A machine cuts off the finger of a diligent industrial worker. He becomes increasingly interested in political and revolutionary organizations as a result of the disaster.
Elio Petri directed the 1971 political drama film The Working Class Goes to Heaven. It illustrates a factory worker’s realization of his own status as a basic “tool” in the manufacturing process, as well as his conflict with trade unions. The picture participated in the 1972 Cannes Film Festival, where it tied for the Grand Prix International du Festival, the festival’s top honor, alongside The Mattei Affair. It also received the David di Donatello for Best Film in Italy.