Tragedy of a Ridiculous Man

A masked group takes the son of Primo Spaggiari (Ugo Tognazzi), who owns a cheese factory in the Italian countryside, and the ransom demand arrives just as the business is sinking toward bankruptcy. His wife Barbara (Anouk Aimée) wants the boy back, while Primo sees what the money could do for the plant. Bertolucci films it in a grainy, muted palette and keeps it uncertain what the kidnapping even is.