Ragazzi fuori
Encyclopedia
Ragazzi fuori is an Italian language dramatic film directed by Marco Risi in the neo-neorealistic
style and written by Aurelio Grimaldi
. Released in 1990, it is the sequel to the 1989 film Mery per sempre
. It stars Francesco Benigno
, Alessandro Di Sanzo
and Salvatore Termini
.
, Sicily
, at the end of the 1980s. Its protagonist is Natale Sperandeo (played by Palermo-born actor Francesco Benigno), a young man who has just been released from Malaspina, a juvenile detention centre. Unable to find legitimate work, he takes up with his former gang, consisting of unemployed youths like himself, and perpetrates an armed robbery.
The film also traces the divergent paths taken by his former inmates at Malaspina, such as Mario "Mery" Libassi, the 17 year-old transvestite, who resumes his previous sordid career as a male prostitute while awaiting trial for the assault on a client; Claudio Catalano, while seeking to avoid the vindictive Carmelo Vella (who blames Claudio for the loss of his left eye), obtains work as a mechanic in another neighbourhood, but shortly afterwards discovers his girlfriend, Vita is pregnant; Antonino Patané is forced to push drugs in order to maintain his two small children after the financial police sequester his potatoes which Antonino was selling without a license; and Giovanni Trapani, nicknamed King Kong and a member of Natale's gang, is fatally shot by a plainclothes
police officer outside the open-air market
of Vucciria
after a long chase through the streets of Palermo for having robbed a car radio.
Ragazzi Fuori accurately depicts the social problems faced by Natale and his companions, such as crime, poverty, unemployment, prostitution, teenage pregnancy, and police harassment, which were indelible features of life in the poorer districts of Palermo and other Sicilian cities during that time period. It is a drama with realistic scenes of sex, violence, police brutality
, and rape. It ends with the discovery of the body of a young man, burnt beyond recognition, on a refuse tip. It is presumed to be that of Claudio, although the film never reveals its identity. The Italian language is spoken throughout the film mixed with the Sicilian dialect
of Palermo.
won two awards, the Ciak d'Oro at the Venice Film Festival
, and Premio Piper, for Best Actor in his portrayal of Natale Sperandeo. The film also features, among others, Alessandro Di Sanzo
as Mario "Mery" Libassi, Salvatore Termini
as Giovanni "King Kong" Trapani, Alfredo Li Bassi as Carmelo Vella, Maurizio Prollo as Claudio Catalano, Vincenza Attardo as Vita, Roberto Mariano as Antonino Patané, and Tony Sperandeo
as Turris.
On 14 November 1990, Mariano was killed in a plane crash en route to Switzerland
.
Marco Risi won the David di Donatello
Award in 1991 for Best Director.
Italian neorealism
Italian neorealism is a style of film characterized by stories set amongst the poor and working class, filmed on location, frequently using nonprofessional actors...
style and written by Aurelio Grimaldi
Aurelio Grimaldi
Aurelio Grimaldi is an Italian film director and screenwriter. His film The Whores was entered into the 1994 Cannes Film Festival.-Selected filmography:* Ragazzi fuori * The Rebel * The Whores...
. Released in 1990, it is the sequel to the 1989 film Mery per sempre
Mery per sempre
Mery per sempre , is an Italian language dramatic film directed by Marco Risi and released in 1989. It stars Michele Placido, Claudio Amendola, Alessandro Di Sanzo, Francesco Benigno, Salvatore Termini and Tony Sperandeo.- Synopsis :...
. It stars Francesco Benigno
Francesco Benigno
Francesco Benigno , is an Italian actor of television, cinema and theatre. He is also a singer, and has directed a short film for which he won the Grifoni D'argento Award .- Career :...
, Alessandro Di Sanzo
Alessandro Di Sanzo
Alessandro Di Sanzo is an Italian actor best known for his portrayal of the teenaged transvestite prostitute Mario Libassi, nicknamed Mery in Marco Risi's dramatic film, Mery per sempre , which was released in 1989 and where he made his acting debut...
and Salvatore Termini
Salvatore Termini
Salvatore Termini is an Italian actor best known for his role as Giovanni Trapani, nicknamed King Kong in two Italian language dramatic films directed by Marco Risi, "Mery per sempre", in which Termini made his acting debut, and its sequel, "Ragazzi fuori". They were both set in Palermo where...
.
Synopsis
Ragazzi Fuori is the sequel to the 1989 dramatic film Mery per sempre, and features most of the same characters. The film is largely set in ZEN, a bleak, economically deprived quarter on the northern outskirts of PalermoPalermo
Palermo is a city in Southern Italy, the capital of both the autonomous region of Sicily and the Province of Palermo. The city is noted for its history, culture, architecture and gastronomy, playing an important role throughout much of its existence; it is over 2,700 years old...
