Boia, maschere e segreti: l’horror italiano degli anni sessanta

A tribute to Italian filmmaker Sergio Corbucci (1926-90), presented by American filmmaker Quentin Tarantino.

Documentary on Italian genre cinema.

St. Petersburg, 1860. After a member of the imperial family is assassinated, Fyodor Dostoevsky meets one of the conspirators, who reveals that his comrades are planning another attack to the Tsar's life. Plagued by debts and struggling to finish his latest novel, Dostoevsky must act fast to call off the plot.

A small industrialist from Turin, who inherited the business from his father, finds himself facing a serious economic crisis with unease. This crisis is echoed by personal crises: misunderstandings with his wife and intemperance towards those around him.

Dario Argento is one of the most acclaimed Italian directors in the world, revered as if he were a rock star. At the same time, however, he is a person who has always protected his private life. This documentary breaks that taboo and delves into the most intimate aspects of his life and career, uncovering personal documents and photographs that, until now, had been jealously guarded.

Lorenza Mazzetti's extraordinary life story touches many points in twentieth century history. The adopted daughter of the Einstein family emigrated to London in the 1950s and applied to the Slade School of Fine Art with the reason "Because I'm a genius!" Mazzetti is also one of the most important representatives of the Free Cinema movement.

Following her husband's death, a widow decides to remarry his former business partner. When the woman's daughter returns home for a break from her college studies, she begins to suspect her stepfather's fidelity. Upon investigation, she discovers that he is having an affair with another woman, who is found dead shortly thereafter.

The epic of Hercules and Maciste to the live voices of witnesses and through the images of the Italian film journals. And through interviews with Carlo Lizzani, Enrico Lucherini, Citto Maselli, Rosalba Neri, Mimmo Palmara, Carlo Verdone.

Tarantino reveres them, and for good reason. Welcome to the world of the kings of the Italian B-Movie.