Ridendo e scherzando by Paola and Silvia Scola in Italian Theaters February 1st

Ettore Scola and PIF

On the first and second of February, 01 Distribution will helm a momentous launch of the documentary directed by Ettore Scola’s daughters Paola and Silvia, after he passed away on Tuesday.

"Ridendo e scherzando" (Laughing and Joking), the documentary written and directed by Paola and Silvia Scola about their father, Ettore, who passed away on 19 January, will hit screens on the first two days of February through a momentous release, courtesy of 01 Distribution.

 
Presented at the Rome Film Fest last October, the film is a story told at close quarters, a long “Amarcord” examining all of Ettore Scola’s films, the very best of Italian cinema. It was made using a huge amount of archive material, family videos and unseen backstage footage from the sets of his movies.  

The long, fascinating story is told by none other than Scola himself, using the key element from all of his works: that of discussing serious topics in a light-hearted, jokey way. Only the interviews that the director gave over the years were used, and the film never resorts to the testimonials of others. The only exception to this rule is Pif (not your usual interviewer), who follows the trail, piecing together the tiles of an immense mosaic. Fifty years of film are recounted with wit and levity, as we discover the artistic, private and sometimes secret lives of one of the masters of Italian cinema.

 

- By Camillo De Marco for Cineuropa.org