The Italian Neorealism movement was all about taking cinema to the streets. The post-World War II films were noted for not shooting on soundstages with small crews. The movies focused on the struggles of ordinary people in the desperate time. Many of the stars were in fact just normal people from the area or neighborhood. In a sense, it was the original Reality TV that we now watch on Real Housewives and 90 Day Fiancé shows. Most historians see the era as lasting from 1943 to 1954, but films that shared this aesthetic kept being made. Vittorio De Seta’s Bandits of Orgosolo (Banditi a Orgosolo) came out in 1960, but fits in perfectly with the movement. De Seta was a documentary filmmaker who uses his skills to give us an enthralling dramatic story about people who normally don’t get featured in a film. Instead of going to the streets, De Seta took his camera to the fields and mountains. When is the last time you ran down to the movie theater eager to see an epic about shepherds of Sardina?
The movie starts as what seems to be a documentary about how Michele Cossu (played by Michele Cossu) and his younger brother Peppeddu Cossu (also played by the real life Peppeddu Cuccu) herd their sheep in the countryside of Sardina. We see their normal life as they stay away from the family for weeks to get fresh water and grass for the flock. They also interact with other shepherds. It’s a rough life. We can tell there’s a bit of danger to the profession since Michele and the other shepherds are fully armed. Most have shotguns and rifles, but a few have machine guns. The drama begins when Michele spots a trio of men herding pigs. The trio use the same shelter as Michele and his brother. None of the men are too talkative, but they do share a bit of pork with the Cossu brothers. There is a slight tension, but Michele goes on with making cheese from the sheep milk. The calm vanishes when the Carabinieri approach the shelter. The three pig herders take to the nearby hill leaving Michele to deal with the military troops. Turns out the pigs might have been stolen. Michele doesn’t want to rat out the trio. This leads to him being suspected of being part of the gang. When the three pig herders begin a shootout with the Carabinieri, Michele grabs his brother and flees with the sheep. This is not a good move since one of the soldiers is killed. Michele is now considered a killer. The two brothers go on the lam with lambs and sheep into the hostile lands. Will they find a way out?
Bandits of Orgosolo is a cinematic masterpiece. Michele Cossu and his brother Peppeddu really were shepherds. They had zero experience in front of a camera before Vittorio De Seta and his small crew arrived on Sardina. Yet the two are able to properly express themselves as the story shifts from a travelogue to a feature film. It really does feel like this compounding nightmare is happening to them as the law closes in on their heels and hooves. Michele’s behavior seems so right for his character, even though we know he’s making life harder for himself with his decisions. Vittorio De Seta has the tone right so it doesn’t seem bigger than what could happen to a sheep herder on the island off the coast of the boot-like mainland. It feels so real on the screen. Bandits of Orgosolo will keep you going in the right direction until the desperate end.
This release is limited to 2,000 copies.
The Video is 1.33:1 full frame. The 4K transfer was done with the original camera negative. The black and white shots of Sardina are beautiful even as the story keeps getting bleak. The Audio is LPCM 2.0 Mono. No audio was recorded shot on location so it’s all ADR work. The track does sound clear enough to distant sheep. The movie is subtitled in English.
Ehsan Khoshbakht (11:16) is a filmmaker and curator describes the realism in Vittorio De Seta’s film. The film gets into the tortured soul of the shepherd and his closing the door to redeeming himself. We learn about the actor that did the voice dubs for the lead.
Luciano Tovili (27:48) talks about being the cinematographer on Bandits of Orgosolo. He originally went to Orgosolo with Vittorio De Seta to shoot a documentary about shepherds. As they spend a few downs in the area, De Seta began coming up with plot. They ended up also bringing in Marcello Gallinelli to shoot. Tovili’s focus was the lighting although he was credited as camera operator in the credits. He talked about working with the two men. They used local people to play the characters and even slept in the fields near the sheep. Tovili’s career after Bandits would include Dario Argento’s Susperia, Michelangelo Antonioni’s The Passenger and Barbet Schroeder’s Reversal of Fortune.
Trailer (2:52) uses a lot of quotes from reviews.
Booklet includes an essay on Vittorio De Seta and the film by Roberto Curti.
Radiance Films present Bandits of Orgosolo. Directed by Vittorio De Seta. Screenplay by Vittorio De Seta & Vera Gherarducci. Starring Vittorina Pisanu, Michele Cossu & Peppeddu Cuccu. Running Time: 96 minutes. Rating: Not Rated. Release Date: June 25, 2024.
