SATURDAY MATINEE, MAY 6

IN THE NAME OF THE LAW / IN NOME DELLA LEGGE  2:00

Pietro Germi is the forgotten master of Italy's neo-realist movement, pushing into the hinterlands to portray the roiling collision of old ways and new ideas as they engaged in hand-to-hand combat for the soul of a smoldering nation. Here, the "old ways" come to the fore, as Massimo Girotti tries to take on the rural Sicilian Mafia and bring an end to the corrupt conspiracy of silence enforced by the region's largest land baron (an impressively astringent performance by noted French character actor Charles Vanel). It's a war of nerves…Italian style. With: Massimo Girotti, Jone Salinas, Camillo Mastrocinque, Charles Vanel, Saro Urzi, Turi Pandolfini, Umberto Spadaro, Saro Arcidiacono, Ignazio Balsamo, Nada De Santis

ITALY (1949, 101 min)  Director: Pietro Germi Screenplay: Federico Fellini, Mario Monicelli, Tullio Pinelli, Giuseppe Mangione, Pietro Germi. From a story by Giuseppe Mangione. Adapted from the novel by Giuseppe Guido Loschiavo. Photography: Leonida Barboni. Music: Carlo Rustichelli

MADNESS RULES / MATTO REGIERTF  4:00

Leopold Lindtberg, fresh off his epic war drama THE LAST CHANCE (1945), takes a ninety-degree turn with this chewy murder mystery set in a mental hospital. "Those steeped in noir will think of GREEN FOR DANGER," suggests Anastasia Lin, "but our detective has fewer foibles and the suspects are a good bit more interestingly idiosyncratic—especially since so many of them seem more than a bit touched in the head!" So many suspects, so much conflicting testimony, so many mixed motives—it's a good thing that the indomitable police inspector (a marvelously gruff Heinrich Gretler) is so good at not suffering fools! Featuring a winningly winsome performance from future European star Elisabeth Muller (just 20 at the time) as the love-conflicted nurse. With: Heinrich Gretler, Heinz Woester, Friedrich Braun, Elisabeth Müller, Otto Brefin, Gottlieb Buchi, Zarli Carigiet, Irene Naef

SWITZERLAND (1947, 113 min)  Director: Leopold Lindtberg. Screenplay: Leopold Lindtberg, Alfred Neumann. From the novel by Friedrich Glauser. Photography: Emil Berna. Music: Robert Blum