The 1970s, also known as the "years of lead," were characterized by political violence, terrorism, and profound social changes. The film fits into this context through a fierce, attentive, and still extremely relevant denunciation.

A very young Ignazio La Russa appears in the opening scene of the film.

The director filmed the rally during a demonstration in Milan, not knowing who he was…

The participants were monarchists, members of the Italian Social Movement, and even liberals belonging to the so-called "Silent Majority" movement, clearly anti-communist.

It was 1972, and the current President of the Senate, La Russa, was 25 years old, with thick and long hair, and was the head of the Youth Front.

The story is set in Milan during the turbulent years of youth protest, focusing on the factory of functional culprits for political propaganda.

Within the editorial office of Il Giornale, Giancarlo Bizanti is a cynical and unscrupulous journalist who does not hesitate to impose the newspaper's political line. He does not accept lessons in professional ethics from anyone: impartial observers make him pity, and engineer Montelli, an important financier of the newspaper, does not hesitate to reiterate that they, too, are fighting a class struggle, not just the demonstrators.

Unforgettable is the scene where Bizanti, walking around the house, hears his wife's comments to their young son about his work: his contemptuous and humiliating reply highlights the journalist's relentless stance: understanding the difference between what one thinks and what one says.

Meanwhile, the brutal murder of a young student, the daughter of Professor Italo Martini, gives the editor-in-chief an unmissable opportunity to use the case for political purposes, aiming to influence public opinion and fuel the strategy of tension against leftist student movements.

Marco Bellocchio manages to create an atmosphere of constant tension, using tight shots and rapid editing to reflect the chaos and frenzy of the newsroom.

Continuous discussions in the editorial office, where a journalist realizes he has been manipulated and used in writing his articles.

Meanwhile, Giangiacomo Feltrinelli had also died, a significant event in the hands of propaganda… And if there are no noble professions for Bizanti, as for engineer Montelli, people must stay in their place: "It is the workers who do not play along, that is the real problem."

The character of Giancarlo Bizanti, masterfully portrayed by Gian Maria Volonté, embodies the role of the intellectual at the service of dominance. Through the manipulation of news, he demonstrates how the media can be used to perpetuate oppressive ideologies and suppress any form of dissent. He embodies the subject who manipulates the power of language to construct a reality that conforms to the interests of the dominant power.

Bizanti desires power and influence, and this desire is mediated by the Other, by the institution he works for and by the newspaper's readers. The law and symbolic order are manipulated to satisfy this desire, showing how the law itself is a construct that serves particular interests.

The film's story reflects instrumental rationality, where every event is interpreted and distorted to serve specific ends, in this case, the demonization of leftist student movements.

The exploitation of the student's death becomes a pretext for a political attack, exemplifying how the truth can be subordinated to power interests. Transformed into media spectacle, it becomes an example of how the death drive (Thanatos) is used to maintain the repressive order. The absence of Eros, understood as a force of life and creativity, highlights the emotional and intellectual sterility of a society dominated by media and ideological manipulation.

This phenomenon is a clear example of the "reign of instrumental rationality" where the means justify the ends without any consideration for truth or ethics.

Bellocchio stages the transformation of reality into spectacle, a process that increases individuals' alienation from their authentic experience. Real violence and tragedy are spectacularized to sell newspapers and manipulate public opinion. This film demonstrates how the cultural industry creates a false consciousness, diverting attention from the real dynamics of power and keeping the masses in a state of passivity and conformity.

The film addresses universal themes such as corruption, media power, and information manipulation. Bellocchio shows us how facts can be distorted to serve particular interests, highlighting the danger of a press subservient to powerful interests. The film invites the viewer to reflect on the ethical role of journalism and the media's responsibility in shaping public opinion.

Sbatti il mostro in prima pagina, 52 years later, is not only a critique of sensationalist journalism but a work that exposes the dynamics of media power and cultural manipulation.

Bellocchio, albeit in a highly didactic way, reveals the dark link between media and political power, offering a reflection on how information is controlled and used to maintain social order; a sharp critique of capitalist society and its control mechanisms.

A film that paraphrases Nietzsche's "there are no facts, only interpretations" with "there are no facts, only manipulations."

A deep exploration of the psychic and symbolic structures that govern our experience of the world. Bellocchio succeeds in making the invisible visible, showing how the power of language and imagery shapes our daily reality.

23-Jun-2024 by Beatrice