In Elio Petri's Italian classic Property is No Longer a Theft, Ugo Tognazzi plays The Butcher, an arrogant and wealthy man whose narcissism is almost absurdist such as when he requests his girlfriend (Daria Nicolodi) call him "King of Rome" when they are in bed. He's the kind of guy that in American films would get a rather straightforward beat down, but Petri, who co-wrote the screenplay with Ugo Pirro, is far too intelligent to make such a straightforward film. 

Property is No Longer a Theft feels as relevant today as it did when Petri made the film in 1973. A rather bizarre and satirical film, Property is No Longer a Theft gives us a lowly bank employee named Total (Flavio Bucci), who is denied a bank loan by his employer and decides to exact revenge on Tognazzi's Butcher, one of the bank's most prized customers. Quitting his job, Total devotes himself to slowly stealing the Butcher's prized possessions including, not surprisingly, his young girlfriend. 

Bucci picked up a 1974 Italian Golden Globe for his breakthrough work in Property is No Longer a Theft, a film that weaves together elements of satire, comedy and absurdism while critically viewing capitalism with insight and intelligence. The film has been given new life by those fine folks at Arrow Film with a remarkable Blu-ray/DVD packaging that includes:

SPECIAL EDITION CONTENTS:

• 4K restoration from the original film negative
• High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) and Standard Definition DVD presentations
• New subtitle translation
• Brand-new interview with actor Flavio Bucci
• Brand-new interview with producer Claudio Mancini
• Brand-new interview with make-up artist Pierantonio Mecacci
• Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Nathanael Marsh

FIRST PRESSING ONLY: Illustrated collector’s booklet containing new writing on the film by Camilla Zamboni

Property is No Longer a Theft includes a stand-out original score from Ennio Morricone and Luigi Kuveiller's lensing is imaginative and unpredictable and works wonders alongside the film's rhythmic dialogue and darkly comical humor. For more information on the film, visit the Arrow website linked to in the credits.

© Written by Richard Propes
The Independent Critic