Corruption at the Palace of Justice by Ugo Betti Very good play set in a familiar territory

 Corruption at the Palace of Justice by Ugo Betti


Very good play set in a familiar territory

 

Ugo Betti was a judge and he was called the Italian Kafka and the best playwright since Pirandello.

The message of the play hits near home.

I live in a country, much like Italy decades ago, engulfed in corruption, with many of the richest men behind bars because of bribes and kickbacks.

In this play, the corruption has reached the very place where people are supposed to be above suspicion.

The Palace of Justice has problem when a fire is set to destroy documents that would incriminate a rich potentate.

And the trail of evidence reaches the home of the allegedly incorrupt judges and it is clear that one of them has dirty hands.

An inquiry is ordered and questions are asked.

-          We can look at the behavior of those among us and the guilty will show signs

-          Not necessarily, says another judge

-          Take me, I blush and sweat, but that does not mean that I did something wrong

After this dialogue among the judges, evidence is found that one of them has taken money from the rich businessman charged with many crimes

When confronted, the judge played by the fantastic George Constantin says:

-          Yes, I received money from him

-          Why?

-          It turns out he owed my family money

-          A large amount?

-          Yes, rather

-          Had you known about it?

-          Well, yes

But the tone is hesitating and we do not feel totally satisfied with the disclaimer.

As the plot develops, this judge refuses to show a petition that is supposed to dissipate suspicions hanging over him and this is when his daughter enters the stage

-          I can give you the documents

-          But your father says that he does not have them

-          He has them, I helped him write for that during a few nights

However, the developments and the lack of care of the judge who is in a way interrogating the young woman make her lose her head so much that she goes over the edge.

Literally she throws herself down the elevator shaft, albeit I thought there might have been foul play involved.

She survives for some time and I will let you find out what happens to the end.

There are some unexpected events in an acclaimed play which is briefly and better presented than I can manage here:

 

"The Palace of Justice is a metaphor for something larger and more universal. The leprous spot is on all the magistrates. It betrays crimes that are graver than the one that precipitates the inquiry. For what Betti is concerned with are the corruptions in man's mind and spiri...The maturest and deepest play in town." - New York Times

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