ABSTRACT
Aldo Moro's assassination has been considered a watershed moment in recent Italian history and the media have been largely responsible for its shaping into a polysemic socio-cultural trope. However, public television, despite its incursions into the recent past through popular biopics of civic and religious heroes, has avoided the dramatization of the Moro affaire. In order to paint a Manichean universe, Tavarelli and his screenwriters choose not to dwell, unlike previous filmmakers, on the mysteries surrounding the Moro affaire. They elect to paint a rather unforgiving and unflattering picture of most Italian politicians against which Moro's unique integrity is further reflected in his final sacrifice, which like Corrado Cattani's reminds viewers of an act of martyrdom. The depiction of the heroic death of many members of Cattani's squad should be juxtaposed with the emphasis placed on the portrayal of Moro's bodyguards whose life-stories are briefly sketched for the viewers in vignettes that are likely to evoke a deep emotional response.
