Le mani sulla città

Naples, 1963. In the years of post-war reconstruction, the city is a chessboard for corrupt politics and competing power interests. Construction contractor Edoardo Nottola speculates on an urban expansion project. During construction work by his company, a residential building collapses in a poor neighborhood. After protests from the opposition, an investigative commission is set up in the city council, but its work comes to nothing. Nottola knows how to make allies. He has the entire neighborhood cleared due to dilapidation in order to build there, and is elected assessor. The film addresses the ominous intertwining of economic and political power in 1960s Italy and becomes a parable about politics as the art of seizing power. HANDS OVER THE CITY (LE MANI SULLA CITTÀ) is on the list of “100 Film italiani da salvare” (100 Italian films to be saved). Premiering at the Venice International Film Festival in 1963, the film won the Golden Lion – a milestone for Italian political cinema. With Rod Steiger in the lead role and a realistic production based on research and real events, Rosi combines social analysis with cinematic suspense. HANDS OVER THE CITY later screened at numerous international festivals, including Cannes Classics and the Munich Film Festival, and was restored and re-released in 2013 to mark its 50th anniversary. Francesco Rosi also received the Nastro d'Argento for Best Director for the film. Today, the work is considered a key text of socially engaged auteur cinema – powerful proof that cinema not only tells stories, but also highlights social injustices.