The Bankers of God: The Calvi Affair
Encyclopedia
The Bankers of God: The Calvi Affair ( also known as The God's Bankers) is an Italian
drama film
directed in 2002 by Giuseppe Ferrara
.
The film tells the story of the scandal of Banco Ambrosiano
, mainly related to the figure of Roberto Calvi
. The Clearstream scandal exploded as a case full of intricate affairs involving the financial
world, the Vatican
, the Masonic Lodge
P2, the Italian Secret Service
, the Secret Intelligence Service
, the Italian politics]], the Mafia
and the Banda della Magliana
.
The movie narrates in detail all these connections, trying to reconstruct events and plots. The film ends with the death of Calvi under the Blackfriars Bridge
, in London
, openly supporting the murder-hypothesis.
, and wanted Gian Maria Volontè
in the main role of Roberto Calvi
. After a final rejection of the project in 1991 by producers Silvio Berlusconi
and Vittorio Cecchi Gori
, and with the Ferrara's intention of throwing it in the towel, the interest of Rai Cinema has finally made carrying the project 15 years later, in 2001.
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
drama film
Drama film
A drama film is a film genre that depends mostly on in-depth development of realistic characters dealing with emotional themes. Dramatic themes such as alcoholism, drug addiction, infidelity, moral dilemmas, racial prejudice, religious intolerance, poverty, class divisions, violence against women...
directed in 2002 by Giuseppe Ferrara
Giuseppe Ferrara
Giuseppe Ferrara is an Italian film director and screenwriter. His 1987 film The Moro Affair was entered into the 37th Berlin International Film Festival, where Gian Maria Volonté won the Silver Bear for Best Actor....
.
The film tells the story of the scandal of Banco Ambrosiano
Banco Ambrosiano
Banco Ambrosiano was an Italian bank which collapsed in 1982. At the centre of the bank's failure was its chairman, Roberto Calvi and his membership in the illegal Masonic Lodge Propaganda Due...
, mainly related to the figure of Roberto Calvi
Roberto Calvi
Roberto Calvi was an Italian banker dubbed "God's Banker" by the press because of his close association with the Holy See. A native of Milan, Calvi was Chairman of Banco Ambrosiano, which collapsed in one of modern Italy's biggest political scandals...
. The Clearstream scandal exploded as a case full of intricate affairs involving the financial
FINANCIAL
FINANCIAL is the weekly English-language newspaper with offices in Tbilisi, Georgia and Kiev, Ukraine. Published by Intelligence Group LLC, FINANCIAL is focused on opinion leaders and top business decision-makers; It's about world’s largest companies, investing, careers, and small business. It is...
world, the Vatican
Vatican
Vatican may refer to:*Holy See, the central governing body of the Catholic Church and sovereign entity recognized by international law, consisting of the Pope and the Roman Curia...
, the Masonic Lodge
Masonic Lodge
This article is about the Masonic term for a membership group. For buildings named Masonic Lodge, see Masonic Lodge A Masonic Lodge, often termed a Private Lodge or Constituent Lodge, is the basic organisation of Freemasonry...
P2, the Italian Secret Service
Secret service
A secret service describes a government agency, or the activities of a government agency, concerned with the gathering of intelligence data. The tasks and powers of a secret service can vary greatly from one country to another. For instance, a country may establish a secret service which has some...
, the Secret Intelligence Service
Secret Intelligence Service
The Secret Intelligence Service is responsible for supplying the British Government with foreign intelligence. Alongside the internal Security Service , the Government Communications Headquarters and the Defence Intelligence , it operates under the formal direction of the Joint Intelligence...
, the Italian politics]], the Mafia
Mafia
The Mafia is a criminal syndicate that emerged in the mid-nineteenth century in Sicily, Italy. It is a loose association of criminal groups that share a common organizational structure and code of conduct, and whose common enterprise is protection racketeering...
and the Banda della Magliana
Banda della Magliana
The Banda della Magliana was an Italian criminal organization based in Rome, particularly active throughout the late 1970s until the early 1990s. Given by the media, the name refers to the original neighborhood, the Magliana, of most of its members....
.
The movie narrates in detail all these connections, trying to reconstruct events and plots. The film ends with the death of Calvi under the Blackfriars Bridge
Blackfriars Bridge
Blackfriars Bridge is a road and foot traffic bridge over the River Thames in London, between Waterloo Bridge and Blackfriars Railway Bridge, carrying the A201 road. The north end is near the Inns of Court and Temple Church, along with Blackfriars station...
