Film
The man (right) and his movies (clockwise from this page): The Girls of San Frediano, 1955; The Desert of the Tartars, 1976; Black Jesus, 1968; Violent Summer, 1959
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I said Zurlini, not Fellini
For the uninitiated (and there are many), Dr Guido Bonsaver, a professor of Italian cinema, provides a step by step guide to the cinema of VALERIO ZURLINI, the inspired choice of this year’s EIFF main retrospective.
n tliix oeeaxion e\ en lilm litillx are illlti\\L‘tl to raixe their higliliroux anti axk: It) the \\a_\. \\ ho ix \alei'io /.urlini‘.’ lle eertainl} thlL‘\ not feature among the lirxt team of Italian lilm tlll'L‘L‘ltll'\ \\lio \\ ere xo prominent
in \\0l'ltl einema from the ll)5llx to the l‘)7(lx. So. it
Roxxellini and De Siea are lamotIx l‘or their neorealixt take. liellini l'oi' hix oneirie imagination. .-\ntonioni l'or hix intelleetual xophixtieation. Bertolueei l‘or hix xleek eamera \\‘Ul‘l\2 \xhat ix /.urlini'x trademark leature‘.’ .‘\lltl \\ hat ix hix heritage'.’
Valerio /.urlini. a name ol‘ Bologna in eentral ltal}. .xtartetl making lilmx in the l‘)5(lx. llix lirxt leature lilm. [1' Rugure t/i Sun l’n‘tlimm ('l'lit' (iii/x of Sun l-im/iunoi (1054i \\ ax an ad iptation from a lamoux no\el hx l-‘lorentine \xriter \axeo l’i‘atolini. The film ix a li\eli portrait of a \\tii'kiiig-e‘l;ixx (‘axanma in \xhieh neorealixt .xettingx liappil) meet eometl} tempo and light—hearted atmoxphere. It ix alxo the onl} lilm h} /.urlini \\ here a xenxe ol‘ optimixm and joie LlL‘ \ixre xeemx to pre\ail. ln hix following produetionx. /.urlini xeemed to be attracted h}
.xeriptx haxetl on the px)ehologieal introxpeetion ol'
eharaeterx on the Verge of an e\ixtential erixix. 'l‘hix meant an intenxe eoneentration on eharaeterixation and the xtage direetion ol‘ hix aetorx. lt ix in thexe lilmx that one reall_\
52 THE LIST FESTIVAL MAGAZINE '.
heginx to xee the o\er\\helming neeexxit} tor a re e\altiation ol' /.tii'|ini‘x uork.
.-\ L‘lll'xtil'} look at the eaxt oi hix xiihxetpient xe\en lilmx immediatel} re\ea|x the lael that /.iirlini \xorlxetl \\llll the \el'} cream ol' Italian and l‘reneli einema. So. ('mnm'u [amt/lure ll'umi/i Iliuiji'i l l‘)(i2i. another adaptation lrom a l’ratolini no\e|. ix \xell \\ol'lli a \ie\\ing tor the xtunning perl‘ormaneex h} \lareello .\laxtroianni antl .laetluex l’errin itlie lilm ix alxo a maxter elaxx in the axe ol' a limited eolotir palette in order to ereate an intimate atmoxplierei. .'\ltei'nati\el_\. /.u Rauuini run lu ill/lulu ((iir/ ll'iI/I u Sui/emu ill)(ili prexentx )oti \\llll ('latitlia ('artlinale in i'lotirixhing heatit} pla_\ ing the part ol a pro\ ineial ballerina entering a relationxhip \\illi a \\L‘ll-ltl-tlll ho} Llaeqtiex l’errin. again). .-\ntl a morall} tltihiotix loxe relationxhip ltliix time at the end oi \\'\\'l|i ix ximilarl} the tlri\ ing l'oi‘ee hehintl .lean-l.otiix 'l‘rintignanl'x periormanee in [fl-Mule rim/(vim (Uri/(’11!Slimmer) l IUS‘) l.
Valerio /.tirlini \\ ax alxo a tlireetor \\ ith a xtrong interext in xoeial and politieal matterx: /.(' .S'o/(lulmw l l‘)(i5i not onl} prexentx tix \xith touring perl'ormaneex h} l.ea .\laxxari antl eult Daniin aetrexx .-\nna Karina. hut it ix alxo a pouei'liil and. in man} \\a_\x. unique tlenuneiation oi ltal_\ 'x oun \\ar erimex and mixer} during the oeeupation oi'
ZURLINI WORKED WITH THE VERY CREAM OF FRENCH AND ITALIAN CINEMA