Filmmaker Above Suspicion: Sex, Death, and Politics in the Cinema of Elio Petri, Part 3

Kat and Samm continue their in-depth investigation of Italian filmmaker Elio Petri, this time focusing on two of his collaborations with actor Gian Maria Volonté: his most famous film, Indagine su un cittadino al di sopra di ogni sospetto (Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion, 1970), and his most overtly political, La classe operaia va in paradiso (The Working Class Goes to Heaven aka Lulu the Tool, 1971). Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion stars Petri as a high-ranking detective who murders his mistress just to prove to himself that he can get away with the crime — even if the evidence stacking up against him is right under the nose of the police department. A masterpiece of political and personal paranoia, it focuses on one of Petri’s most beloved themes: man in an existential crisis.

He would use the same theme for The Working Class Goes to Heaven, which again stars Volonté, but in a completely different kind of role. His character, Lulu, is the perfect cog in the industrialist machine — a top worker in a rural factory — but an accident leaves him questioning his place in the world. His wife leaves him and he joins up with a group of protesters, but he can’t figure out what he has been working so hard towards — or what he is even fighting for as a political agitator, leading to a surreal, downbeat conclusion.

Om Podcasten

Daughters of Darkness explores the wide world of cult cinema, focusing on everything from extreme exploitation to horror, erotica, and renowned arthouse films. Hosts Kat Ellinger and Samm Deighan provide in depth discussions of various subgenres, directors, and cult movie personalities.