Il sospetto (The Suspect)

Directed by Francesco Maselli, starring Gianmaria Volonté, Annie Girardot, Renato Salvatori, Gabriele Lavia, Felice Andreasi, Italy, 1975, 111’

A man arrives at Turin’s Porta Nuova train station. He gets off the train, makes his way through the crowd thronging the platform and goes to the public lavatory, where he washes up and changes his clothes. Then, after leaving through the station’s main doorway, he crosses Corso Vittorio Emanuele II and heads toward an encounter that will never take place.

The man is Emilio, one of the leaders of the Italian Communist Party. He is accused of having betrayed a companion and is supposed to meet four members of Turin’s executive committee. The city is a vital center for communist activity, thanks to its many factories, starting with FIAT. The film takes place during Italy’s fascist era (in 1934, to be precise) and, like many other political activists, Emilio has decided to flee to Paris.

Francesco Maselli (who also wrote the screenplay with Franco Solinas) shot scenes of the movie at the Basilica di Superga, as well: the important meeting between Emilio and Libero takes place in front of the church, which is located on Turin’s highest hillside.

Gianmaria Volontè, the film’s lead character, was well acquainted with Turin, since this is where he grew up. A city piazza was recently named after the actor.