The Lizards

"I basilischi" redirects here. For the criminal organization, see Basilischi.

The Lizards (Italian: I basilischi,^[2] also known as The Basilisks) is a 1963 Italian comedy-drama film written and directed by Lina Wertmüller. It was Wertmüller's directorial debut.

The Lizards
Directed by	Lina Wertmüller
Written by	Lina Wertmüller
Produced by	Lionello Santi
Cinematography	Gianni Di Venanzo
Edited by	Ruggero Mastroianni
Music by	Ennio Morricone
Production companies	Galatea Film Società Editoriale Cinematografica Italiana 22 Dicembre
Distributed by	Cineriz
Release date	1963 (1963)
Running time	85 minutes
Country	Italy
Language	Italian
Budget	£28,000[1]

Plot

Francesco, Sergio, and Antonio are three privileged young individuals residing in a typical provincial town, Minervino Murge, located between Puglia and Basilicata. The film portrays their lives, now saturated with apathy and provincialism, hindering any genuine desire to pursue more stimulating horizons.

When Antonio's aunt, an indifferent university student, offers him the opportunity to live with her in Rome and transfer his enrollment from the University of Bari to the capital, he eventually declines. Incapable of abandoning the ingrained prejudices, stereotypes, and rituals of his native province, he returns to the village, his decision irreversible.

The conclusion features a quote from the Southern Italian scholar Giustino Fortunato: "We are what race, climate, location, and history have determined us to be."^[3]

Cast

• Antonio Petruzzi as Tony
• Stefano Satta Flores as Francesco
• Sergio Ferrarino as Sergio
• Luigi Barbieri as Antonio's father
• Flora Carabella as Luciana Bonfanti

Legacy

I basilischi was shown as part of the retrospective "Questi fantasmi: Cinema italiano ritrovato" at the 65th Venice International Film Festival.^[4][5] A 4K restoration of the film was screened at the Museum of Modern Art in December 2023.^[6]