Fists in the Pocket

Fists in the Pocket
Directed by	Marco Bellocchio
Written by	Marco Bellocchio
Produced by	Enzo Doria
Starring	Lou Castel Paola Pitagora Marino Masé Liliana Gerace
Cinematography	Alberto Marrama
Music by	Ennio Morricone
Release dates	31 October 1965 (Italian release) May 27, 1968 (U.S. release)
Running time	105 min.
Language	Italian

Fists in the Pocket (I pugni in tasca) is a 1965 Italian film directed by Marco Bellocchio. It was Bellocchio's debut film.

Plot

Four siblings, a sister and three brothers, live with their blind mother in an Italian villa. Three of the siblings suffer from epilepsy; the eldest son, Augusto (Marino Mase) does not. Augusto is the only provider for the family. One of the brothers, Alessandro (Lou Castel), decides that the Augusto would be free to live his life as he pleases if the mother and other siblings were gotten rid of. He connives to be allowed to drive his mother and the other siblings on their periodic trip to a cemetery. After he has left, Augusto reads the note that Alessandro left saying that he would kill all of them and himself. Alessandro intended to drive all of them off a cliff, but does not, and they all return home safely. Later, however, Alessandro takes his mother for a drive; they stop at an overlook, and Alessandro pushes his mother off the cliff to her death. Alessandro is not suspected. After his mother's funeral, he kills his epileptic brother Leone (Pier Luigi Troglio) by having him drink an overdose of his medication. The sister, Giulia (Paola Pitagora), realizes that Alessandro killed Leone and their mother; Alessandro has an attack, and Giulia does not come to his aid.

Influence

In an interview, writer Rex Pickett described Fists in the Pocket as one of the films he "saw in film school that transformed" him.

External links

• Fists in the Pocket at IMDb
• Fists in the Pocket at AllMovie
• Criterion Collection essay by Deborah Young