Slap The Monster On Page One (1972) is a political thriller from Italy’s Years of Lead (late 1960s – late 1980s) released on Blu-ray by Radiance.  This is a 4K restoration from the original negative.

The film’s director Marco Bellocchio is a highly political filmmaker renowned for films like Fists in the Pocket (1965), China is Near (1967), The Conviction (1991) and Good Morning, Night (2003).  Slap The Monster On Page One is unusual in that it was not a project initiated by Bellocchio.  He inherited it from the director and writer Sergio Donati after the latter was removed from the film after disagreements with the star Gian Maria Volonte.  Bellochio tried to make the film his own by making the political commentary sharper and more committed and had his colleague Goffredo Fofi overhaul the screenplay.  Because of this less-than-auteurist beginning, the film has for many years been underrated even by the creatives although- Bellocchio has warmed to it in recent years.

Slap The Monster On Page One concerns the murder of the student daughter of a prominent academic.  The film’s central character is Bizanti (Volonte) the editor of a fictional major right-wing newspaper (Il Giornale) and we see him frame a narrative for the murder which suits his concerns (there is an upcoming election) even before any proper information has been discovered.  His efforts to establish this narrative run to pinning the murder on a blameless left-wing student Mario Boni (Corrado Solari).

The changeover between directors is not noticeable, with the movie being coherent/ feeling all of a piece.  The most striking aspect is how casually the cynicism and cruelty of Bizanti is shown.  No moral struggle is depicted and it is clear that this is business as usual.  In addition to choosing ‘facts’ that fit a preexisting narrative, we see Bizanti explain to a colleague that certain words must be chosen over others which carry associations with their readership.

Performances are strong.  The film is carried by Volonte as the reptilian protagonist.  Unlike in some Hollywood films, there is no ‘positive’ point of view character.  There is a young ambivalent journalist, Roveda (Fabio Garriba) Bizanti is training up but by the time he rejects his mentor’s actions the editor’s narrative has already captured the nation’s imagination and nothing can be done.  Although what is happening to Boni is tragic the character is little more than a cypher and barely fleshed out.  As Rita Zigar Laura Betti, a Pasolini regular, plays the film’s most complicated character.  The former lover of Boni she resents being rejected for the younger murdered girl.  Slightly older as a member of the ’68 generation and on the fringes of Boni’s group, she does not fit anywhere and is being manipulated by right-wing figures.  A neurotic and febrile character Betti gives her undeniable pathos.

The film works perfectly on several levels; as an exciting thriller, as a satisfying polemic and as a downbeat cautionary tale.

For modern English-speaking viewers Slap The Monster On Page One is a fascinating watch.  In the film’s timeline, Rupert Murdoch had only recently acquired The Sun, and it took a while for British newspaper readers to accept the concept of narrative building for political ends. Yet here in Italy in 1972 it is presented as a given.  Post-truth is already a thing in the world of Slap The Monster On Page One.

For a Radiance release, the extras on this disk are frugal but worthwhile.  An archival interview with Marco Bellocchio has the director reminisce at length about the making of ‘Slap the Monster on Page One’.  A new interview with critic and author Mario Sesti shot for this release provides context for the making of the movie and its place in Bellocchio’s filmography.  A final interview shot for this release is with filmmaker and Bellocchio fan Alex Cox.

Radiance should be congratulated on putting out a solid release bringing attention to this underrated entry in an important director’s filmography- that is both thrilling and thought-provoking.