Illustrious Corpses | Limited Edition | Blu-ray

The poliziotteschi sub-genre of Italian cinema, represents a set of crime thrillers often revolving around lone rogue cops or criminals and largely produced in the 60s and 70s. While these films were notable for their exploitation styling first and foremost, many were deeply concerned with the politics and machinations of justice in Italian society.

Director of heartbreaking works Salvatore Giuliano and Many Wars Ago, Francesco Rosi spent his career examining the ways in which crime, corruption, and politics affected the lives of his countrymen.

Illustrious Corpses is a fascinating, twisty mystery thriller, featuring the always commanding presence of Lino Ventura as Inspector Amerigo Rogas. Smaller roles for Renato Salvatori and Fernando Ray, as well as Max von Sydow, give the film plenty of character along the way making this something of an unheralded gem in the genre.

Special Features

• 4K restoration of the film by Cineteca di Bologna at L’Immagine Ritrovata and The Film Foundation
• Original uncompressed mono PCM audio
• Audio commentary by filmmaker Alex Cox (2021)
• Archival interview with director Francesco Rosi (1976, 4 mins)
• Archival interview with Francesco Rosi and Lino Ventura (1976, 5 mins)
• New interview with Gaetana Marrone, author of The Cinema of Francesco Rosi (2025, 29 mins)
• Trailer
• Gallery
• Optional English subtitles
• Reversible sleeve featuring designs based on original posters
• Limited edition booklet featuring new writing on the film by Michael Atkinson, and newly translated writing by and interview with Rosi
  
• Limited edition of 3000 copies, presented in full-height Scanavo packaging with removable OBI strip leaving packaging free of certificates and markings