Luchino Visconti

Question: how can you make a documentary about Luchino Visconti in just 60 minutes? Answer: You can't. No matter how special the archive material and interviewees, or sincerely good the intentions (differently from the exploitative, bitchy and vulgar 2002 film directed by Adam Low). The short duration is the main problem with this documentary directed by veteran Italian director Carlo Lizzani, who knew Visconti since pre-WWII days, when the young bohemian aristocrat was concentrating in horse-breeding and highbrow jet-setting (with Chanel, Picasso, Cocteau, Matisse, etc), not even dreaming of becoming one of the colossal artists of the 20th century in films, opera and theater, or embracing the Marxist ideals which, on the one hand, led to groundbreaking political films like "La Terra Trema" and "Rocco e Suoi Fratelli", on the other hand made him a walking paradox (a Marxist aristocrat?!).

It's a wasted opportunity: here we see some of his great collaborators -- many of them now dead, like Mastroianni, Marais, Girotti, Gassman -- who had a lot to tell but whose testimonies are cut to a few sentences. Poor Claudia Cardinale, lovely star of "The Leopard" and "Sandra/Vaghe Stelle", doesn't even get to speak, just stands there smiling against a "3D" photograph of the extraordinary ball sequence of "The Leopard". And there are important stars missing who should have been summoned (Alida Valli, Farley Granger, Maria Schell, Annie Girardot, Ingrid Thulin, Giancarlo Giannini, Laura Antonelli, Björn Andresen and, well, the inevitable Helmut Berger).

Sadly missing too are clips from Visconti+Callas' now classic TV interview, and from Visconti's own documentary "Alla Ricerca di Tadzio" (q.v.), a making of the auditions for the role of Tadzio in "Death in Venice". And -- unforgivably -- there are NO film clips from the Anna Magnani episode in "Siamo Donne", nor the Romy Schneider episode in "Boccaccio 70", nor from the controversial "Sandra/Vaghe Stelle" and the underachieved "Lo Straniero". Furthermore, the film clips that ARE included are not especially well chosen, some of them from trailers or washed-out copies and not always from important scenes.

Anyway, Visconti's fans will not want to miss this; others will probably remain indifferent. You'll learn much more about Visconti's aesthetics and "modus operandi" from, say, the extras of the Brazilian DVDs of "Ludwig" and "Conversation Piece" (by Versátil) than from what you'll see here. There are, however, rare photographs (photographs, mind you) of Visconti's theater work, where you can spot a very young Gassman as Kowalski from Tennessee Williams' "A Streetcar Named Desire", or an even younger Mastroianni in 18th century costumes, powdered wig and all. My vote: 6 out of 10 -- it could have been a lot longer (after all, Visconti fans are used to long duration!) and a lot better.

Having just seen this documentary about Luchino Visconti directed and narrated by Carlo Lizzani and having read the review of the Brazilian commentator, I honestly admit that 60 minutes is too short a time to fully (or at least in a satisfactory manner) execute the life of the artist, of the director, of another 20th century's great Italian. In this respect, we could, without hesitating, state that the great Milan artist does not deserve that little. Yet, I also discovered some good points of the film and let me, for these few minutes, be an advocate speaking for the condensation and simplification.

It is, first of all, a very linear and concrete presentation of the director's life and career, which is very clear and helpful for someone who does not know many facts about Visconti. We all have to realize that many viewers nowadays are not very knowledgeable about classy movies (which is a very sad but true fact, unfortunately). Not many people will want to see a documentary which lasts for two or even three hours because that sort of work is rather for fans of a person than for anyone, just a simple viewer. What you, most probably, want to get is just an image, a general look at a life the knowledge of which will either suffice for you or you will need to develop that knowledge through more detailed biographies. In this case, Lizzani's documentary serves a right purpose to raise interest since the majority of viewers get an idea of who Visconti was, what his life and his career were like.

Second, the film is supplied with short but very interesting additional interviews with celebrities that knew Visconti and worked with him on stage or on screen. Among many, we hear Marcello Mastroianni who complains about Visconti's furious nature; Silvana Mangano who refers to the role of mother in MORTE A VENEZIA; Franco Zeffirelli who remembers the works on the film shot in Sicily LA TERRA TREMA; Massimo Girotti who speaks about difficult but long lasting and personal influence of his role of Gino in OSSESSIONE, Visconti's first movie. I am also glad that there is quite a deep reference to one of the best actresses of Italian cinema and one of the most genuine actresses that have ever lived, Anna Magnani. She was the actress who "directed the directors" and impressed both simple viewers as well as greatest authors and art buffs.

Third, we have a clear presentation of who Visconti was: his aristocratic upbringing in Milan together with his extravagant youth. That is stressed here and seen, a bit in Freudian way, as a source of all that proceeded ("Child is the Father of the Man" said Freud). We have a reference to Visconti's meeting with Gustav Machaty, a Czech director who dared show a naked woman (Hedy Lamarr) in the early 1930s movie; a reference to Renoir who influenced Visconti's left wing direction and Thomas Mann who inspired his later works, particularly MORTE A VENEZIA. Perhaps, it is not very detailed nor profound but, personally, I found it satisfying as hardly (perhaps not yet) a Visconti fan.

I'd recommend you to see this documentary, particularly if you are interested in the heyday of the Italian cinema. This film supplies you with the inevitable general knowledge. Although it is pretty simplified, it omits many facts, it is made with the right intentions that do not distort anything. 7/10