Property Is No Longer a Theft
Property Is No Longer a Theft is a 1973 Italian-French comedy drama film directed by Elio Petri.
The film is considered the conclusion to Petri's so-called Trilogy of Neuroses, showing the neurosis of money, along with Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion, and The Working Class Goes to Heaven.
Plot
Total, a young bank cashier, is allergic to money and feels only contempt for his customers who, in his eyes built their wealth on criminal or corrupt activities. After witnessing an armed robbery in his bank, he becomes a Marxist, resigns from his job and turns to theft for ideological reasons. He stalks a former client, a butcher from Rome who for him represents the evils of capitalism, and robs him of his valuables: first the butcher's knife and hat, then his jewellery, money, car and even his mistress Anita. When the butcher identifies his pursuer, he tries to pay Total off, but the latter resists and teams up with professional thief Albertone instead. Total continues on his path, the expoliation of other people's property, until he is stopped by the butcher who strangles him to death in an elevator.Cast
- Ugo Tognazzi as the butcher
- Flavio Bucci as Total
- Daria Nicolodi as Anita
- Salvo Randone as Total's father
- Mario Scaccia as Albertone
- Julien Guiomar as bank director
- Jacques Herlin as bank employee
- Gigi Proietti as Paco
- Orazio Orlando as Pirelli
- Ettore Garofolo as Bocio
- Gino Milli as Zaganè
- Cecilia Polizzi as Mafalda
- Luigi Antonio Guerra
- Ada Pometti