Under the Sign of Scorpio (1969)

Still active in their eighties with such well-received films as CAESAR MUST DIE, the Taviani brothers first made an international splash with this striking allegorical drama. Survivors of a disastrous volcanic eruption on one remote island flee to a neighboring isle where their forced cohabitation with the more peaceable local residents leads to militaristic aggression, violence, kidnapping and other abuses. Think of a LORD OF THE FLIES for grown-ups as directed by Pier Paolo Pasolini and you've got the general idea. This visually beautiful portrait of ugly societal behavior is told in a series of cryptic blackouts punctuated by shocking outbursts of cruelty. Featuring more robust masculinity than Italian cinema had seen since the heyday of Hercules films a few years earlier, it features a cast of mixed professionals and nonprofessional actors led by Gian Maria Volonte as a village leader. - Dennis Harvey