Damiano Damiani is known for directing some excellent poliziotteschi in the 1970s, many of these situated around the mafia and crime families. His 1977 thriller Goodbye & Amen, however, is focused more on political intrigue of Italian-American operations, with a plot revolving around American CIA operatives and American ambassadors at the American Embassy. At times richly complicated and suspenseful, Goodbye & Amen melds the best of Damiani’s career into one enriching, complex film.
Tony Musante stars as Dannahay, a CIA operative leading a coup in an African country; however, his operation has been foiled by the presence of a mole, and also a shooting at a local hotel that puts yet another wrinkle in the plans. The shooter is thought to be Lambert (Wolfango Soldati), an American assistant to the ambassador at the American Embassy, but in reality it’s another American, Grayson (John Steiner), benefiting from the confusion. A hostage situation forces Dannahay to have to come up with an elaborate plan to bring everything to a (fairly) safe conclusion.
Damiani’s thriller – partially adapted from The Grosvenor Square Goodbye by Francis Clifford – is often taut with tension and complicated by the film’s opening about the CIA’s gambit in Africa. It’s not immediately apparent how Dannahay’s operation and the hostage situation with Grayson at the hotel are connected, by as Goodbye & Amen slowly winds its way to the inevitable conclusion, details are revealed that link the two together. The film relies on the viewer being able to make these connections organically without much prompting within the movie, and occasionally this can lead to losing the thread; it doesn’t help that, with the film’s Italian dub, a lot of situational elements like who’s American and who’s Italian can be missed.
With that said, the film is overall a suspenseful success thanks to its plodding but intentionally paced stride to the finish. The film’s second act does meander a bit, but it’s worth it to get to the stunning conclusion at the end – which doubles down on the political intrigue by showcasing the lengths that Dannahay will go to ensure the CIA operation isn’t jeopardized. Goodbye & Amen is a difficult film to talk about without giving away major spoilers, so we’ll just leave it at this: pay attention to Dannahay’s loaded gun, which Damiani often spotlights throughout the movie.
Goodbye & Amen is a solid poliziotteschi film that sees an ambitious Damiani stepping outside the comfort of his previous output, and for fans of tight political intrigue, this one should be right up your alley so long as you’re able to follow the convolutions of the story.
Blu-ray
Radiance Films has released Goodbye & Amen on Blu-ray with a new 2K restoration of the film from the original camera negative. The results look excellent, with some stellar detail noticeable in the environmental settings as well as the clothing structure. Skin tones are crisp and consistent throughout. Color tone does hue a bit yellow or creamy-colored but ultimately remains vibrant throughout. The film’s final scenes, which make heavy use of dark lighting, also show great depth and delineation. There is some occasional damage but it’s pretty sporadic. Overall a satisfying representation of Goodbye & Amen on Blu-ray.
Audio is presented with a DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 mono Italian track, which sounds crisp and highlights the excellent soundtrack by Guido & Maurizio De Angelis. Also included, for the first time on home media, is the English-language version presented in DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 mono. This comes with a caveat that the audio was severely damaged; thus, the English cut is presented in a slightly shortened format, with a few 16mm insert shots included. The English audio is slightly problematic due to overall fuzz and lower volume, but it’s by no means unlistenable; and listening in English does actually provide a more nuanced element to the film, since English is the primary language spoken in the film especially for its American characters (and John Steiner’s southern accent changes things entirely for the shooter Grayson). English subtitles are included as well.
For extras, Radiance includes a new audio commentary with Nathanial Thompson and Howard S. Berger that dives into the film’s context, remarking on the political intrigue as well as the new direction for Damiani. It’s a satisfying listen as both contribute excellent information as a companion to the film. A new interview with editor Antonio Siciliano runs about 40 minutes and he discusses how he got into the editing business – getting his first job from Damiani – and his utmost appreciation for Damiani throughout his career. Another archival interview from 2013 with actor Wolfango Soldati (who plays Lambert) runs nearly 30 minutes, and he discusses his time on the film, his amateurish acting, and the lack of direction he received while playing a traitor in the film.
For packaging, Radiance includes reversible cover artwork featuring designs from original posters, as well as an essay booklet featuring new writing by Lucia Rinaldi; this mainly discusses Damiani’s potential thematic intentions and the ways that Goodbye & Amen accomplishes its task.
Extra Features
- NEW 2023 restoration of the film from the original camera negative presented with Italian and, for the first time on home video, English audio options
- Uncompressed mono PCM audio
- NEW Audio commentary by Eurocrime experts Nathaniel Thompson and Howard Berger (2023)
- NEW Interview with editor Antonio Siciliano (1080p; 38:49)
- Archival interview with Wolfango Soldati (1080p; 23:49)
- NEW and improved English subtitles for Italian audio and English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing for English audio
- NEW Reversible sleeve featuring designs based on original posters
- NEW Limited edition booklet featuring writing by Italian crime cinema expert Lucia Rinaldi
- Limited edition of 3000 copies, presented in full-height Scanavo packaging with removable OBI strip leaving packaging free of certificates and markings
Verdict
Goodbye & Amen is an overlooked thriller that is another great offering from Damiano Damiani. The Blu-ray from Radiance Films boasts a great transfer, an optional English export cut, and a few great new features to add context to this poliziescho.
