Vizi privati, along with other Jancsó films made in Italy, has either been ignored or derided. Rolland Man argues that this is not just a “naughty” film but a compelling analysis of how rebels without a cause are doomed to fail.
The “Italian period” of Miklós Jancsó’s output is very often ignored or treated in a few words by critics and analysts of his work. Vizi privati, pubbliche virtú (Private Vices, Public Virtues, 1975) is a case in point. The film has provoked outrage ever since its first screening at Cannes in 1976. Otherwise serious and perceptive critics have dismissed without a second thought my enthusiasm for Vizi privati, pubbliche virtú. More than once I have been told it is pure pornography with pretensions.
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