CULTURA E SOCIETA
meaning that it is only toward the end of the film that the true events of that scene become known. For the most part, Paolo Virzí is a masterful storyteller, who provokes suspense and intrigue rather than confusion.
With that being said, the director’s choice of ending is bewildering: the story jars awkwardly in the final two scenes, losing the dream-like pace it had been sustaining and taking away from the film’s original depth and beauty. A large part of me feels that this was on purpose; it is hard to think that such a masterful display of creative control can unintentionally disintegrate between scenes. Perhaps this turnaround in storyline serves simply as a means to expose how throughout the film the audience has been affected more by the fate of a large sum of money than that of an ordinary, working-class man. This realisation highlights where we place the most value and so maybe it is here that we find the moral of our fable.
Staff vs Student
by Tom Sheils
staff: Catherine O'Rawe
Romanzo criminale (Michele Placido, 2005). This will be no surprise to anyone who knows me - action-packed male melodrama about the 1970s starring two of my favourites, Kim Rossi Stuart and Riccardo Scamarcio.
Leonardo Sciascia, Il giorno della civetta and A ciascuno il suo - I love Sciascia and these Sicilian “anti-detective novels” are perfect. To continue the Sicilian theme I would recommend anything by Gesualdo Bufalino, though Museo d'ombre might be my favourite.
Rino Gaetano, Mio fratello É figlio unico (1976) - I only came across this as it is played at the end of the film Lavorare con lentezza, and gave its name to the 2007 film (starring Scamarcio!). Gaetano died young - this song is really moving.
I would have to say something by Pino Daniele too - the great Neapolitan singer died very recently. I used to listen to his music a lot on my year abroad in Campania. My favourite is probably “Quando quando”.
student: James Freeman
La grande bellezza (Paolo Sorrentino, 2013). This film perfectly captures the spirit of excess and celebration in recent times, as well as being beautifully filmed, acted and written.
Le voci della sera by Natalia Ginzburg. I like how the story only really comes at the end of this book, and the majority is spent presenting the characters so that we know them intimately by the time anything happens.
N.b.- This book was also recommended in the last edition of La Civetta so there really is no excuse not to read it!
From Here to Eternity by Giorgio Moroder: pioneer of electronic music. This is a disco classic; it may not be very serious, however it is very catchy!