoli, M. The evolution of crime in post-war Italy in the works of Carlo Lizzani and Giorgio Scerbanenco. (Thesis). Salford : University of Salford

• Thesis Type: Thesis
• Deposit Date: Oct 3, 2012
• Award Date: Jan 1, 2010