''A Pure Formality'' ( it, Una pura formalità) is a 1994 Italian-

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

drama thriller film co-written and directed by

Giuseppe Tornatore Giuseppe Tornatore (born 27 May 1956) is an Italian film director and screenwriter. He is considered one of the directors who brought critical acclaim back to Italian cinema.Katz, Ephraim, "Italy," ''The Film Encyclopedia'' (New York: HarperRes ...

. It stars

Gérard Depardieu Gérard Xavier Marcel Depardieu, CQ (, , ; born 27 December 1948) is a French actor, filmmaker, businessman and vineyard owner since 1989 who is one of the most prolific thespians in film history having completed over 250 films since 1967 alm ...

as a reclusive writer and Roman Polanski as a police detective.

Synopsis

Onoff (Depardieu) is a famous writer who is now a recluse. The Inspector (Polanski) is suspicious when Onoff is brought into the police station one night, disoriented and suffering from

amnesia Amnesia is a deficit in memory caused by brain damage or disease,Gazzaniga, M., Ivry, R., & Mangun, G. (2009) Cognitive Neuroscience: The biology of the mind. New York: W.W. Norton & Company. but it can also be caused temporarily by the use ...

. As the head of an isolated, rural police station the Inspector tries to establish events through careful interrogation and deduction. Through his painstaking inquiries, he eventually clears up a mysterious killing and brings the writer to a new and unexpected realisation.

Cast

- Onoff * Roman Polanski - Inspector * Sergio Rubini - Andre, the Young Policeman *

Nicola Di Pinto Nicola Di Pinto (born 12 June 1947) is an Italian actor. He appeared in more than seventy films since 1974. Filmography References External links * 1947 births Living people Italian male film actors {{Italy-actor-stub ...

- Captain * Tano Cimarosa - Servant *

Paolo Lombardi Paolo is both a given name and a surname, the Italian form of the name Paul. Notable people with the name include: People with the given name Paolo Art * Paolo Alboni (1671–1734), Italian painter *Paolo Abbate (1884–1973), Italian-American ...

- Marshall *

Maria Rosa Spagnolo Maria may refer to: People * Mary, mother of Jesus * Maria (given name), a popular given name in many languages Place names Extraterrestrial *170 Maria, a Main belt S-type asteroid discovered in 1877 *Lunar maria (plural of ''mare''), large, da ...

- Paula *

Massimo Vanni Massimo Vanni (born 8 July 1946) is an Italian film and television actor. Life and career Born in Rome, Vanni started his career as a stuntman, and had his first roles of weight playing tough guys in several poliziotteschi films directed by his ...

Reception

''A Pure Formality'' was nominated for a Golden Palm at the

1994 Cannes Film Festival The 47th Cannes Film Festival was held from 12 to 23 May 1994. The Palme d'Or went to the American film ''Pulp Fiction'' directed by Quentin Tarantino. The festival opened with ''The Hudsucker Proxy'', directed by Joel Coen and closed with ''Seri ...

. It also received a

David di Donatello The David di Donatello Awards, named after Donatello's ''David'', a symbolic statue of the Italian Renaissance, are film awards given out each year by the ''Accademia del Cinema Italiano'' (The Academy of Italian Cinema). There are 26 award cat ...

for Best Production Design (

Andrea Crisanti Andrea Crisanti (12 June 1936, in Rome – 7 May 2012) was an Italian production designer and art director. Crisanti studied art at the Academy of Fine Arts in Rome. He began his film career as assistant set designer to Mario Garbuglia by w ...

References

External links

* * Films directed by Giuseppe Tornatore Italian thriller drama films 1990s Italian-language films 1994 films 1994 crime thriller films Films scored by Ennio Morricone Films about amnesia 1990s Italian films {{1990s-Italy-film-stub