aka Il prefetto di ferro
Region Code: A,B
Rating: Unrated
Duration: 1117 Minutes 55 Seconds
Audio: Italian or English PCM 2.0 with Optional English Subtitles
Video: 1080p HD Widescreen (1.85:1)
Director: Pasquale Squitieri
Cast: Giuliano Gemma, Claudia Cardinale, Stefano Satta Flores, Francisco Rabal, Rik Battaglia, Paul Müller
Director Pasquale Squitieri's The Iron Prefect (1977) is based on the true story of Cesare Mori, who was dubbed the "Iron Prefect", having been sent to Sicily by the Mussolini's fascist government to clean up of the mafia who had a stranglehold on the area. It's not so much a gritty 70s Poliziotteschi actioner as it is a dramatic historical thriller that is well-executed, handsomely shot, and features a solid cast, it's quite an excellent film. Set in Italy in the year 1925 Prefect Cesare Mori (Giuliano Gemma, Tenebrae) arrives in Palermo alongside his loyal right-hand officer Francesco Spanò (Stefano Satta Flores, Four Flies on Grey Velvet), quickly setting about establishing a new more stringent rule of law, much to the chagrin of both mafia types and the local villagers, that latter of whom while oppressed by the mafia are no fans of Mori's strong-handed fascist tactics, especially local woman Anna Torrisi (Claudia Cardinale, Fitzcarraldo) who fears for her young son who takes a liking to the country's top-cop.
As his campaign gets under way the mafia massacres informers and their whole families including young children, but undeterred and iron-willed he presses on, rounding up the mafia footmen and killing them when necassary, and sometimes when it's not so necessary, and even going after local mafia dons, one who kills himself after capture (by beating his own skull against a stone wall!) and another who brandishes a shotgun against a lone Mori who has come to bring him in - old west style! This period drama is quite handsomely assembled with period locations, scenic Italian countryside, and trappings that capture the era quitenicely, it also has more than sprinkling of spaghetti western vibes, channeling the genre Gemma (Day of Anger) first came to prominence. While the shoot 'em up aspects are lacking the turmoil and tension provided by Gemma's no-nonsense Prefect makes for an engaging watch all the way through, he has a bit of an Elliott Ness (The Untouchables) quality about him. It's a fascinating watch as he struggles to understand why the locals recoil from his help, and even more so when he discovers it's not just the locals and the mafia who are chuffed by his stern delivery of justice, certain aspects of his superiors up the chain of command of the fascist government seem to be working against him as well.
Audio/Video: The Iron Prefect (1977) makes it's worldwide on Blu-ray debut on Region A,B from Radiance Films in 1080p HD widescreen (1.85:1) sourced from a 2K restoration of the film from the original negative. Grain management looks solid, fine detail is abundant in the close-ups, and the earthy colors look accurate. The source is in excellent shape as well, with solid contrast and pleasing black levels, it's a very organic looking presentation, top notch. Audio comes by way of Italian or English PCM 2.0 with optional newly translated English subtitles. Both tracks are solid and clean, though I give the edge to the more robust English-dub, the score from Ennio Morricone sounds terrific as well.
We get a trio of solid extras for this one, we have an 35-min Archival interview with director Pasquale Squitieri and star Giuliano Gemma (2009) in Italian, wherein we get the story of how Squitieri came to direct the film, the original casting of screen legend Burt Lancaster in the lead role, and much more. The 40-min New interview with Squitieri biographer Domenico Monetti (2023) also in Italian, features the biographer detailing how the film is based on a novel. how it compares to the director's other works, plenty of talk about the mafia during the fascist rule in Italy. My favorite here is the new 11-min Appreciation of Giuliano Gemma and the film by filmmaker Alex Cox (2023) in English, the ravenous Spaghetti Western fan (and director of Repo Man) speaks about Gemma, starting off with an interesting story of how he obtained his distinctive facial scar as a kid after unearthing some love WWII ordinance, his entry into acting in sword and sandal pics before getting into spaghetti westerns, his good nature and the legend of how he died.
The single-disc release arrives in a clear, full-height Scanavo keepcase with a Reversible Sleeve of Artwork featuring original movie poster designs, both options featuring a numbered spine [this being #22], plus it has Radiance's Removable OBI Strip, aka a spine card. The OBI strip is an additional removable strip of paper wrapped around the spine of the release containing a rating, synopsis, technical info and advert for other Radiance releases on the flipside of it, and when removed it leaves the wrap free of credits or ratings logos. Inside there's a 24-page Limited Edition Illustrated Booklet featuring new essay 'Fighting the Mafia in Fascist Italy: Squitieri’s The Iron Prefect and the Historical Memory of Cesare Mori' by Italian cinema expert Guido Bonsaver that digs into the real Mori versus his film counterpart and the historical accuracy, and an original article 'Brigandage and the Mafia' on the real-life Cesare Mori and his Mafia raid as depicted within the film, as well as cast and crew info, notes about the transfer and release acknowledgments.
Special Features:
- 2K restoration of the film from the original negative presented with Italian and English audio options
- Uncompressed mono PCM audio
- Archival interview with director Pasquale Squitieri and star Giuliano Gemma (2009) (34.49)
- New interview with Squitieri biographer Domenico Monetti (2023) (40:15)
- New appreciation of Giuliano Gemma and the film by filmmaker Alex Cox (2023)(11:28)
- Original Trailer (3:28)
- New and improved English subtitles for Italian audio and English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing for English audio
- Reversible sleeve featuring designs based on original posters
- 24-Page Limited Edition Booklet featuring new writing by Italian cinema expert Guido Bonsaver and an original article on the real-life Cesare Mori and his Mafia raid as depicted within the film
- Limited edition of 2000 copies, presented in full-height Scanavo packaging with removable OBI strip leaving packaging free of text and markings
Sales Points
- Stars Italian genre icon Giuliano Gemma (A Pistol for Ringo, Day of Anger, Tenebrae)
- Claudia Cardinale (Once Upon a Time in the West, The Day of the Owl)
Screenshots from the Radiance Films Blu-ray:
