Il magistrato (Der Richter)

Judge Andrea Morandi (José Suárez), a man of integrity, hands in his notice and explains to his baffled superior the dilemma that has plunged him into a deep crisis: How to dispense justice in an unjust world? Investigating the complex case of a seriously injured dock worker, he comes into contact with a system based on exploitation and criminal machinations. After moving in with a subletting family, Morandi is forced to realise that here, too, everyone submits to the corrupt conditions. Obsessed by the promise of social advancement, the female head of the family, Emilia Bonelli (Ana Mariscal), is determined to sacrifice everything. But nothing remains as it is. In his grim parable Il magistrato, Luigi Zampa deals with the depravity of society, be it bourgeois or petty bourgeois, which will break because of its own greed. (Elisabeth Streit)

Photo: Austrian Film Museum