Giuseppe Tornatore Series Starring Ben Gazzara as Neapolitan Boss Debuts Trailer, Nearly 40 Years After Being Quashed by Mobster Himself (EXCLUSIVE)

variety.com:

Nick Vivarelli International Correspondent Oscar-winning director Giuseppe Tornatore’s vintage TV series “Il Camorrista,” starring Ben Gazzara as one of the fiercest bosses of the Neapolitan Camorra crime syndicate, is being unearthed from the vault 37 years after the mobster himself quashed the show before it aired. “Il Camorrista” was shot in 1985 as part of an innovative production mounted by Italy’s glorious Titanus shingle and Silvio Berlusconi’s ReteItalia.

The production comprised both a Tornatore feature film by the same title and the five-episode TV show. The “Il Camorrista” movie, which was Tornatore’s first feature, was briefly released locally in 1986 by Titanus before being pulled from Italian cinemas after lawyers for convicted mobster Raffaele Cutolo – considered one of Italy’s most brutal bosses who ruled over as many as 10,000 Camorra affiliates from his jail cell – reportedly sued both production companies for libel.

Though Cutolo is not referred to by name, “Il Camorrista” is clearly based on his character and story. The movie was subsequently rereleased in theaters, but the TV series was shelved.

Cutolo died in 2021. Now, after a meticulous restoration and repackaging operation supervised by Tornatore, Episodes 1 and 4 of “Il Camorrista” are being unveiled for the first time on Thursday at the Rome Film Fest, where the director will also hold a masterclass.