Property is no longer a theft

In Property Is No Longer A Theft (1973), Italian filmmaker Elio Petri lays out his socio-political agenda in almost Shakespearean terms: "To be or to have?" And his cultural condemnation of the evils of capitalism has only become more razor-sharp in the 44 years since the film's release, which never garnered as much attention as his more celebrated efforts like Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion. With a dense cinematic text and admittedly unpopular Marxist mindset, the film could have been a slog on both sides of the argument. But Petri, working at the height of his creative powers, delivers a whirlwind of biting black comedy and social commentary, taking aim right at the heart of Man's most tangible temptation: money.

Total (Flavio Bucci) is an unstable bank-teller with an allergy to the currency of his profession; even the sight of paper money makes him itch uncontrollably. But this physical manifestation becomes an emotional obsession when he crosses paths with a wealthy butcher (Ugo Tognazzi) and his mistress (Daria Nicolodi) whose extravagant lifestyle is built around accumulating as much "stuff" as possible. The butcher becomes the target of Total's Marxist ideology, stealing small personal items (a knife, a hat) to keep his victim off balance then arranging for a professional thief to deliver the coup de grace.

But Petri's film is far too clever (and convoluted) to fit in a proper synopsis. Structured around a series of confessional monologues, Property Is No Longer A Theft is as much an indictment of its audience as the characters themselves. And the director's satirical skewering of society's egotistical flaws are still spot on. It's a fearless film full of incredible performances, particularly from Tognazzi as the increasingly befuddled Butcher, a man whose very being revolves around his possessions....including his mistress, who becomes just another target for Total's assassination of assets.

Daria Nicolodi, familiar to Italian horror fans as the former wife and muse of Dario Argento, is asked to do even more. As a piece of "property" she accepts her role with an aloof sexuality mixed with tragic regret that makes her scenes erotically painful to watch. Bucci is the only weak link in the chain, playing Total's schizophrenic urges with Charlie Chaplin-style mannerisms that aren't up to the level of the material.

Petri's visual approach is almost as complicated as his narrative, with a theatrical lighting scheme, crash cuts and sweeping dolly shots that keep his camera constantly prowling the screen. Ennio Morricone's sparse score, a series of breathy whispers right out of a giallo film, creates an even more unsettling tone. Petri doesn't resolve his film with any moral epiphany, as if to say society's fate is a foregone conclusion. What's more frightening is that time has proved him right.

Arrow Films' Blu-ray / DVD combo will likely be the first time most collectors have even heard of the film, but what a heck of a introduction! Sporting a 4K restoration that really makes Petri's work shine, the extras include new interviews with actor Flavio Bucci, producer Claudio Mancini and make-up artist Pierantonio Macacci plus an illustrated booklet with new writing on the film by Camilla Zamboni.