I cannibali

I cannibali, English title The Cannibals or The Year of the Cannibals, is a 1970 Italian drama film directed by Liliana Cavani and starring Britt Ekland, Pierre Clémenti, and Tomas Milian.^[1] It is a modernized retelling of the Greek tragedy Antigone, set in contemporary Milan and drawing upon socio-political themes and imagery of the time, including the protests of 1968, the counter-cultural movement, and the Years of Lead.^[2][3][4]

I cannibali
Original film poster
Directed by	Liliana Cavani
Screenplay by	Italo Moscati Liliana Cavani
Story by	Liliana Cavani
Based on	Antigone by Sophocles
Produced by	Enzo Doria Bino Cicogna
Starring	Pierre Clémenti Britt Ekland Tomas Milian Delia Boccardo Marino Masé Francesco Leonetti
Cinematography	Giulio Albonico
Edited by	Nino Baragli
Music by	Ennio Morricone
Production company	Doria-San Marco Film
Distributed by	Euro International Films
Release dates	25 April 1970 (1970-04-25) (Spoleto premiere) 30 April 1970 (1970-04-30) (Italy)
Running time	88 minutes
Country	Italy
Language	Italian

Plot

The streets of the city are littered with corpses. It is the result of the repression of a protest by the police. A decree of law prohibits the removal of the bodies, under penalty of death, by supreme order of the totalitarian regime. People pass the macabre scene with indifference. Only Antigone wants to bury her brother, but neither her family, nor her fiancé - who is the son of the prime minister - will help her. She finds help from Tiresias, a mysterious stranger who speaks an unknown language. The two dedicate themselves to burying the dead and for this they are arrested and tortured; at first they manage to escape but then they are killed by the police. However, they become a symbol for many young people who, from that moment, begin to collect the corpses of the rebels to bury them.^[5]

Cast

• Britt Ekland as Antigone
• Pierre Clémenti as Tiresia
• Tomas Milian as Emone
• Delia Boccardo as Ismene
• Marino Masé as Ismene's Fiancé
• Francesco Leonetti as the Prime Minister
• Alessandro Cane as the Security Minister
• Cora Mazzoni as Antigone’s Mother
• Francesco Arminio as Antigone’s Father
• Giampiero Frondini as Television Speaker

Release

I cannibali was screened in the Directors' Fortnight section of the 1970 Cannes Film Festival.^[6]

A restored version of the film was released on DVD and Blu-ray by Kino Lorber in 2014.^[7]

Soundtrack

A complete limited edition of the soundtrack has been released on vinyl by Spikerot Records in 2019.^[8]