Born in Rome on November 17, 1950, Carlo Verdone has
stayed faithful to his Roman roots. Many
of his characters have embodied the everyday struggles of the typical Roman man
trying to assimilate into the society of the modern woman. The irony portrayed in so many of his
characters has led to comparisons with the great Alberto Sordi, although
Verdone himself would beg to differ with those comparisons. In an effort to stay on top of the changing
styles of Italian cinema, Verdone has reached out to other cultures by shooting
some of his movies outside Italy, even if he usually stays faithful to
portraying the modern Italian man facing society's current challenges.
Read about Stefano Natale, the inspiration behind Leo and Mimmo.
I had the pleasure of speaking with Carlo Verdone a few
years ago at the Open Roads: New Italian Cinema film festival in New York City.
I found him to be gracious with a clear passion for cinema and melancholic affection for the great masters who impacted his career.
How has your work evolved during your career as a
filmmaker?
I’ve changed very much since the beginning of my career
as a filmmaker. My first films were like explosions of acting, like sole
acts. I gave a lot of focus especially
to dialect, my Roman dialect. In moving
forward, I decided to give less importance to this Roman dialect and more
importance to something national and international. I directed the film "Maledetto il giorno che
ti ho incontrato" (Damned the Day I Met You) in the Czech Republic, and I shot "Sono
pazzo di Iris Blond" (I’m Crazy For the Iris Blond) with Claudia Gerini in
Belgium. I decided to go outside my country to deprovincialize my
films as much as I could.
You’ve been called this generation's Alberto Sordi. How do you feel about that?
I don’t think it’s true. Sordi was a great actor. I was a
spectator and a fan of his movies but he had a mask and the mask was unique, so
you cannot imitate a mask. Sordi always interpreted one character; very
Italian, cynical and funny but it was only Sordi. He also had the luck to work
in a very important period- the end of the war, post-war and the economic boom.
I worked in the '80s when the role of the man was in competition with the
woman. Therefore, a lot of main characters had difficulties with female
characters, not only with their mothers and sisters, but with all women. So,
together with Massimo Troisi, I interpreted this situation where the male lost
this kind of control or power with women.
Tell me about your relationship with Sergio Leone.
Sergio Leone was my first producer. He saw me on a
television show where I played a lot of different characters. He called me and
said, I want to produce your film. Before we made the first film, I lived in
his house for a year. He was a wonderful
teacher for me. He was like a padrino, a godfather. So, thanks to Sergio, I am
here.
What do you think of Italian cinema today?
I believe that we have several good screenwriters, actors
and directors. The biggest difficulty with Italian cinema now is the difference
in itself from television, which often has good quality but is invasive and
also changes the style of cinema, for example, the reality shows and how
quickly they change. This confuses the minds of new generations. It’s a very
complex situation because the cinema is not as supported by the government as
television. So, festivals such as the Open Roads in New York are extremely
important for the future of our films. If it was not for the passion and
dedication of the organizers of these festivals in promoting our films, it
would be much harder for us.
For a
thorough look into the evolution of Italian cinema, one should see the films of Leone, whose Spaghetti Westerns shot Clint
Eastwood to international fame during the mid '60s. Although they belong to different generations, the films of Sordi and Troisi reflect Verdone’s chosen genre of comedy where
the middle class Italian man is hilariously overwhelmed with survival in
contemporary life. The films are very
indicative of Italy in the periods in which they were shot; the '60s through
the '80s in particular. For more information about Carlo Verdone’s work, check out his official
web site at www.carloverdone.com.
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