Il Professore (ej svensk text) (Blu-ray)

The film tells the story of Raffaele Cutolo, a notorious mafia boss who ruled the Neapolitan underworld in the 1970s and 80s. In prison, he founded the Nuova Camorra Organizzata (NCO), a new mafia organization, and rose to become the most powerful figure in the southern Italian mafia under the nickname "Il Professore". Despite his imprisonment, he manages the criminal business from his cell, influences politics, justice and society and becomes the central figure in a corrupt power structure. But his unstoppable rise is not without consequences - rivalries, betrayal and political intrigue ultimately bring about his downfall. Giuseppe Tornatore's directorial debut The Professor is an impressive, dark mafia film that impresses with its stylistic sophistication and narrative depth. Based on true events, Tornatore succeeds in creating an atmospherically dense chronicle of the rise and fall of an unscrupulous man of power. Particularly impressive is the strong acting performance by Ben Gazzara in the title role, who gives the "Professor" a fascinating mixture of intelligence, coldness and charisma. With its powerful staging, realistic milieu and intense musical score by Nicola Piovani, Il Camorrista clearly stands out from conventional mafia films - an underrated classic of Italian cinema that paved the way for Tornatore's later masterpiece Cinema Paradiso.