, in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, openly supporting the murder-hypothesis.
Cast
- Omero AntonuttiOmero AntonuttiOmero Antonutti, is an Italian actor and dubber, appearing regularly in films and theatre performances. He was born at Basiliano, Friuli.His most notable performance to date was in the Taviani brothers' acclaimed film Padre Padrone...
: Roberto CalviRoberto CalviRoberto Calvi was an Italian banker dubbed "God's Banker" by the press because of his close association with the Holy See. A native of Milan, Calvi was Chairman of Banco Ambrosiano, which collapsed in one of modern Italy's biggest political scandals... - Giancarlo GianniniGiancarlo GianniniGiancarlo Giannini is an Italian actor and dubber.Giannini was born La Spezia, Liguria, Italy. He studied at the Accademia Nazionale d'Arte Drammatica in Rome, and made his film debut in a small part in Fango sulla metropoli in 1965...
: Flavio Carboni - Alessandro GassmanAlessandro GassmanAlessandro Gassman is an Italian actor.Born in Rome, he is the son of Italian actor Vittorio Gassman and French actress Juliette Mayniel.-Career:...
: Francesco PazienzaFrancesco PazienzaFrancesco Pazienza is an Italian businessman, and former officer of the Italian military intelligence agency, SISMI. As of April 2007, he has been paroled to the community of Lerici, after serving many years in prison, including a 1993 conviction due to his role in the Banco Ambrosiano scandal,... - Rutger Hauer: Vescovo Paul MarcinkusPaul MarcinkusPaul Casimir Marcinkus was an American archbishop of the Roman Catholic Church. He was best known for his tenure as President of the Vatican Bank from 1971 through 1989.-Early life:...
- Pamela Villoresi: Clara Calvi
- Vincenzo Peluso: Silvano Vittor
- Pier Paolo Capponi: Roberto Rosone
- Franco Diogene: Luigi Mennini
- Camillo Milli: Licio GelliLicio GelliLicio Gelli is an Italian financier, chiefly known for his role in the Banco Ambrosiano scandal. He was revealed in 1981 as being the Venerable Master of the clandestine Masonic lodge Propaganda Due...
- Franco Olivero: Michele SindonaMichele SindonaMichele Sindona was an Italian banker and convicted felon. Known in banking circles as "The Shark", Sindona was a member of Propaganda Due , a secret lodge of Italian Freemasonry, and had clear connections to the Mafia...
Production
The film had a very long and troubled gestation. According to the director Giuseppe Ferrara, he started the project in the 1986, soon afterThe Moro AffairThe Moro Affair
The Moro Affair is a 1987 Italian crime film directed by Giuseppe Ferrara about the kidnapping of Aldo Moro. It was entered into the 37th Berlin International Film Festival, where Gian Maria Volonté won the Silver Bear for Best Actor.-Cast:...
, and wanted Gian Maria Volontè
Gian Maria Volontè
Gian Maria Volonté was an Italian actor. He is perhaps most famous outside of Italy for his roles as the main villain in Sergio Leone's A Fistful of Dollars and For a Few Dollars More.-Early life:Volonté was born in Milan, and graduated in Rome in 1957...
in the main role of Roberto Calvi
Roberto Calvi
Roberto Calvi was an Italian banker dubbed "God's Banker" by the press because of his close association with the Holy See. A native of Milan, Calvi was Chairman of Banco Ambrosiano, which collapsed in one of modern Italy's biggest political scandals...
. After a final rejection of the project in 1991 by producers Silvio Berlusconi
Silvio Berlusconi
Silvio Berlusconi , also known as Il Cavaliere – from knighthood to the Order of Merit for Labour which he received in 1977 – is an Italian politician and businessman who served three terms as Prime Minister of Italy, from 1994 to 1995, 2001 to 2006, and 2008 to 2011. Berlusconi is also the...
and Vittorio Cecchi Gori
Vittorio Cecchi Gori
Vittorio Cecchi Gori is an Italian film producer and politician.Born in Florence, he is the son of Mario Cecchi Gori. He has produced numerous films, most notably Il Postino , which received an Academy Award nomination for Best Picture.He was also senator from the Italian People's Party.He owned...
, and with the Ferrara's intention of throwing it in the towel, the interest of Rai Cinema has finally made carrying the project 15 years later, in 2001.