Lina Wertmüller's directorial debut "I Basilischi" (The Basilisks or The Lizards) is a 1963 little known wonderfully written and directed masterwork of Italian Neorealismo. This keenly satiric and galvanizing movie features simplicity in both its story and execution; so unique so special. It sparkles with cinematic magic unlike any other film today. Wertmüller's lean, sharp graffito seduces and functions almost like a parable, in a number of remarkable ironic insightful vignettes, pure motives which alone drive the narrative of the picture forward. Filmed in a detached pictorial black and white, Gianni Di Venanzo, post-war cinematographer, made fundamental contributions to Lina Wertmüller's first success as a filmmaker. The magnificent and beautiful Ennio Morricone scores the scenes.
Review of The Basilisks