, Sicily
Sicily
Sicily is a region of Italy, and is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Along with the surrounding minor islands, it constitutes an autonomous region of Italy, the Regione Autonoma Siciliana Sicily has a rich and unique culture, especially with regard to the arts, music, literature,...
, at the end of the 1980s. Its protagonist is Natale Sperandeo (played by Palermo-born actor Francesco Benigno), a young man who has just been released from Malaspina, a juvenile detention centre. Unable to find legitimate work, he takes up with his former gang, consisting of unemployed youths like himself, and perpetrates an armed robbery.
The film also traces the divergent paths taken by his former inmates at Malaspina, such as Mario "Mery" Libassi, the 17 year-old transvestite, who resumes his previous sordid career as a male prostitute while awaiting trial for the assault on a client; Claudio Catalano, while seeking to avoid the vindictive Carmelo Vella (who blames Claudio for the loss of his left eye), obtains work as a mechanic in another neighbourhood, but shortly afterwards discovers his girlfriend, Vita is pregnant; Antonino Patané is forced to push drugs in order to maintain his two small children after the financial police sequester his potatoes which Antonino was selling without a license; and Giovanni Trapani, nicknamed King Kong and a member of Natale's gang, is fatally shot by a plainclothes
Undercover
Being undercover is disguising one's own identity or using an assumed identity for the purposes of gaining the trust of an individual or organization to learn secret information or to gain the trust of targeted individuals in order to gain information or evidence...
police officer outside the open-air market
Street market
A street market is an outdoor market such as traditionally held in a market square or in a market town, and often held only on particular days of the week...
of Vucciria
Palermo
Palermo is a city in Southern Italy, the capital of both the autonomous region of Sicily and the Province of Palermo. The city is noted for its history, culture, architecture and gastronomy, playing an important role throughout much of its existence; it is over 2,700 years old...
after a long chase through the streets of Palermo for having robbed a car radio.
Ragazzi Fuori accurately depicts the social problems faced by Natale and his companions, such as crime, poverty, unemployment, prostitution, teenage pregnancy, and police harassment, which were indelible features of life in the poorer districts of Palermo and other Sicilian cities during that time period. It is a drama with realistic scenes of sex, violence, police brutality
Police brutality
Police brutality is the intentional use of excessive force, usually physical, but potentially also in the form of verbal attacks and psychological intimidation, by a police officer....
, and rape. It ends with the discovery of the body of a young man, burnt beyond recognition, on a refuse tip. It is presumed to be that of Claudio, although the film never reveals its identity. The Italian language is spoken throughout the film mixed with the Sicilian dialect
Sicilian language
Sicilian is a Romance language. Its dialects make up the Extreme-Southern Italian language group, which are spoken on the island of Sicily and its satellite islands; in southern and central Calabria ; in the southern parts of Apulia, the Salento ; and Campania, on the Italian mainland, where it is...
of Palermo.
Cast and awards
Francesco BenignoFrancesco Benigno
Francesco Benigno , is an Italian actor of television, cinema and theatre. He is also a singer, and has directed a short film for which he won the Grifoni D'argento Award .- Career :...
won two awards, the Ciak d'Oro at the Venice Film Festival
Venice Film Festival
The Venice International Film Festival is the oldest international film festival in the world. Founded by Count Giuseppe Volpi in 1932 as the "Esposizione Internazionale d'Arte Cinematografica", the festival has since taken place every year in late August or early September on the island of the...
, and Premio Piper, for Best Actor in his portrayal of Natale Sperandeo. The film also features, among others, Alessandro Di Sanzo
Alessandro Di Sanzo
Alessandro Di Sanzo is an Italian actor best known for his portrayal of the teenaged transvestite prostitute Mario Libassi, nicknamed Mery in Marco Risi's dramatic film, Mery per sempre , which was released in 1989 and where he made his acting debut...
as Mario "Mery" Libassi, Salvatore Termini
Salvatore Termini
Salvatore Termini is an Italian actor best known for his role as Giovanni Trapani, nicknamed King Kong in two Italian language dramatic films directed by Marco Risi, "Mery per sempre", in which Termini made his acting debut, and its sequel, "Ragazzi fuori". They were both set in Palermo where...
as Giovanni "King Kong" Trapani, Alfredo Li Bassi as Carmelo Vella, Maurizio Prollo as Claudio Catalano, Vincenza Attardo as Vita, Roberto Mariano as Antonino Patané, and Tony Sperandeo
Tony Sperandeo
Tony Sperandeo is an Italian actor of cinema and television. Sperandeo is notable for frequently playing the roles of characters from his native region, Sicily...
as Turris.
On 14 November 1990, Mariano was killed in a plane crash en route to Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
.
Marco Risi won the David di Donatello
David di Donatello
David di Donatello, named after Donatello's David, is a movie award assigned each year for cinematic performances and production by Ente David di Donatello, part of Accademia del Cinema Italiano. It is the Italian equivalent to the Academy Award. There are 24 categories as of 2006.- History :The...
Award in 1991 for Best Director.