This film is the true story of a famous Italian sportsman, Carlo Petrini, and how, during the decade of the 70's, he went from glory to dust. The story presents an opportunity to open up many of the dark aspects of Italian society within the context of the world of sports.
The director, Gian Claudio Guiducci, does a great job at covering a lot of ground, revealing the inner workings of doping, match fixing and illegal betting, the ruthlessness of powerful team owners and the complicity of the media, very skillfully piecing together all of these aspects. Ultimately the film centers around the drama of a man and his life: the apparent self-loathing of the protagonist, who appears in interviews throughout the entire film, presents him as a villain figure, yet the pathos of the situation makes of him a hero at the same time.
Highly recommended to anyone interested in exploring, through cinema, the makings of modern Italian society in more depth.
The director, Gian Claudio Guiducci, does a great job at covering a lot of ground, revealing the inner workings of doping, match fixing and illegal betting, the ruthlessness of powerful team owners and the complicity of the media, very skillfully piecing together all of these aspects. Ultimately the film centers around the drama of a man and his life: the apparent self-loathing of the protagonist, who appears in interviews throughout the entire film, presents him as a villain figure, yet the pathos of the situation makes of him a hero at the same time.
Highly recommended to anyone interested in exploring, through cinema, the makings of modern Italian society in more depth.
