The Cop in Blue Jeans
The Cop in Blue Jeans (Italian: Squadra antiscippo, lit. 'Anti-theft squad') is an Italian crime and comedy film directed by Bruno Corbucci. The film was a major commercial success and generated a film series consisting of eleven entries starring Tomas Milian as Inspector Nico Giraldi.
| The Cop in Blue Jeans | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Bruno Corbucci |
| Produced by | Galliano Juso[1] |
| Screenplay by |
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| Story by |
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| Starring | |
| Music by | Guido & Maurizio De Angelis[2] |
| Cinematography | Nino Celeste[2] |
| Edited by | Daniele Alabiso[2] |
Production company | Cinemaster[1] |
| Distributed by | Regional |
Release date |
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Running time | 95 minutes[2] |
| Country | Italy[1] |
Cast
- Tomas Milian as Nico Giraldi
- Jack Palance as Norman Shelley / Richard J. Russo
- Maria Rosaria Omaggio as Mrs. Cattani
- Guido Mannari as Achille Bertinari "Er Baronetto"
- Jack La Cayenne as Colombo
- Raf Luca as Gargiulo
- Toni Ucci as Lando Rossi "Grottaferrata"
- Vincenzo Crocitti as Er Zagaja
- Benito Stefanelli as Shelley's Henchman
- John P. Dulaney as Ballarin
Production
The Cop in Blue Jeans was the first film where Tomas Milian would portray Marshall Nico Grialdi, nicknamed Il Pirata (transl. The Pirate).[1] The character would go on to be portrayed in 11 films between 1976 and 1984.[1] The producer Galliano Juso recalled that the idea for the character came when Bruno Corbucci and him were making a film titled Il trafficone.[1] While filming, Juso had his purse stolen by thieves on Kawasaki motorcycles.[1] This even led to Corbucci and him to develop a film about an "anti-snatch" squad.[1]
The sequels to the film, Assassinio sul Tevere, Delitto a Porta Romana, Delitto al ristorante cinese, Delitto sull'autostrada, Crime in Formula One and Cop in Drag had little to do with the crime genre, and grew more comedic with each film.[3][4]
Release
The Cop in Blue Jeans was distributed theatrically in Italy on 11 March 1976.[1] It grossed a total of 2,013,807,160 Italian lire.[1] Italian film historian and critic Roberto Curti stated that it was among the most profitable domestic productions of the year.[3] The film was released on DVD by Raro Video in Italy.[1]
Reception
From contemporary reviews, Scott Meek of the Monthly Film Bulletin reviewed a 75-minute edit of the film. [5] Meek stated that the film had a fractured plot which "maybe largely due to the twenty minutes missing from this version, but it is doubtful if, even in its complete form the story would have been at all coherent" stating the film "is aimed, to an almost fetishistic degree, at the lowest common denominator of the young, male, Italian audience." and that film was far too full of "sexism, anti-gay jokes and dubbed American dialogue, mostly consisting of unimaginative terms of abuse."[6]
See also
References
- Curti 2013, p. 168.
- Curti 2013, p. 167.
- Curti 2013, p. 169.
- Curti 2013, p. 170.
- Meek 1978, p. 225.
- Meek 1978, p. 226.
Sources
- Curti, Roberto (2013). Italian Crime Filmography, 1968-1980. McFarland. ISBN 0786469765.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
- Meek, Scott (November 1978). "Squadra antiscippo (The Cop in Blue Jeans)". Monthly Film Bulletin. Vol. 45 no. 538. British Film Institute.