“Workers of the world unite; you have nothing to lose but your chains”

There are many quotes by Karl Marx that can be used to preface a discussion of The Working Class Goes to Heaven (Italian: La classe operaia va in paradiso), in which director Elio Petri carves one of the most scathing and unsettling satires of the 1970s, taking aim at the social conventions designed to keep every individual a hardworking member of the system. The film follows the experiences of Lulu, an ordinary blue-collar worker who is employed as a labourer in a factory, a job he doesn’t necessarily enjoy but still does under the belief that it is the only way to provide for his family, and his reputation for being an excellent worker means that he is even more exploited by his superiors, as well as despised by colleagues that are constantly forced to look towards him as the epitome of an ideal employee. However, he slowly finds himself getting radicalized as a result of being near a number of very daring thinkers, who begin to reveal their disdain for the system, which Lulu begins to realize are not all that far from his underlying frustrations, especially after a painful workplace accident proves how little management cares about their workers. Slowly, he grows into a revolutionary, battling against this draconian system that he genuinely believes does more harm to society than good, and eventually, he grows into a ferocious adversary to not only his direct supervisors but to the entire corporate system as a whole. A daring and unhinged dark comedy that is driven by a sense of fury that is difficult to describe in words that don’t seem like they are contributing the same sense of agitation and anger towards the system. Yet, it is this exact reaction that Petri and his cohorts seemed so eager to evoke, which is also the reason why the opening quote here is so relevant, considering their perspective is based on looking at the destruction that occurs when workers break free from their socially-mandated, capitalism-infused shackles and start to pursue a better, more fair life, and how this can result in considerable change, much to the chagrin of those in charge of ensuring everyone occupies a neat compartment in the social machine.

Oppression is a concept that many artists have endeavoured to explore in some form or another over the years. For as long as labour has existed, people have been exploited, and whether it is restricted to specific groups that were seen as more easily manipulated or just an entire class of people, there has been a tendency to take advantage. However, alongside these brutal and rarely dignified acts exist the people who painstakingly record this exploitation, which is how we have such a strong knowledge of the history of labour and industry, going back to the earliest days of antiquity. While he is not particularly interested in exploring the history of the subject as a whole, Petri is still very much aware of how deeply ingrained this is in our collective culture, which is precisely why a film like The Working Class Goes to Heaven is such a resonant work, despite its cultural and temporal specificity. The film is set in a very particular moment in Italian history, one that would be normally considered niche had it not been driven by a sense of authenticity that makes it immediately recognizable, even to those who fall outside the specific setting, and which is the foundation of why this film is such a resounding success. It doesn’t offer anything that is intrinsically tied to a particular era but rather casts a much wider net across the social system. We find that Petri is intent on weaving together many different ideas in an intricate manner, which does veer off-course on a few occasions in an intentional effort to shade in some of the nuances of the story, and which develops into quite a bold and unforgiving exploration of life in the post-war period, particularly the decades following the end of the Second World War, where change was constant but still extremely challenging, and which the majority of the burden was born by the working class, who have always been viewed as dispensable and essentially expendable by those in higher positions, the pawns in their games of capitalistic imperialism. The Working Class Goes to Heaven looks at the events that occur when a single individual dares to speak out against the system, and how this can have a domino effect.

Petri was undeniably one of the greatest satirists of the 20th century, and most of his works tended to have some kind of a subversive lean, even if only marginally. The Working Class Goes to Heaven is one of his most daring and ferocious works, and it occupies a space as one of the most daring and unique forms of satire. This is not a film that can accurately be called a comedy – it is certainly very funny in some parts, but these brief bursts of humour are more aligned with the director’s intention to situate us in a nightmarish version of reality, one driven by less by logic and more by the desire to capture a very specific kind of existential zeitgeist that drives the narrative forward. The Working Class Goes to Heaven is a much bleaker and dark film than many would anticipate based on the premise, with the comedic touches being minimal but still very effective in their unique way, creating a sense of unsettling honesty that speaks volumes in their own right. It’s a harsh and sometimes unnerving film and one that intends to reflect the darkest and most insidious aspects of the human condition, as well as the social conventions that Petri is vehemently against, at least in terms of how they function in the broader scope of day-to-day life. A good satire is ultimately one that knows exactly how to keep us engaged and interested, which is primarily done through finding elements that aren’t directly dependent on the knowledge or experience of a particular subject, in particular the time and place in which the story occurs – this film is certainly deeply ingrained in Italian culture, but it doesn’t use it as a crutch, and anyone who has even the vaguest knowledge of the labour system and how it functions will find value in this film, which is a deeply unsettling but still very effective dark comedy that tells a story that could occur at any time or place in the past, and which we discover is the foundation for a truly incredible piece of filmmaking that is deeply satirical and profoundly strange, all in tandem.

All it takes for a revolution to begin is a single dissenting voice that is willing to stand as the figurehead for the movement. The Working Class Goes to Heaven is a fascinating and well-crafted film in terms of the narrative, but what truly leaves an enormous impression is the performances situated right at the heart of the film. The role of Lulu is portrayed by Gian Maria Volonté, who had previously worked with Petri (most notably in Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion, one of the greatest films of the era and in which the actor delivers a spellbinding, incredibly influential performance), and who once again delivers an extraordinary portrayal of a man teetering dangerously close on a psychological breakdown, which is incited by his growing sense of disdain for the labour system and how it has essentially labelled him as only a single cog in an enormous machine, the products of which he and countless others are forced to toil to produce, but are not allowed to splendour in the spoils that come about in the aftermath. Volonté was an incredible actor – expressive beyond description, but still wonderfully eccentric and endearing in a way that seems quite bold, and which gives the film so much nuance and heart, even when it is at its most cynical. There is an everyman quality to Volonté that is vitally important to the overall identity of this film, and which gives it a sense of authenticity that is beyond integral to the overarching elements that make up the narrative. He’s joined by a fantastic supporting cast, including Gino Pernice, Mariangela Melato and Salvo Randone (amongst many other memorable actors), all of which deliver incredible performances that adhere to the underlying principles of the film and add many layers to the story, which only benefits from such strong characterization and becomes more poignant as a result of the authenticity contained in each one of these performances.

The Working Class Goes to Heaven tackles a vitally important subject that is brilliantly examined throughout the film, quietly and methodically developed to reflect something much more profound than what we would expect at a cursory glance. It’s not a particularly difficult film to understand – it has a complex set of ideas, but they are all easy to comprehend once we realize the scope of the story and the ideas that are embedded within it, which makes for profoundly moving, captivating viewing that is both daring and insightful, which is not often something we expect from a premise that is so heavily steeped in political and cultural discourse. There is a tendency to view stories about the economy as dry and unnecessarily dense, but we find that a film like The Working Class Goes to Heaven manages to make it incredibly exciting, mainly by implementing several genre-specific elements, including dark humour and the kind of suspense usually found in psychological thrillers more than socio-political dramas. Petri was an extraordinary craftsman, someone whose attention to detail was only matched by his storytelling ability, which was exceptionally strong, exciting and genuinely compelling, and which is perfectly reflected throughout this film, which manages to play out like the most engrossing, captivating thriller imaginable. It’s bleak and unsettling, darkly comedic and profoundly impactful – every detail is meaningful and well-implemented and ultimately everything coalesces into this astonishing, profoundly moving dark comedy that proves that satire can take many forms, including one that instils a sense of such dread and insecurity in the viewer, leading to something profoundly awe-inspiring and unconventional, which only adds to the overall experience of this exceptional film.