The quality of our films in competition is very high, from the production, to the direction, to the actors
But it must transform this excellence into a system in order to compete with Hollywood
There are still a few days to the conclusion of the Venice Film Festival and twists and turns are still possible, but from what we have seen so far, some considerations can already be drawn. Meanwhile, cinema (intended as film production) is going through a moment of authentic grace. After Cannes, which took place just a couple of months ago, doubts about the quality level were present in everyone’s head: Venice canceled them with momentum (also demonstrating that the possible comparisons between festivals this year are all in favor of Italy ).
Of this collective state of grace Italian cinema also participates. And the Venetian selection, not just the films in competition, proves it. This is why it seems to me important to underline that, beyond personal judgments, the variety of the production offer is extraordinary: we have seen or will see period films and films set today, philosophical fables and tug-of-war with reality, chamber films and blockbuster films. , documentaries and works of fiction … Even from abroad very stimulating proposals have come, but at times they have given the impression (perhaps also by choice of the selectors) of being a little too overwhelmed by their authorial ambitions, to worry more about pleasing the narcissism of the director than to establish a dialectical relationship with the public.
And in this comparison with the foreign offer, it must be added that they did not even disfigure the actors and actresses. Indeed, especially them, I would say. Of course, on the red carpet, the biggest crowds were registered for some foreign names, Chamalet in the lead. But when their value as interpreters had to be weighed, the terms often reversed, sometimes even heavily. Demonstrating, by contrast, one thing that is still lacking in Italian cinema: an authentic star system, the ability to transform skill into popularity, into attractive force, even into like (and I am ashamed to have written it). Venice has shown that the production level of our cinema is excellent, that with these films one can really hope for an authentic restart, but only films and their directors are not enough, there is a need for a shared and widespread enthusiasm for the whole body of cinema. . There is a need for a system that realizes that Luisa Ranieri and Maria Nazionale, Toni Servillo or Pietro Castellitto (to name the first faces that come to mind among the many seen here. And all the others are not offended) are the bricks on which build a star system that is truly capable of competing with that of other countries.
September 8, 2021 (change September 8, 2021 | 12:21)
© Time.News