The Mattei Affair (Il caso Mattei)
Directed by Francesco Rosi
Written by Francesco Rosi and Tonino Guerra
1972/Italy
IMDb page
First viewing/Criterion Channel
Enrico Mattei was an Italian public administrator who was given after WWII the task of dismantling the Italian Petroleum Agency (Agip), a state enterprise established by the Fascist regime. Instead Mattei enlarged and reorganized it into the National Fuel Trust (ENI). ENI negotiated important oil concessions in the Middle East as well as a significant trade agreement with the Soviet Union which helped break the oligopoly of the ‘Seven Sisters’ that dominated the mid 20th century oil industry. Mattei made ENI a powerful company, so much so that Italians called it “the state within the state.” He died in a plane crash in 1962, likely caused by a bomb in the plane, although it has never been established which group might have been responsible for his death. — Wikipedia
Gian Maria Volonte is phenomenal in this biopic about a populist industrialist that shook up the world oil market and Italian politics in the 1950’s and 60’s.
What would we do without Wikipedia? We would need to know more about Italian history and politics, that’s for sure! The film begins with the end of Enrico Mattei’s (Volonte) life in the fiery crash of his private jet.
Anyway, the film portrays Mattei as a driven business man. A story is repeated throughout the film. It goes something like this: A starving kitten sees the food bowl of a German Shepherd. The tiny kitten timidly approaches the bowl and takes a small bite. The German Shepherd strikes the kitten with its paw, breaking its spine and killing it. Mattei was determined that Italy would no longer be the kitten.
Mattei had served in the Italian Resistance late in WWII. He got his start in the industry exploring for petroleum in Italy with AGIP. He found de minimus oil nor natural gas but he did find viable deposits of methane in the Po valley. Eventually the state enterprise became a conglomerate owning a variety of businesses.
Mattei then decided to make ENI a world player and stand up to Big Oil. His style of doing business earned him the support of Italian leftists (Mattei himself was a Christian Democrat) and the opposition of the right and big business. He made many enemies. He was not afraid. We never do find out why the jet crashed or who was responsible. The CIA, the French OAS, and the Mafia have all been suggested.
Here’s another sleeper at the tail-end of 1972. This is a film with a political and intellectual bent and may not be the most exciting thing you have ever watched. Still, the film-making is first rate, Pasquilino DeSantis’s cinematography is beautiful, and that Volonte performance really should be seen. If the subject matter is of interest, I can recommend.
